27/03/10

Idols of Micah

Judges 18:18,19 - And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?


In the book of Judges 18 we read about the tribe of Dan one of the twelve tribes of Israel who were desperate and impatient to receive their inheritance, start to make arrangements for themselves in advance to the will of God even before entering the promise land. This is symbolic to some of us Christians who cannot wait for the Kingdom of God and start to make their own kingdom claiming as God's Kingdom.

Continuing on, the people of this tribe survey the land and find that the people of a city living contended and secure. They then investigate further and conclude that this peace is to do with the house of Micah. For in Micah's house they find a Levi (priest) serving Micah and his idols so they come in a strong force of six hundred and carry these idols along with the priest and place it in the house of God worshiping them too. This displeased God very much and causes them to lose their inheritance in the promise land.

What is the message for us in this today?

Well it would surprise you as it did to me too just a few days back. For many Christians among us also have these idols of Micah in their place of worship which angers God even today. It is written like the Dan lost their inheritance in the promise land these too will in the Kingdom of God in Heaven.

What are these idols of Micah?

The Hebrew word 'Micah' means 'who is like God' and this name also occurs in the New Testament in the book of Revelation and in Jude. The Greek equivalent is 'Michael' also addressed as an Arch Angel.

Just a few days back on last Sunday I was taking my usual Bible session and part of my topic was this scripture from Revelation which states that Michael the Arch Angel along with His Angels defeats Satan and his angels and they are found no more in Heaven.

When I read this I was taken back as this scripture seem to contradict another scripture which states that at the end it is only Jesus Who would come with His Angels and defeat Satan and his angels and completely destroy them forever.

If Arch Angel Michael and His Angels do the job, then who do Jesus and His Angels defeat? Are we speaking of two different persons? In the Church that David constituted there the hierarchy did not fall in line with there being Arch Angels. If it is so, then they contradict many other scriptures in the Bible, which is not possible, for every scripture in the Bible is perfect and in line with each other. It is God's Word not man's word to have errors. If we find even one error in the scriptures then we land to lose our faith in God. The mistakes made are not in God's Word but in man's understanding of the Word.

As I dug further I realized to my surprise that it was Jesus Christ who has been addressed as Michael the Arch Angel. Before becoming man, God (Son) humbled Himself in Spirit and became spirit man who is similar to an Angel (also called Arch Angel or the Seventh Angel in Revelation). Therefore in the book of Daniel and books of Moses and elsewhere He appears as an Angel.

We need to understand that Jesus is the man factor of Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus Christ is the Begotten Son of God of Whom there is no other. For He alone has life in Himself and is identical to God the Father although not equal to Him, although God the Father considers Him and made Him equal.

Jesus is the man factor and is considered as Son of God equivalent to Adam being called the Son of God and was made in the image of God - like God. Understand this we humans are spirit being living in this body and we are in spirit the same as the Angels who are also called Sons of God. But when sin entered man, man lost many things and his spirit became corrupted and thus became lower than the Angels . Like Adam we too lost the image of God in us. When we understand this we will really understand Resurrection and what Jesus and made available for us and also why this makes us now possible to enter Heaven. We will also understand why we desperately need the Holy Spirit (the Power of Resurrection) to work in us so that this image is bought back.

As man Jesus never instructed and allowed people to pray to Him or worship Him. Even now it is not that He is dead that things have changed, for He is still alive. When we as Christians worship Him we should understand we do not worship Jesus the man factor but Lord Jesus Christ the God factor.

Making images of Jesus and worshiping it angers God as much as it angered Him when the Danites worshiped the idols of Micah. We can possibly make of clay, mud, stones and wood etc. make a human figure which may resemble Jesus almost identical but we can not in any way make any figure of Lord Jesus Christ who is the Begotten Son of God and God.

Thus we need to ask ourselves can we worship these Idols of Jesus. Do we not understand instead of pleasing God we are bringing Him to anger?

If we cannot do this with Jesus Who was and is perfect then forget about any other being who are not perfect.

We need to also understand that these idols of Micah called terraphim in Hebrew were made for a purpose. Found by archeologist each of them had the family name written on them. They were like family deeds of inheritance have them in hand gave the holder right to the property and inheritance (that's the reason Jacob's father-in-law was very upset when his terraphim was missing).

Similarly Jesus like a terraphim is our right to our inheritance. Having Him and the Name of the Family 'Christ' gives us right to enter Heaven and to our inheritance. But worshiping idol of Jesus shows that we do not know Who Jesus is and thus may land us to lose our inheritance.

Have Jesus, our key to our inheritance Who became an example for us to follow in our hearts but worship Lord Jesus Christ Who is God and our inheritance.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, You are God Who came as man. You became the way by being an example for us for righteousness and by your sacrifice You made available the Holy Spirit, Who works in us and makes us like You. We who are corrupt in spirit, by your Spirit are made incorruptible so that we can inherit Heaven which is incorruptible. Lord, work in us and make us like Jesus...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Revelations 12:7,8
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Mark 14:61-63
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

Mathew 16:27
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Hebrew 1:5-11
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

Daniel 12:5-9
5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Revelation 1:12-18
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Revelation 10:1-6
1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)