Judges 17 and Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Micah dishonors his mother in stealing from her without remorse, but Jesus was obedient to His earthly parents as well as the Father.
In the story of Micah, we see that he stole from his mother and wasn’t ever remorseful for it. The only reason he returned the money was because he heard her praying for a curse upon whoever took it and he didn’t want to be cursed himself. But this isn’t how Jesus was. He didn’t dishonor His father and mother. Luke 2:51
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
Not only was He submissive to His earthly parents, but He was totally committed to honoring His Heavenly Father. Matthew 26:39
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
How do we handle relationships with our parents as sinful people?
This subject of being obedient to our parents is something that God shows us is important, so much so that it is repeated throughout almost every genre in the Bible. Exodus 20:12
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
What do you think that this looks like? (To strive to honor and respect them for their wisdom with our thoughts and obedience.) How should we respond when our parents are leading us into sin? Ezekiel 20:18-19
18 “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;
Micah uses money that was once stolen to build a false religion. Jesus, through the price of His own blood, established the New Covenant and reconciled God and man.
What is shocking about what Micah does is that he is very clearly setting up the opposite of what God had installed elsewhere in Israel. There was to be one location for the worship of God and one way in which He was to be worshipped. But Micah builds another temple and creates another form of worship. Micah is responsible for founding what will become an area known for cult worship. But Jesus wasn’t like this, was He? He didn’t pervert the worship of God, but instead purified God’s people that we could worship Him truthfully. Hebrews 10:10-14
10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
How should we think about worship?
Micah thought he would manipulate/earn the blessing of God by hiring a corrupt Levite to be his priest. Jesus lived with the favor of God, lived for the glory of God, and lives forever exalted by God for us.
In verse 13, Micah expresses that he thinks that he’s surely secured the blessing of God on his life because he hired this corrupt Levite to be his priest. The issue of attempting to manipulate God is something that we see all the way back at the Tower of Babel. But Jesus wasn’t interested in manipulating God because He was totally in step with God and He lived in the favor of God. Remember what the Father said at Jesus’s baptism in Matthew 3:17?
17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
What do you think of when you think of the favor of God?
In Numbers 6:24-25
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The favor that we seek is for the face of God to shine upon us. This means that we long to have Him to delight in us, to be pleased with us, and to have His presence among us. So, how do we enjoy the favor of God? How do we get it? It’s simple. The favor of God belongs to everyone who believes in His Son Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 11, the writer is speaking about the believers in the OT and says this. Hebrews 11:16
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
In Judges 17, we find a purposeless and opportunistic Levite wandering from Bethlehem. In Jesus, we see a child coming forth from Bethlehem with His heart set on the Father’s will.
Since it’s Christmas time, you’ve no doubt heard songs and stories about the little baby Jesus being laid in a manger in Bethlehem and this is true. But, as we all know, there is more to His story. And throughout the life of Jesus, we see that His heart was totally committed to the will of the Father. Matthew 26:39 reminds us of how dedicated He was:
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
But this isn’t how that Levitical Priest was, was he? That guy was a wanderer just look for the best opportunity that came up for him.
What do you think is your life’s purpose as a Christian?
The purpose for our lives as believers is to glorify and enjoy God forever. To fellowship with Him and to obey Him and to delight in Him. We aren’t looking for the happiest route, the easiest route, or even the most prosperous route. We are looking for the most faithful route to walk as believers.
The Levite is consecrated by Micah and is known as a priest of Micah. Jesus is consecrated by God and is a priest unto Him forevermore.
What does His priesthood mean for us? What does it mean that we are a priesthood in Jesus?
The priesthood of Jesus means that our sins are forever gone and we are safe in our covenant with God. It also means that He, who sympathizes with us, is seated in Heaven and prays for us. But what do you think it means that we are a priesthood in Jesus?
In 1 Peter 2:5, Peter says,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Well, for us to become Priests, we had to be forgiven of our sins that we might be able to approach God and to make offerings to Him. The thing is that we don’t give offerings to pay for our sins, but simply to worship the God who forgave us of our sins in the first place. So, what does it mean that we are priests? It means that we have access into the presence of God through prayer and that all that we do should be done as a worshipful sacrifice to God. 1 Cor 10:31
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.