THE SHRINE OF MICAH
Chapter 2 of THE FALSE PROPHET
By
Doug Krieger
INTRODUCTION:
Today’s
“Seeker-Sensitive Church” may have peaked with the strategic admission of Bill
Hybels and his 20,000-member Willow Creek experiment:
“We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of
faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching
people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should
have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how
to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.” – (Bill
Hybels (Fall, 2007) – Out of UR, October 18, 2007)
Alas! Discipleship vs.
church programs, ad nausea, ad infinitum. Probing the magnitude of this
superficiality is one thing but coming to grips with its true consequences is
another. My fear is that brother Hybels and the hordes of seeker-friendlies
which followed this Pied Piper of American marketing—most of whom hail from the
school of RETHINK (a.k.a. Emergent Church) heading up by Dr. Robert Schuler (Bill
Hybels, Rick Warren, Erwin McManus, John Maxwell, et al) have made an art form out of denying but then linking
themselves together around Schuler’s RETHINK mania—seemingly, they just can’t
get enough of this Third Wave.
Furthermore, it is one
thing to admit your strategy failed . . . as you feverishly seek out building a
new mousetrap, perpetuating the myth that “We simply used the wrong methodology
– now we’ve got to figure out a better way to do things.” This rather
obnoxious, disingenuous obfuscation compounds the original error and projects a
pseudo recant on the part of the “seeker friendlies” at best, and at worst only
demonstrate that this growing apostasy has no intention of letting up.
This chapter – written some
ago decries the so-called super-sizing of American Christianity. Frankly, its
use of Micah’s efforts in the Old Testament at the primordial beginnings of the Emergent Church of his time is immediately sarcastic to the extreme—for
effect. One wonders if there is nothing new under the sun – no, there isn’t –
man’s heart is calibrated to excel at this type of apostasy in ever-increasing
spurts of natural genius . . . the story of the Shrine of Micah only confirms
our already guilty verdict upon this contagion afflicting the Church of the Last
Days . . .
SUPER-SIZE THAT ‘MONSTER-BURGER’
Hardee’s
has just come out with a MONSTER BURGER that weighs in at nearly 1,600 super-sized calories with 107
grams of fat—well anyway, from 1,400 to 1,600 calories. Hardee’s hails it as a
“monument to decadence!”
Some call it a
“porn-burger”—it is so explicitly a recipe for a massive heart attack that it
should be banned from public view!
I asked my history students
the difference between the Greeks and the Romans (I’m slightly filling their
little craniums with propaganda.). A most enlightening answer from Eliser came
forth: “Mr. K., the Romans SUPER-SIZED everything the Greeks did!”
Think about it—out of the
mouths of babes . . . from a confederated Republic to a super state with an
Imperial Dictatorship; from the benign Olympics to the massive Roman Coliseum
with its blood-thirsty sports; from Carl’s Junior’s Carbo-Burger (no bun) to
Hardee’s Monster Burger, ad nausea. Rome did everything to super-size—sort of
like Bill Clinton’s new library!
Now, Greece, after
Alexander’s death, split into four and then into twenty separate provinces—very
loosely affiliated and inherently weakened by their incessant disputes; whereas
Rome held to the center and administrated Pax Romana throughout the civilized
world for hundreds of years.
For
Rome: BIGGER WAS BETTER!
This illustration of EMPIRE
is precisely what is facing today’s Church—once known as a tiny “mustard seed”
–yet has she not grown into a huge tree, wherein all the birds of the air make
their nests (Matthew
13:31-32)?
In
particular, the so-called MEGA-CHURCH (or Meta-Church) movement (a.k.a. “Seeker-Friendly) has swept North America—and
is sweeping the world. The decision has been made: BIGGER IS BETTER. And,
like Rome, today’s Meta-Church has morphed into its original counterpart: The
Roman Church. It was she who was seduced by her political counterpart, causing her to adopt Political Rome’s
BIGGER IS BETTER motif—and thus was born the Roman Catholic Church.
JEZEBEL
AND MICAH—APOSTATES OF YORE
The two illustrations of
apostasy that I have chosen to amplify in this series from the Scriptures are
purposefully done in a humorous style to highlight the absurdity of believers
who persist in apostasy—but, there’s nothing funny about apostasy, nothing! It
is the bane of the gospel, the “leaven that leavens the whole lump.”
