Judges 17, Proverbs 25, Hebrews 10

Wandering in Sin. The scripture doesn't tell us how many years passed between Samson and Micah. Because of Micah's complete failure to realize his idolatry, we may assume it was a long time. Not even the young Levite understood the situation. Without a leader, the people, just like a flock of sheep without a shepherd, wandered away from the pasture of good grass to a weedy, rocky place. Although it looked good to them, it was the wrong place. The mixture of Judaism with pagan idolatry was a sin.

Today, Christians can run into the same situation when we allow the concerns of the day, or our desires for things or leisure, to dilute our passion for Christ.

Spiritual Self-Control. Don't you love a good mystery? So does God. (By the way, that's why we do. We're made in His image.) He plans for us to seek: to seek a relationship with Him, to seek truth. The book of Proverbs is rich in truth. Proverbs 25:28 stands out today because it explains what happened with the Israelites, particularly Micah and the young Levite. They failed to rule over their own spirits in the matter of worship, doing what felt right instead of what was right. Then they became like a city broken down with no walls. They had no sense of restraint or security.

The Right Leader. Jesus Christ's death on the cross provided us with the only sufficient sacrifice for our sins. At that moment, He became our perfect priest. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that holding onto our faith with endurance assures us of receiving the promise of heaven. Failure to do so guarantees the fearsome judgment of God.

Let's avoid the company of Micah and the young Levite and follow our Perfect Priest.