”So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him.“ Judges 18:15 NKJV
”The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.“ Judges 18:16 NKJV
”Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.“ Judges 18:17 NKJV
“This was a strange combination of low morality and strong religious feeling. It was as if someone really wanted to study the Bible - therefore they stole several Bibles.” (Guzik)
“There are many examples in history of people satisfying a religious impulse in a completely immoral way. In Europe in the 14th century unemployed soldiers often became small armies of bandits and robbed and burned and killed and raped towns and villages all over Europe. These brutal criminals often negotiated with a town before attacking it. If the town agreed to give the brutes a large amount of money, the army left the city alone. If the town refused to give the money or could not give the money, they attacked. These were done with formal negotiations and contracts. They have discovered that when these horrible men came to a monastery, they insisted on money as well – but they also demanded that the priests of the monastery give them a written document saying that all their sins were forgiven.” (Guzik)
”When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image,” Judges 18:18a NKJV
“They used violence and theft to supposedly advance a religious cause, and the priest allowed them by standing aside as they did so.
i. During the Los Angeles riots in the 1990’s, a reporter came across three looters leaving a store. He asked them what they took, and the first two told him off with profanity. But the third man said, “I got some gospel music. I love Jesus!”” (Guzik)
Now therefore, consider what you should do.
Whenever we see the word “therefore” in the Bible we need to ask ourselves “What are we here-for?” What lesson is the Lord trying to teach us?
As a Christian it’s never ok to steal. We can consider the following examples but there are many more. Do you use your neighbors internet access without permission? Were you under charged for items at a store? Do you borrow things from work because you think you earned it?
Recently in the news at our Kohl’s store a lady set her purse down and continued shopping. A shopper found it in the parking lot and turned it in. When she got her purse back it was missing a cell phone and a concealed handgun. When the police examined the store surveillance video they noticed a man pick up the purse and leave the store. One officer says, hey I know that guy. He was arrested and a search of his home they found $4000 worth of stolen merchandise still in their original packaging. The man traded the handgun for drugs. Another search warrant at a different address and the handgun was retrieved.
If you are tempted to take something that isn’t yours, Now therefore, consider what you should do. Actions have consequences and the Lord sees all.
Blessings
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