Apostasy—it
was the driving force behind Israel’s Babylonian captivity, let alone their
treatment of the land—but it was apostasy that was rife in the land prior to
Israel’s and Judah’s captivity. Apostasy reached its climax in Israel and
brought it face to face with the Image of the Tigris (Daniel
10:4). Even in this, the Lord had mercy upon His people, then, and into the
time in which we now live. From whence came such apostasy—behold its grand
entrance into the one true religion of Elohim?
In Part 1 of our series we
examined the proto-type of the Mother of Harlots: Jezebel. It was she who so
epitomized the corruption of Israel’s faith. She brought her seductions
straight into Elohim’s pasture. The trading empire of the ancient
Canaanites—whom the Greeks called Phoenicians and the Latin called Punic
Peoples—knew how to blend RELIGION and POLITICS through the glue
of TRADE.
So corrupting was her
influence—and so predisposed was her husband, King Ahab, to her deceptive
ways—that Israel’s frightful apostasies eventually resulted in Elijah’s total
massacre of all 850 priests of Baal and Ashtaroth (I
Kings 18:40). However, though Jezebel’s harlotries are infamous—they were
preceded by a much more sinister corruption which was also fueled by Tyre’s
commercial zeal.
THE
SHRINE OF MICAH vs. THE BADGER’S SKIN
In Judges 17-18 there is a most amazing and true tale exposing what I believe
to be the source of Israel’s apostasy, which ran amuck in Ephraim and toke place
in close proximity to Shiloh, where Israel’s Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting,
prior to the establishment of the Temple in Jerusalem, was located for so many
years.
This badger skin structure
was hardly the dynamic attraction for all to see—especially, for the people of
Tyre and Sidon amongst the Canaanites of the north who trafficked from time to
time through the region. In other words, hardly a fitting scene for the God of
the Universe to inhabit—
notwithstanding
its interior, where the gold of the menorah glistened, the table of showbread
and the altar of incense held such significant spiritual implications. And, of
course, the Holiest of All (“Holy of Holies”), where the Ark of the Covenant was
located, wherein was Aaron’s rod that budded, the hidden manna and the Tablets
of the Law—again, all profound remembrances for Israel and all holding such
spiritual significance for both Israel and the Church.
But, imagine the full-scale
slaughter that one could witness in the outer court of this divine tent? The
altar of sacrifice—that bloody operation was almost continuous and especially
active on those festival days of the year. Then there was the “accessibility
issue” wherein the High Priest alone, once a year, with rope around his ankle
(in case he didn’t make it out alive, could still be dragged from the Holiest of
All where he was attempting to sprinkle blood upon the altar.) entered the Holy
of Holies once a year. Talk about seeker-friendly—it was not!
This entire mysterious
scene was not all that inviting—especially for guest visitors from the north and
“left-over” Canaanites in the land who somehow survived Israel’s initial rout of
their species. You’d have to have a “vivid imagination” to affirm the God of
the Universe had taken up residence in that thing!
Enter
the Shrine of Micah—that “Seeker-Friendly Church,” where all the religious
accoutrements would make the most religiously hardened feel right at home. Nope,
nothing offensive allowed—friendly, approachable, “religiously-meaningful” rites
could be witnessed by all, along with a super-responsive-to-your-every-need
priest (or, if you prefer - Doctor of Divinity) who could dazzle the faithful in
the most inoffensive manner known to ancient man.
Complete with religious
garb (Ephod), this wandering Levite was just meant to be and had been
consecrated by Micah himself (founder and builder of the shrine) to administer
in the way of Israel’s best; again, shekels were no object for the best, in this
user-friendly Ephraim outpost. And, so convenient—right near the Tent of
Meeting (You know, that drab little congregation keeps shriveling as the
mega-congregation keeps bulging.).
