“Glory to the Precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Revelation 1: 6 And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

Hallelujah 

In us, the bride, the church our Lord Jesus Christ is the priest who does not change forever – as a pattern.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the portion of the Bible that we meditated upon in the past days, we meditated that we, the bride, the church should be careful that we do not fall by the lusts of the eyes and should not build the altar for Dagon.

Next, what we are meditating is that Judges 17: 1 – 13 Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 

And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” 

So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.” 

Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

The man Micah had a shrine and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite and was staying there. 

The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 

And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. 

Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 

So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. 

Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

When we read these verses, there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.” 

Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah. The man Micah had a shrine and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 

Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there. The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.” Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

My dear people, God is showing us how he is making us into a priest as an example with a pattern. We, in the past days walked wickedly. Also, though we heard the teachings of the church we ignored them. Many churches were not preached by Christ but were preached by the world and they pulled the people in the wrong path. But now also this is happening. That is, even after hearing the verses, they are making carved images and moulded images by the silversmith. Those who are doing in this manner are the Israelites, who are the Ephraimites, and it is said so. 

That is, Hosea 5: 1 – 5 “Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, because you have been a snare to Mizpah and a net spread on Tabor.

The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, though I rebuke them all.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled.

 “They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord.

The pride of Israel testifies to his face; therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them.

Also, Hosea 8: 2 – 8 Israel will cry to Me, ‘My God, we know You!’

Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.

“They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them from their silver and gold they made idols for themselves— that they might be cut off.

Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them—

How long until they attain to innocence?

For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.

“They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, aliens would swallow it up.

Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles like a vessel in which is no pleasure.

But even after doing all these regarding Ephraim God is telling in Jeremiah 31: 20 Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord.

In this manner, because it is such God is saying regarding him that he is the firstborn. Therefore, our soul which is doing traditional deeds is a shrine to god and regarding our soul which has sinned, as a son of Micah, as a priest to the shrine and God is saying so. In this manner, those who are doing the work of priesthood are the Levites. But our Lord Jesus Christ, as a priest comes within us and as a pattern for this only from Judah in Bethlehem a young man came. If we will give our inner house to him, he will come there and stay there and be a priest unto us. We must give him place in our soul, which is our house and when he comes and dwells within us, Christ who sees our soul says that if we will live according to it then he will say that he will be the same. Then he will be a priest to us. But according to the order of Melchizedek he will be a priest forever. That is, Hebrews 7: 19 – 24 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’ ”),

by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 

But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.

My dear people, let us submit ourselves to God by these words.

Let us pray. May the Lord bless you all abundantly. 

- To be continued