Read for this week's study: Judges 17,18.
Memory text: Exod. 20:4, 5, KJV
Key thought:
God accepts worship that is offered according to His instructions, which leads to a proper understanding of Him. A blend of true and false worship may be appealing to human beings, but God does not accept it.
Royal Rules. If you wish to speak with the queen of England, you cannot simply knock on the door of Buckingham Palace and expect her to come to the door. She is a queen. You are a common stranger. Even if you are granted a meeting with her, you must approach her through a protocol established by the queen and her assistants. She makes the rules. You follow them.Like the queen of England, the Lord is a monarch. Not only that, He is Deity, greater than any earthly monarch. He is the King of kings, who "is sovereign over the kingdom of mortals; he gives it to whom he will" (Dan. 4:17, NRSV). Therefore, human beings must approach Him on His terms. He makes the rules. Those who approach Him in worship on their own terms rather than His do not honor Him; they insult Him. That is what the ancient Israelites did when they used idols to worship the Lord; they insulted Him.
Outline:
Summary:
Disregarding God's law, Micah's mother made idols, which Micah used for worship of the Lord. Micah involved his family and then a young Levite in this idolatry. When the idols were stolen by greedy Danites and used for a religious center in the newly conquered northern city of Dan, many Israelites were subjected to this evil influence.
One person's disobedience of God often sets in motion a chain of circumstances that results in many being led into spiritual defeat.