Wednesday, 27th January 2021
Micah was wrong at the very start. He took the money from his mum and made it his own. Micah didn’t leave his parents’ household but brought the idol of his mother into the house. Micah’s house had no God, but only idols of money and of the world. When someone walks in the wrong path, they will make up their own rules, which sound right but are wrong. When Micah made his own idol, he also looked for a priest. He wanted to create the temple of God in his own house, he knew if he wanted the presence of God, then he also needed a priest. And when he could not find a priest, he asked his own son to be the priest.
Then he met the Levite, so Micah asked the Levite to stay in his house. Levites are appointed by God, they serve God, not people. Micah used an excuse that seemed holy to satisfy his own ambition. He twisted the laws of Moses and made it into whatever pleased him. He was wrong at the very beginning, because he worshipped his mother’s idol – the money and the world.
Section One: V1-6 Without King, Without Direction
1, The twelve judges did not walk in God’s appointed destiny. When they were appointed as judges over Israel, they were doing their own things, built their own big families and lived their own lustful lives. In the Bible there was only records of how good their lives were, but nothing about how they used the gifts of God to build up and teach the Israelites. So after Samson, God no longer raised up judges over Israel.
God took the Israelites to cross over the Jordan River, and allotted inheritance for them, but in the times of judges the tribe of Dan seemed to not satisfy with the land they had. Samson was from the tribe of Dan, but for 20 years as the Judge, he didn’t lead the tribe of Dan to fight off the Philistines and take back the land given to them as inheritance. If we lived in lustful desires like Samson, then at the end we will also be unable to receive the inheritance God has allotted to us at the beginning.
2, It was a generation without the temple of God and without the priest of God. The young Levite was wondering around and had no place to live. During that time, there was no place for the Levite to serve God. People used their own judgement to decide what was right and what was wrong. They sought their own directions.
The tribe of Dan didn’t take inheritance in the land God has allotted to them, but they wanted the land of Ephraim, their brother tribe. It was stealing, robbery, because the land did not belong to them. Do I also see other people’s lifestyles and wanted to be like them? We live in confusion and wilfulness, because we are not satisfied with what God has already given to us.
Micah couldn’t recognise the spies from Dan and let them enter into his house. As children of God, do we have the alertness from God? Do we bring the thieves and robbers into our lives? This was how Micah fall, when we live in confusion and wilfulness, we will be like Micah, bringing the wrong people into our lives.
3-6, The values of the people at the time were all about who they could rely on instead of relying on God. They had forgotten how God led them by the pillars of cloud of fire in the wilderness, but they only wanted to find out who were able to help them. Even the young Levite was lost and confused. God chose Levites to serve Him all their lives, but the young Levite served Micah for his living. He was not a true prophet and did not speak the truth. The five spies were thieves to Micah’s house, but the Levite did not stop them from sinning, instead he only said what they wanted to hear.
Section Two: V7-26 Walk in the Flesh
7, When we are in confusion and wilfulness, then we will walk in the flesh. We didn’t want a leader to rule over us, we just wanted to do whatever we wanted to do. The five spies left Micah’s house and saw Laish. God allotted Zorah and Eshtaol for them, but they walked further and further away from the promised land. Laish was at the boarders of Canaan, they lived peaceful lives there. Sometimes we dream of going to rural places, far away from the crowd because those places are peaceful and the land is cheaper, but we didn’t realise it was the land without God’s promise. There were no one ruling over them in Laish.
8-10, The tribe of Dan was doing whatever they wanted. They looked for a place without rulers, and a place without God. The five spies went back to their tribe and reported about the land of Laish. They lived according to their flesh, seeing the land with their eyes not with God’s vision. We listened to the thieves and saw what the five people saw. In the Book of Joshua, when the spies went to the city of Ai, they looked at it too lightly. The same thing happened here when the spies of Dan saw the land of Laish and wanted to take it down.
11-17, We need to bless the places we have been, not to steal from them or attack them. The tribe of Dan came back to Micah’s house and liked the idols and ephod he made. We also saw here that the idols Micah built were more than before. At the beginning Micah wanted the presence of God, but he used the wrong way of doing things, so later Micah built more idols for himself!
Hezekiah opened the temple of God and showed the enemy his wealth, later he was robbed. We need to have alertness and wisdom to look after our own household and the House of God.
