DAY 1 – November 23, 2009
TITLE: “STEALING”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “…The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse-I have that silver with me; I took it…” Judges 17:2
When I was a child, my father kept a little leather pouch with some coins in it in the drawer by his bed. One day when he was gone I went into his room, opened up the door and looked in the bag. In there were some half dollars. I put them back, but I let them consume my mind and thoughts. Later that day I went into his room and took one of those half dollars. In the next few days I felt so guilty I finally returned it. As I reflect upon that time in my life I am amazed that I stole from the one that took care of me and provided all that I had.
In our passage today, we read about a man by the name of Micah. In the Hebrew the name means “Who is like Yahweh?” In this story he demonstrated a behavior that was not like God as all. He stole a substantial sum of silver from his own money. The amount is listed as eleven hundred shekels. With the yearly wage being about ten shekels, we quickly see that the value of what he stole represented a fortune.
This women had experienced a very significant theft. No wonder she cursed the thief! When Micah heard of the curse, she confessed he was the one that had stolen the silver. She quickly blessed her son, evidently seeking to undo the curse that threatened him.
In the book of Joshua, we read about a man by the name of
Achan. The Lord called him a thief. God had told the people
when they went to
One of the Ten Commandments simply says, “You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15. Scripture makes it clear that it is wrong to take from another what is rightfully his. It is wrong to take from God what is rightfully His. Malachi 3:8, reminds us that we are not to rob from God through keeping tithes and offerings for ourselves. It is wrong to take from others. To steal is an act of disrespect. It can reveal a lack of contentment in what we have and a lack of trust. Take a few moments to search your heart today and listen to what the Lord is saying to you.
DAY 2 – November 24, 2009
TITLE: “IDOLATRY”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, ‘I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol. I will give it back to you.” Judges 17:3
An idol denotes the image of a god which is an object of worship. The term may also refer to any material symbol of the supernatural which is worshipped. The term idolatry refers to idol or image worship. In the Old Testament, all such practices were specifically forbidden.
In the New Testament, idolatry is used figuratively to indicate too great obsession with any object less than God. In the New Testament, the Old Testament concept of idolatry is widened to include anything which tends to dethrone God in our lives.
In The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen, retells a tale from ancient
"I have mastered a science," said the first, "by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it." "I," said the second, "know how to grow that creature's skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones." The third said, "I am able to create its limbs if I have flesh, the skin, and the hair." "And I," concluded the fourth, "know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete." Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion's. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.
We, too, have the capacity to create what can devour us and cause us great harm. The mother of Micah created something that caused harm and distracted from worship of the true God. She took some of the silver her son had taken from her and gave it back to him so the son could make a carved image and a cast idol.
It has been said that today's idols are more in the self than on the shelf. Desires and dreams can consume us. Possessions and property can own us and turn our hearts away from spiritual values. Matthew 6:33 instructs, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Seeking God first in all things and all times, keeps us on track and protects us from loving other things too much. Take a few moments today to reflect on what it means to seek first His Kingdom.
DAY 3 – November 25, 2009
TITLE: “WHAT DO YOU HAVE ROOM FOR IN YOUR HOUSE?”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE “So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into the image and the idol. And they were put in Micah’s house.” Judges 17:4
When Sharon and I were preparing to be married back in
September of 1978, we started looking for apartments to rent. In the process we
had the privilege of purchasing a little home in
The scripture says that Micah had room in his house for the
image and the idol that the silversmith had made. When Micah returned the
silver, he had taken from his mother, she used a portion of it to have a carved
image and cast idol made. She took 200 shekels of the eleven hundred shekels
Micah had stolen from her and gave it to a silversmith. He then made them into
the image and the idol. The last part of Judges 17:4 says, “…And they were put in Micah’s house.”
