PRIDE
And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. Judges 18:20
When the Danites came, they enticed Micah’s Levite away by asking him, “Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” (Judg 18:19). Surely, it appealed to his own self-worth. He was merely a Levite from Bethlehem before he came to Micah’s house. Now, among the Danites, they called him a “priest.” Idolatry is the root of all sins, as we know. It’s why idolatry is premiered as the second commandment. The most insidious idolatry, however, is pride. Self-idolatry is the most sinister because of its stealth. Quite often, we hardly know it’s happening until it’s too late— when once we’ve been sucked in by its treachery. You and I recognize how wicked it is among unbelievers. In America, we have all kinds of TV programs that extol and exalt ego and self; and more than just American Idol. There are reality TV series where man is pitted against nature, the wild, the elements, or one another to prove themselves to themselves, which Paul tells us is unwise (2 Cor 10:12). It’s not just unbelievers. Those who call themselves Christians, in what they declare as the church of Jesus Christ, do likewise, and more so, causing even the arrogant world to blush. This pride, running rampant in the USA church, thrives on numbers, just as the Levite was enticed by the many Danites in the previous verse. Hearts often swell with pride in churches like those of the Danites, worshiping contrary to God’s ordered commands. The pastors of such churches will use every accoutrement at his disposal to tickle the itching ears of this kind of wayfaring congregation, just as the Levite, now a priest, took the ephod, household gods, and carved images with him when he departed, robbing the ungodly tools, techniques, and teachings from his former wretched master in order to appease his many wretched masters. When ambition has replaced faithfulness at the first, as we considered in yesterday’s devotional thought, ambition will grow to remove faith altogether.