19-20, The thieves told the Levite not to talk, a godly priest should say what God wants him to say, the words of judgement. But the thieves did not want to listen. When we don’t speak the truth and the Word of God, then we will be following the thieves and following the world. We will also feel good when we follow the world. But it displeases God.
21-26, When God took the Israelites to cross over the Jordan River, God let the Ark of God go first, but the tribe of Dan let their wives, children, livestock, and goods go before them. Do we put God first or put this world first to lead our ways?
When the idols and the Levite were taken away, Micah felt that he had nothing left. We should ourselves, what do we have today?
Section Three: V27-31 Leave Destiny, Go into Destruction
Micah thought the young Priest could bless his house but at the end he was robbed. The tribe of Dan did whatever they wanted to do, their killed the people in Laish and burnt their village. The people of Laish were far away from anywhere else, there were no nearby to protect them and they had no leader to lead them to fight back.
When the tribe of Dan took over the land of Laish, they renamed it Dan. It seemed like a victory but later in the history it was again taken away. We should not put our eyesight in this world but in the destiny from God. We need to know where the inheritance from God for us is. The tribe of Dan did not fight the Philistine in their own land, but they went out to take the land, which did not belong to them. We need to turn back from our sinful ways, to honour God in this generation, believe He is the Almighty God and He rules and reigns in our lives!
Respond Prayer
Oh Lord, we live in a confused generation. We are fearful, we did not know what we should do. Lord, please help us to understand Your Will, may Your Words come into our lives, let us not focus on how people see us, but how You see us. We are not chosen by people but by You, so we are determined to walk in Your Way, to light up the temple of God every day and to come to You. No one should be able to take away our identity and our allotment in You.
Lord we declare, we do not want to be like Micha or the young Levite. We take away our focus from our parents and from this world, and we want to focus on You. You will go before us and Your authority for us will walk before us, we want to see God first, people next then the earth. We also bind up, in the Name of Jesus, all the sins that stop us to come close to You. We declare God is our Centre and we have attentive ears to hear Your Word. So we will not live in this wilful and confused generation but trust in You alone! Amen!