What do you have room for in your house? In the book of
Joshua in the Old Testament, we read the story of the leader of the people of
God who followed Moses. Towards the end of his life, Joshua stood before the
people and gave them some very clear instructions. He said, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away
the gods your forefathers worship beyond the River and in
As you walk around your house today, are there some things in your house that need to go. Perhaps there are words of anger, slander, gossip, or unwholesome talk that need to be kicked out of your house through the power of God. Perhaps there are some ungodly activities, things watched, talked about, or done that do not fit into a Godly home that serves the Lord faithfully. Do you need to do some house cleaning today? Through His power and Spirit, the things that do not fit into a Godly home and life can be removed. What do you have room for in your house and life?
DAY 4 – November 26, 2009
TITLE: “THEY HAD NO KING”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “In those days
There is an old story about a farmer who hired a man to work for him. He told him his first task would be to paint the barn and said it should take him about three days to complete. But the hired man was finished in one day. The farmer set him to cutting wood, telling him it would require about 4 days. The hired man finished in a day and a half, to the farmer's amazement. The next task was to sort out a large pile of potatoes. He was to arrange them into three piles: seed potatoes, food for the hogs, and potatoes that were good enough to sell. The farmer said it was a small job and shouldn't take long at all. At the end of the day the farmer came back and found the hired man had barely started. "What's the matter here?" the farmer asked. "I can work hard, but I can't make decisions!" replied the hired man.
Life is filled with decisions. Today most of us will make many decisions all the way from what we will wear and eat, to when we will go to bed. However, there are moral, ethical, and legal boundaries in which most of us will operate. These boundaries will impact and guide many of the decisions we will make.
In the days of the book of Judges, everyone did as they saw fit. Earlier in
the book of Judges, Judges 14:3, we read how Samson did what he thought was
right. Even though it was contrary to the law of God, he did what he wanted in
choosing a Philistine woman as his wife. His conclusion was that it was right for
him. In our scripture today, we read that the people were in a time when they
had no king, so each one made their own decisions determining what they thought
was appropriate or right. The book of Judges ends on the same note with the
words, “In those days
Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of former President Franklin Roosevelt said, “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” It is true that we are responsible for the choices we make. However, we have someone who can guide us in every decision. When we surrender our lives to Christ we have a King on the throne that can guide us and lead us as we trust in Him. Seek the King’s guidance in the decisions you make. Through His power, do what is fitting in the eyes of the King of Kings today.
DAY 5 – November 27, 2009
TITLE: “GOD IS GOOD”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “And Micah said, ‘Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.’” Judges 17:13
There is a little chorus we sing in church from time to time that simply says, “God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.” Occasionally during our worship services we will say together, “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” God is a good God.
God is infinitely good.
When the biblical writers call God good they are thinking in general of
all those moral qualities that flow out of His goodness. The Psalmist said, “You are good, and what you do is good…” Psalm 119:68. God’s goodness is underived,
for it is the essence of His eternal nature. He is originally good in and of
Himself. Because God is good all that comes from Him is good. His decrees and laws are good. His creation
is good, because God is good. Genesis 1:31, reminds us that when He finished everything
He had made, He said it was very good. I Timothy 4:4, tells us, “For everything God created is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
Micah somehow thought that by having his own priest in his house, God would be good to him. However, as he discovered later, God cannot be manipulated. God is good to us because God is good. However, God does not have to do good things for us in order for God to be good.
When I was a Youth Pastor, someone in town opened up a small recording studio. They offered to do a free recording of a song for us. Since I thought it would be a fun and a great opportunity for some of the youth, I wrote a song and instrumentation for it and put together a group of teenagers to record it. The title of the song was, “Isn’t God Good.” The song was special to me and the teenagers because of the story behind it.
The song had been written in memory of one of our young people who had died of cancer by the name of Bud Golden. The youth and I had walked with him and his family through some very hard times during those days. On the day Bud died, I had felt led to go to the hospital to be with him. It was about 4:30 in the morning when for a moment he awoke, looked at me and said, “Isn’t God good.” Those were the last words Bud spoke before he went into the arms of his loving Heavenly Father.
Bud Golden understood that God’s goodness was not based on the good things God does for us. God is good regardless of the circumstances or situations in our lives. God is good.