“After Mikhah consecrated the Levi,
the young man became his cohen
and stayed there in Mikhah’s house.”
-Judges 17:12
So Micah with absolutely no authority whatsoever takes it upon himself to consecrate the young Levite visitor to his home to become his house priest.
We shouldn’t be too surprised at this…
This was standard procedure throughout the entire Middle East.
And before Sinai, the Hebrews had adopted this practice in Egypt.
It had always been customary for a household to have their own family priest…
Usually the father took on this role…
And when he retired, he passed on the priestly duties to his firstborn son.
So Israel had always done what the gentile families did.
They installed their own private family priest who performed a bunch of elaborate religious rituals at home.
To give you a good idea of just how firmly entrenched this custom was, recall the rebellion that Korah led against Moses in the book of Exodus.
That rebellion came about because the rebels did NOT want to give up the tradition of each family having their own priest.
God had ordained that all priestly duties be be turned over to ONE specific clan from ONE particular tribe.
That clan was Aaron and the tribe was Levi.
Korah and the men who sided with him couldn’t accept this new reality…
So they gathered up a bunch of fire pans and went up to confront Moses at the Wilderness Tabernacle.
We all know what happened afterwards.
God sent down fire and burned them all up to a crisp making clear what His Will was.
Afterwards, even the families who sided with Korah and his rebels were swallowed up by the ground.
I can kind of understand why Korah and those who sided with him felt begrudged.
Because being the family priest carried a certain degree of honor and status to it.
So after Moses and then Joshua passed away, many Hebrews decided to go back to the old ways of having their own little priesthoods inside their homes.
Unfortunately, this was against Torah…
And it was going back to the ways of their gentile neighbors (who they should have kicked out of the land anyway).
Understand this is exactly what we’re seeing here with Micah and his little private Beit-Elohim that would be overseen by this new pseudo-Levite priest he had just hired.
The takeaway here is very clear.
As part of his plan of salvation for Israel (and the rest of mankind), God has instituted and implemented certain new realities that are to be respected and obeyed…
And He doesn’t care if some toes are stepped on during the process.
So here’s the new reality we’ve got to accept in our day and age.
There’s a new sheriff in town homies.
All authority BOTH in heaven and on earth has been given to him.
And his name is Yeshua.
Woe to those who would go against him.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Yeshua said,
‘I am the Way —
and the Truth and the Life;
no one comes to the Father
except through me.'”
-John 14:6
“Those who have the Son have the life;
those who do not have the Son of God
do not have the life.”
-1 John 5:12
R4488:3
Jude 1:10
These speak evil — Should grievous wolves, back-biters, slanderers and contentious persons attend any meetings of truth people, they should be treated so Scripturally as to make them ill at ease at these love feasts. R4461:4
We are not to expect that the consecrated, faithful followers should be exempt from all intrusions of false prophets, false teachers, false brethren, and wolves in sheep’s clothing. R1663:6*
As brute beasts — All not willing to recognize and obey the King of Glory are to be destroyed as “natural brute beasts.” (2 Pet. 2:12) R5847:4
The new creature once died to sin, and to have it revive means a return to wallowing in the mire–ready to be taken and destroyed as a brute beast. Q507:8
Jude 1:11
Woe unto them — Those once among the elect who commit willful sin. F166
Picturing Ishmael, Esau, natural Israel, and the “tares” of the Gospel Church. R2778:3
The spirit of pride, sectarianism, ambition, are the leading features of the wrong course, which will develop a bad fruitage. It will produce false, persecuting brethren, heady, high-minded. SM223:2
In the way of Cain — The sin of Cain was hatred of his brother–murder. R3044:2
The error of Balaam — The error of Balaam was love of reward; he was willing to do evil for it. R3044:2
Forsaking the ways of righteousness for earthly gain. Peter’s words (2
Pet. 2:10-22) imply that this class will be found principally among the teachers of the Church, and chiefly in the end of this age. F166
Representing ministers of the nominal church who teach falsehood for earthly gain. F166; R2204:6
Thus confirming the account of Balaam in spite of the teachings of modern theologians. A61
Gainsaying of Core — The gainsaying of Core was his rebellion against divinely instituted arrangements. (Num. 16:1-3) R3044:4, 4047:2
Korah, “not holding the head.” (Col. 2:19) F120; C200; R2461:2, 3613:5
“Not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” (2 Pet. 2:10) F166
A demonstration of lack of faith. R4047:1
Jude 1:12
These are spots — The “grievous wolves” (Acts 20:29), “backbiters” (Rom. 1:30), “slanderers” (1 Tim. 3:11), and “contentious” (Rom. 2:8). R4461:4
Those who turn willfully and deliberately back to the will of the flesh. R5486:2
Feasts of charity — Not a “supper” to commemorate the Lord’s death, but an ordinary lunch; a “love feast” observed in thankfulness and joy. R1014:2
All who partook in the common meals with the early Church were not brethren indeed. R1014:2
Twice dead — If the Christian sins willfully, the seed of the new nature is dead. Nothing would then await him but the second death; for he had been lifted out of the first, or Adamic death. To die again would mean he had come under the penalty of God’s law a second time. R5742:5, 4855:1, 4843:1, 4830:3, 4656:1, 4626:3; Q507:8, 658:5
A person in this condition will surely manifest the spirit of Satan–anger, malice, hatred, envy, strife. R4606:1, 4626:3
Those who sin willfully, after a knowledge of the truth, after tasting of the Word of God, after partaking of the holy Spirit, then falling away. (Heb. 6:4-6, 10:26) R5641:2, 1056:2
Those who die the second death (Rev. 20:6, 21:8), having done “despite to the spirit of grace.” (Heb. 10:29) R4634:6, 5641:2, 1056:2; OV152:6
Ceased to have any relationship with God. R4656:1
Spoken of one who, once begotten of the holy Spirit, has willingly, intentionally adopted the old life of sin. One for whom there would be no more sacrifice for sin. (Heb. 10:26) R4830:3
If one begotten of the spirit lose the spirit, become dead to spiritual things, then he is “twice dead.” R4855:1, 4626:3; Q658:5
Therefore, gradually passing into outer darkness, he will see no more than a nominal church-goer or any worldly person. R4606:1
This would mean that, the fleshly will having revived, the spirit-begotten new will had died. R5486:2, 4843:1, 4656:1; Q507:8
Two classes are described as “twice dead.” One is a class who repudiate the covenant of sacrifice and turn back to the ways of the world. Another is those who renounce the Redeemer, the merit of his sacrifice. R4872:5
Plucked up by the roots — Cast forth as rejected branches. (John 15:6) R1056:2
Belonging to the thorn and brier family, and not to the vine. (Heb. 6:8) R4592:3
Taken and destroyed as a brute beast. (2 Pet. 2:12) Q507:8; R4843:4; OV145:4
Jude 1:13
Raging waves of the sea — Masses of mankind not under religious restraint. R333:1
When all mankind are brought under God’s Kingdom, there shall be “no more sea.” (Rev. 21:1) R333:1
Wandering stars — Those who depart from the truth, and become “heady,” false teachers, “vainly puffed up,” aspiring to be considered authorities in the same sense as the apostles. (2 Tim. 3:4; 2 Cor. 11:13; Rev. 2:2) D594
God ordained only “twelve stars” as lights for his Church. (Rev. 12:1) D594
The blackness of darkness — What is left for those who have gone clear back on their covenant, and for those who return to sin. R5270:2
The reward for those who will not hear with ears unstopped, and not see with eyes opened in the kingdom arrangement. NS386:4