CONSIDER
THE SOURCE: MICAH
Consider the source? Well,
Micah had stolen some 1,100 shekels from his “God-fearing” mother (a really
mixed up character was she). But Micah finally came clean—undoubtedly due to
the “curse” placed on the stealer by the mixed up mother. The enthusiastic (and
probably witch of a mother) exclaimed:
“May you be blessed by the Lord my son!” (Slight MIXTURE here of the profane
with the holy—but, whatever, sounds sincere to an apostate can be utilized on an
“as needed basis”). There’s more: “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my
hand to the Lord for my son (sure—check out what follows next), to make a carved
image and a molded image: now therefore, I will return it to you (of course she
holds back the lion’s share of the booty . . . Micah thought he had the whole
enchilada and all he got was 2/11th of the take—some “return”) . . . then his
mother took 200 shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made
it into a carved image and a molded image (Where’s Aaron when you need him?);
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” (Judges
17:2-5).
The story gets more
convoluted as you progress. The “Seeker-Friendly” Tent (i.e., our makeshift
“Seeker-Friendly Church”) really gets a-goin’ when a graduate from a seminary
down south comes looking for a pulpit. He was young, no doubt dynamic and
hungry for position—but, better to say, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,
and I am on my way to find a place to stay.” The fast-thinking, ever-idea,
user-friendly Micah lit up like a flashbulb: “Dwell with me, and be a father and
a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver (translation: “I can
always hit Mom up for more.”) per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance”
(Judges
17:9-10).
Sounds like a plan to me.
So . . . a “Consecration Service” was planned and held—all the “user-friendly”
congregants, no doubt, attended this splendid affair, and, of course, Micah
waxed prophetic, by declaring to all: “Now I know that the Lord will be good to
me, since I have a Levite as priest!”
Thus was born Second Micah
of Ephraim, Israel (Or was it First Micah, since the Tent of Meeting could
hardly be called “First” - oh well, what’s in a name anyway?). The key thing
here is to get the Lord’s blessing upon our plans and/or simply “speak it into
being” and so it is—ipso facto, “Isn’t God good!” Accoutrements, shrine,
professional priest, consecration services, nothing but money to spare—and all,
next to that ugly Tent of Meeting so you can really tell the difference! I
mean: “Hello, this is Exciting Micah; can I help you?” (Note: “Second” –
because the Tent of Meeting should have been the first and only!)
THE
DANITES AND THE SOUTHERN PREACHER
It
wasn’t long before the Danites in Judges 18 got fed up with God’s promised inheritance on the plains of
Philistia and them chariots of iron that didn’t look all that inviting—“Surely,
we got a bum rap here!” Thus, the Biblical thing to do would be to send five
spies up to the extremity of Israel’s inheritance and scout out an easy hit
(Word has it, it’s an easy take.).
As the five Danite “men of
valor” took off to the north, they obviously knew that the Tent of Meeting was
in Ephraim, and, therefore, it might be a good idea to get a priestly blessing,
no matter how bad it looks. But, upon second glance, they chanced to see a far
more inviting spectacle: The Shrine of Second Micah.
“Man, check out that
dazzling work of man—that sure looks more inviting, doesn’t it?” said Zorah to
Eshtaol?
“Sure does. Say, isn’t
that the voice of the young Levite who was checking out a pulpit among us?” said
Eshtaol to Zorah.
The Levite, a bit
embarrassed, tried to explain:
“Thus and so Micah did for
me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.” (Just read the chapter—all
the verses are in there—interspersed with snide remarks by yours truly, you can
tell the difference; I just can’t help it.)
“Far out!” hastened Zorah.
“Please inquire of God,
that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous” (In
other words: “Let’s see you strut your stuff preacher, it’s time to get a
serious blessing here.”).
Here it comes:
“And the priest said to them, ‘Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you
on your way.’”
Perfect! Well, cutting to
the chase here—they checked out this commercial outpost of Sidon (as in Tyre
and Sidon) and realized that the preacher was right about Laish! Upon their
return, the five related their tale. Didn’t take long before 600 “men of war”
realized this was a piece of cake, and could be had on the cheap—unlike the
God-given inheritance that was causing them fits down on the plains of Philistia.
So, they girded up their
loins and took off, the lot of them; but, instead of inquiring at the Tent of
Meeting where a certain “turn-down” could be anticipated, they turned to the
Shrine of Micah. Alas! That Seeker-User-Friendly place where all is love and
oneness—where affirmation, after affirmation can be had. Here, the Power of
Positive Thinking first was conceived and later a book of that same title showed
up in America?
