Judges Chapter 17 – Unreliable Faith - Another Tragedy Begins for Israel

This chapter, though seemingly about insignificant matters, sets the stage for another tragedy in Israel! A tragedy that nearly led to the extinction of one of Israel's tribes! Indeed, many seemingly small things, if they stem from the deceit of the dark forces of the devil, can escalate into tragedies of near genocidal proportions! This applies to our own lives as well. And to the history of mankind. The sparks that ignited several world wars were often very small incidents. Therefore, we must be cautious in spiritual matters!

We previously discussed the story of Samson. Because he was not cautious, nor were his parents, he met a tragic end. Lack of caution usually begins with small things. This time, an unremarkable family, in an unremarkable place, did something unremarkable (in the eyes of men), but it affected all of Israel!

The story begins with Micah stealing money from his mother. A considerable sum. Probably equivalent to the annual salary of fifty people today. That was a lot of money. As a result, his mother uttered a curse. Then, upon discovering that her son Micah had taken the money, she casually said, "Well, this money is for you anyway. May the Lord bless you!" Consequently, the devil, through this curse, legally entered the family. The devil began to manipulate the entire household. On the surface, there was no devil present. It was all people saying and doing things. But behind the scenes, the devil's scheme had already been set in motion! It was a scheme to exterminate a tribe of Israel! Brothers and sisters among us must be careful. Do not constantly utter harsh words. For you never know when a curse might befall your own son, your family, or your nation. Becoming a source of curses from the devil. In all matters, be cautious, do not lose your temper. Do not speak harshly. Curses are not to be taken lightly.

As if possessed, Micah took the money and dedicated a portion of it to the Lord. To make an idol. Did Micah really know what he was doing? No, he did not. But he did not think he did not know! People in delusion always believe they know exactly what they are doing. This idol was nominally in the name of the Lord. As if Micah was zealous to serve the Lord Jehovah. He might have genuinely believed he was serving Jehovah. This is similar to the Israelites who made the golden calf during the Exodus, also calling upon the name of Jehovah. As a result, they angered the true Jehovah God, who nearly destroyed the Israelites. This time, Micah does it again. It is strange, do they not know that Jehovah God does not allow the making of idols? They know, but their hearts are clouded, and they insist on their own ideas. Where do those ideas come from? From the devil. The devil easily deceives people's minds. Did Micah know this? No, he did not. In fact, Micah truly believed it was Jehovah God! Not only did he believe it was Jehovah God, but the idol he set up was quite efficacious! You might ask, how do you know? Just look at what happens next. At that time, a Levite from Judah, traveling, came to Micah's house. How did this Levite come? Just by chance, he arrived. I imagine Micah prayed to the idol, saying, "Lord Jehovah, please grant me a Levite to be your priest." And indeed, one came. How efficacious! Actually, the Bible does not say that the idol was efficacious in answering many prayers. So Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, since He has given me a Levite as priest." As a result, this fulfilled the curse Micah's mother had placed on him. In fact, the idol Micah set up was a very efficacious idol! All those who come seeking worldly things, it is efficacious for! Having a Levite as priest, having a god image, having a shrine, many things are efficacious, isn't that great? No, it is not! Those with evil spirits behind them are also very efficacious, but they corrupt people!

Establishing an idol in the name of the Lord Jesus, hanging a church sign, hiring an ordained pastor, isn't that a church? No, it is not! How do we discern then? Easily. The Bible is the standard for discernment. If a church does not seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, but only seeks worldly benefits, the more efficacious it is, the more problematic it is! Because what controls it is an evil spirit, the devil! Jesus never prayed for people to make money, prayed for people to find jobs, or prayed for people to divide property. But the evil spirits behind idols guide people to pray to idols for these things. When seeking worldly things is very efficacious, but people's spiritual lives are not edified, you know that the devil is behind it. No matter what sign they hang, even if they, like Micah, use the name of Jehovah and find a Levite as priest, the devil is still behind it! Bringing disastrous corruption. The same is true of churches. Do not think that hanging a church sign makes it a church. Do not think that praying for worldly things and being efficacious means that God is present. Once, Pastor Liu went to observe a church and felt something was not right in his spirit. He prayed silently, and God opened Pastor Liu's eyes, and he saw many monsters hanging on the stage lights above the church stage. The Holy Spirit revealed that these were devils! How can there be devils in a church? It is not strange. Micah worshiped an idol named Jehovah, the priest was a full-time Levite, yet the devil was behind it. Today, would the devil not do such things even more? Everyone must be careful!

Micah thought he was serving Jehovah God. Many people thought it was Jehovah God. But such a shrine became the beginning of a catastrophe for Israel! In all spiritual matters, one cannot act according to one's own will. One needs to act according to the revelation of the Bible, according to the heavenly pattern.

Therefore, everyone must be careful. The church described in the Bible is what the church should be like! The church must be built according to the revelation of the Bible. Know that evil spirits often masquerade in the name of God to corrupt the people. I thank God that we can build according to the revelation of the Bible!

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