Idolatry (Judges 18:30-31)

3/2/2010 8:32 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                       Focus:  Idolatry

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Judges 18:30-31

 

            Message of the verses:  “30  The sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31  So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image which he had made, all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh.”

            In verse thirty there is a “captivity” which is spoken of and not all of the Bible Scholars are in agreement as to when this captivity took place.  If this was speaking of the Assyrian captivity then someone would have had to insert this verse latter on for the book of Judges was written far before the Assyrian captivity.  This could be referring to the Philistine captivity when the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines which is recorded in 1 Samuel. 

            The main point of this section is that the Danites became the first tribe in Israel to begin the worship of idols, and this would eventually lead to the downfall of the nation of Israel as first the northern tribes would fall into captivity and then the tribe of Judah would fall into captivity.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes the following at the end of this chapter in “Be Available:” William Butler Yeats was right:  ‘The center cannot hold.’  The home, the ministry, and society are disintegrating before our eyes, and people don’t want to hear the truth!  But whether they want it or not, the world must be told that Jesus Christ died for lost sinners, and that the power of Christ can transform hearts, homes, churches, and society if people will only trust Him.”  This is a wonderful and true statement!

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The worshiping of idols begins in the mind as all sin begins in the mind and so the mind of the believer must be kept on the Lord and on His Word in order to defeat these sins.  Ephesians six speaks of the “whole armor of God,” and the necessity of putting it on each day to be protected by the Lord against the wiles of the wicked one.  I need to begin again to do this.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. I put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, I take up the shield of faith, and put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

 

3/2/2010 8:58 AM