No King in the House

Read Judges 17-18
 
Judges 17:1–6 There was a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. One day he said to his mother, “I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.” “The LORD bless you for admitting it,” his mother replied. He returned the money to her, and she said, “I now dedicate these silver coins to the LORD. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.” So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah’s house. Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest. In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
 
THE Scripture’s last sentence defines the root cause of Israel’s many challenges. There was a King in Israel. His name was Yahweh – LORD God Almighty – I AM, El Shaddai, King of kings. But he was not king of Israel’s national heart, nor was he king in Israel’s homes.
   As God commanded from Eden and through the law, the worship of God begins at home. Micah and his mother totally negated God in their home. They broke seven of the 10 commandments! They worshiped other gods, formed graven images, coveted, lied, stole, dishonored the mother and used God’s name in vain. Micah’s home was a center of religious confusion and moral convenience. God was far from their hearts.
   This is the challenge of the ages. We speak today of the many distractions that influence our children away from God’s commands. But what is each of us doing to worship God only, to block any images and idols first from our own eyes, heart and mind? Many have been dismayed for some 60 years in the United States that prayer isn’t corporately allowed in school. And markers with the Ten Commandments have been removed from the public square. That’s not our problem. The problem is the removal and the neglect of prayer in the home and the commandments written on our hearts. It does no good for a public display of piety if you do not privately worship the King.
   Judges 17-18 describe how Micah, the tribe of Dan and a Levite had no interest – no faith – to live into their God-given roles. Here’s a good prayer to protect our hearts from those sins. Proverbs 30:8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.
   Let the “Amen” be on your heart.