Originally posted: 10/20/19
…every man did what was right in his own eyes, (17:6).
Could there be a more disastrous commentary for a nation, a church, a family, an individual? Could there be any greater threat to stability and strength to a nation, a church, a family, an individual?
How did God’s chosen people come to such a place as this? In their quest to satisfy their cravings, in their wanton pursuit of prosperity and ease, they cast off His commands, rejected His statutes, and left Him Unheeded.
Consider Him Unheeded
Today as we search the Scriptures (and there are many) for His truth regarding Him Unheeded, I invite you to prayerfully join me, roll up your spiritual sleeves and let’s dig in, that may we have ears to hear and eyes to see.
- His Word Unheeded:
- “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth,” (Exodus 20:4).
- “You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God,” (Leviticus 26:1).
- “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth,” (Deuteronomy 5:8).
- His Word strictly prohibited the making of idols; and yet His Word was Unheeded.
- ……and his mother said, “I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image…” 5 And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest, (17:3, 5).
- His Rule as King Unheeded:
- The Lord is King forever and ever; (Psalm 10:16).
- Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory, (Psalm 24:10). - For God is the King of all the earth; (Psalm 47:7).
- For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us— (Isaiah 33:22).
- His Rule as King was established for all eternity; and yet His Rule as King was Unheeded.
- In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes, (17:6).
- His Provision Unheeded:
- They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The Lord commanded through Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasture lands for our cattle.” 3 So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these cities with their pasture lands, according to the command of the Lord, (Joshua 21:2-3).
- His Provision for the Levites was thoroughly specified and assigned; and yet His Provision was Unheeded.
- Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find a place. 9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to stay wherever I may find a place.” 10 Micah then said to him, “Dwell with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your maintenance,” (17:8-10).
- His Place of Worship Unheeded:
- “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth… 5 But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come,” (Deuteronomy 12:1, 5).
- His Place of Worship was chosen by the LORD God Himself; and yet His Place of Worship was Unheeded.
- …So the Levite went in. 11 The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12 So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah, (17:10-12).
- His Blessing in Obedience Unheeded:
- “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known,” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).
- “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God,” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).
- His Blessing was promised through diligent and careful obedience; and yet His Blessing in Obedience was Unheeded.
- …Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest,” (17:13).
How do we respond to Him Unheeded?
Do you see Him? Jesus. Jesus, the Living Word; the King of kings; our Provision for salvation and eternal life; the One and only door admitting us to His Place of Worship; and in Him every spiritual Blessing is bestowed.
- His Word:
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God… 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth, (John 1:1, 14).
- “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father,” (John 6:63-65 emphasis added).
- His Rule as King:
- “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” (John 14:15).
- For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, (Philippians 2:9-11).
- I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen, (1 Timothy 6:13-16).
- His Provision:
- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:16).
- And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 4:19).
- Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence, (2 Peter 1:2-3).
- His Place of Worship:
- Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” (John 4:21-24).
- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” (John 14:6).
- His Blessing in Obedience:
- …concerning His Son…, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, (Romans 1:3-5).
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ… 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:3, 13).
I saw Him today; and sadly, I saw myself as well. I saw myself in the self-reliance, in the rebellion, and in the disobedience conveyed in Judges 17. I saw myself, so often disregarding Him, treating Him as Unheeded, in so many ways.
If you saw yourself as well, please pray with me:
Father, forgive us the sin of relegating Jesus to a place so unworthy, of ignoring His Word and Rule in our lives. Please convict us and transform us, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that we will consider Him in truth and Heed Him as He alone rightfully deserves. Oh, Lord Jesus, forgive us for treating You with such disregard, as Unheeded, when all honor and power and glory is due Your Name:
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing,” (Revelation 5:11-12).
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen,” (Revelation 7:10-12).
Lord, please awaken us to our disastrous future ahead when we refuse to listen, refuse to Heed Your voice. Lord, please raise us up as Your people who will be diligent and careful to obey Your commands, to do what is right in Your eyes.
Have mercy on us, oh Lord, and strengthen our nation, our churches, our families, and each of us individually, that we will be ready when the appointed time comes, in the Almighty Name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come,” (Mark 13:33).