2021年1月27日
士师记 18
在混乱中任意妄为
–
前情提要：一个叫米迦的人在家里为自己设立拜神的地方和祭司，用的钱是曾从妈妈那里偷来又还回去的。从这里可以看出米迦离不开自己的妈妈，他倚靠自己的父母胜过倚靠神。他的妈妈看重银子，因此养育出来的儿子也是如此。米迦拿的是上一代所重视的银子造了偶像来拜。同时，米迦想要在家里创造出一个属神的氛围，其实是用神为借口来满足自己的欲望。因此当一个年轻的利未人经过他家时，米迦就请他来当家里的祭司。人在混乱中，就任意妄为。米迦将神给以色列的律法完全颠倒，因为从一开始他的眼目就没有离开父母的钱财。在这个混乱的世代，我们要警醒，以神为中心。
一，1-6：没有王 没有方向
1，米迦自己的梦想记录在前一章（17:13），自以为做了一切的事就有从神而来的祝福。就在那个时候，“以色列中没有王”- 所以当他们做错事的时候没有人会告知他们。各人都在任意妄为，因为以前的12个士师忙于扩张自己的家，将神给予的恩赐用在满足自己的私欲，没有好好教导他们所带领的人。所以如今没有领袖带领以色列人，即便是之前做了20年士师的参孙本人所属的但支派，当大家都过了约旦河后，在迦南地仍没有真正得地为业 -。
2, 那个时代，没有神的殿，也没有祭司，不然那个少年利未人也不会走到这么远的地方来找地方住。可以看出当时的人是凭着自己的血气判断是非，寻找方向。“锁拉”是参孙的故乡，但人居住的地方，他们却派人去窥探别人的“那地”- 就是他们的兄弟以法莲支派的地，这其实就是偷窃抢夺。今天的我们是否看见别人的东西或生活，觉得很好，自己也想要？我们若如此想，就说明我们在混乱和任意妄为中，不满神所赐予我们的。这些但支派的探子来到米迦家，住进里面。当一个人在混乱中，就分不出是敌是友。我们是否能有一个属灵的分辨力，对来偷窃我们的匪类警醒？
3, 从但支派问利未人的问题可以看出，当时的人看重是“你倚靠谁？谁帮你？你有什么好处？”然而，圣经教导我们 不要倚靠势力，不要倚靠才能，只要倚靠耶和华。
4, 这个少年人不该在个人家里当祭司，但他在混乱中，放弃自己服事神的命定，服事米迦。
5-6，这5个匪徒是来抢东西的，然而这个利未人完全不辨是非，只讲了祝福的话。我们常喜欢听好听的话，却不知这些表面祝福的话只会带我们走进死亡。
二，7-26：凭着血气行事
当我们在混乱中，我们所做的一切都凭血气，因为我们“没有王”来指教我们对错。
7，这5个人“来到拉亿”，这是一个遥远的地方，在迦南地的边界，超出了神所应许给但支派的地业。但族5个人看到“那里的民安居无虑。。。没有人掌权。。。”就觉得很好，因为那里不仅安逸，而且没有人管。但人自己想要什么，就看到什么，他们寻找的不是神所赐的流奶与蜜之地，而是一个能够安居，没有神同在的地方，并且”与别人没有来往”, 就是没有团契的生活。我们是否也是这样，离开神所赐给我们的地方，向往一个安逸、广阔，却不是神应许的地土？
8-9，这5个探子回到自己的地方，鼓动本族人去拉亿夺地。他们是凭着眼目所看到的来带领他们。
10，这里的话跟约书亚记第7章开始很类似，当时的探子也是跟约书亚说艾城很容易攻下，不用劳烦派太多人上去。
11-13，这些但族的匪类经过犹大的地盘，就抢了他们的东西归为己有。
14-17, 这班强盗看到米迦家中以弗得、神像，和“雕刻的像与铸成的像”，比米迦一开始有的偶像还多。当我们活在混乱中，我们就会陷入罪中，离神越来越远。 米迦竟然让匪徒进入自己家，而这些人只想谋算他家里的东西。后来的犹大王希西家也犯了同样的错误，导致国家被敌人抢夺。我们要有警醒和智慧的心。
19-20，但族的匪类跟少年利未人说“不要做声，用手捂口。。。”一个真正的祭司是要讲从神而来的审判的话，但如果他们不说，他们就是跟着世界走，并且还“心里喜悦”，把别人的东西拿走。
21，当初过约旦河时，约书亚让神的祭司带着约柜在前头行，可是这些但族人让“妻子、儿女、牲畜、财物都在前头”。我们是让什么带领我们走的呢？求神帮助我们学会先神后人再大地。
24，米迦看重的是“我所做的神像和祭司”，若被带走，就一无所有。今天我们拥有的是什么？
三，27-31：离开命定 终久灭亡
这些但族人将抢来的神像和祭司带到拉亿，可惜这些米迦以为可以保护自己的人和东西，最后也不能保护他。
但人杀了拉亿的百姓 – 当我们离开群体，没有神、没有权柄带领的时候，就会遭到敌人偷窃、毁坏。
但族人改了拉亿的名字，住在那里，可是这地最后还是“遭掳掠”。但族本来应该在神所赐的锁拉和以实陶得地为业，然而他们却觊觎不属于他们的地业。抢夺过来的东西，最后也被别人抢走。
求神帮助我们，让我们的眼目不要放在这个世界，而是在神给我们的命定中，在这个无神的世代，我们要高举神，相信神是万军之耶和华，他在我们生命中永远坐着为王。
追求：
感谢耶和华带领我们，让我们耳朵都能听见你的话，去挖掘内心深处的想法、错乱的情绪。面对选择，我们很迷茫，好像很混乱，要凭血气做事。求天父帮助我们，让你的话语进入我们生命。当我们像那个利未人在乎别人对我们说的话时，帮助我们看到我们在神的拣选里的价值。鉴察我们，看我们是否像米迦说的那样“。。。我还有所剩的吗？怎么还问我说做什么呢？” 神你是没有任何人能从我们生命中带走的神！让我们谦卑己心，来到神面前认罪悔改。
主啊，我们是能听你教导的，是可以离开父母的，不要像那个利未人那样看重人的拣选，我们宣告我们是蒙神拣选的。当我们向前行的时候，神是在我们前头行的，不是任何家人或财物，而是先神后人再大地。捆绑一切阻挡我们与神连结的罪和私欲，以神为中心，听从神的教导。我们是靠着属天的祝福得到自由，不是倚靠自己，而是靠着神。