THE
PREACHER TAKES THE BAIT!
Here’s
where the “Powerhouse Five” really took off. They started grab bagging every
religious-friendly artifact in sight with the full intent (unsolicited, of
course) to cart the entire shootin’ match up to their soon-to-be new city of
Dan—like in: Dan, Dan, he dah man, if he can’t do it, no one can!). Now, all
this was going down while our Preacher Levite, ThD., was out front with the
crowd of 600 Danites (no doubt, attracted to the huge crowd of would be
Seeker-Friendly Israelites). It wasn’t long before Preacher Levite exclaimed:
“What are you doing?” (Like in: “I’m being ripped off here—what’s up?”)
Now comes the fun part—in
the common vernacular, they, the Powerhouse Five, retorted: “Keep your mouth
shut, and follow us!” But, it went down something like this:
“And they said to him, ‘Be
quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest
to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that
you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel.’” (No wonder King James Only people like it so much!)
In other words, “You do the
math.” Wow! “Have Your Cake and Eat It Too Ministries” was launched right on
the spot. Contract sold to the highest bidder! “The priest’s heart (so pure,
too) was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image,
and took his place among the people” (No doubt “front and center” on some
palanquin where he had a better and loftier view; and, besides, isn’t that where
the ark was borne as the tribes crossed the Jordan so many years ago?). (Sense a
little mixture here—like blatant idolatry?)
MICAH THE
FRANCHISER
Somehow,
unbelievably so, Micah was nowhere to be found when all this came down—probably
checking out “user-friendly enhancements” for his shrine (heading off to
seminars and the like). Upon discovery of this massive rip-off, he lost it.
First thought: Size means nothing! Incensed, along with other user-friendlies
of Second Micah, they stormed after the much larger men of valor band from Dan.
Catching up to the Danites
(and, let’s not forget the Pontiff Maximus ensconced in their processional),
Micah was confronted with: “You’ve got a problem?” (i.e., “What ails you?”).
(Man, don’t you just love the KJV for its understatements?)
Micah, not one to give up
“wheeling and dealing” so easily (“I mean, I can persuade anyone to buy into my
deal—I could persuade them ‘we can franchise this thing’—don’t have to be so
abrupt; I mean, I know you like what I’ve put together—after all, you’re
stealing my idea and setup, along with my priest; Second Micah can turn into
First Dan, Second Dan, or whatever you wish. It’s reproducible—I’ll even give
you the template (of course, I’ve got to keep the original because all over
Israel and the Middle East user-friendly seekers will be awed by these original
techniques; naturally, for a seminar fee, which will include: the lectures
(along with “free” CDs), slides, books, prints, etc.)) . . . Man, am I good, or
what?”). “So, what’s up with this: ‘What ails you’ stuff?’”
At this point, the Danites
got a little pesky:
“Micah, ‘Do not let your
voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life,
with the lives of our household!’” Isn’t the Bible gentle? The Danites sound
like a bunch of Mafioso (no offense to any ethic group here), but I just can’t
help telling it in contemporary lingo:
“Hey, Micah, what’s it to
you? We can arrange for this to be a lot more pleasant than you think! Do you
see a problem Zorah? How’s about you, Eshtaol? Nah, no one sees a problem
around here but you, Micah? So, how can there be a problem?”
Whoops, now it’s Micah
debut:
“You know, come to think of
it (and, now that you have so clearly pointed it out to me), you’re right, I
really don’t have a problem after all. Grief, you’ll have to forgive the
intrusion. Incidentally, I wish you all well and even God’s speed on your
prosperous journey and your soon-to-be lovely inheritance that YOUR
Seeker-Friendly Levite Priest so eloquently prophesied to you. Furthermore,
thank you for allowing me to see the light—I’ll be looking forward to visiting
at First Dan in the not too distant; and, again, it’s been a pleasure meeting
your acquaintance and doing business with such fine gentlemen!”
THE
TOILET BOWL OF ISRAEL—FLUSH WITH APOSTASY
Sure
enough, the Danites, along with their built-in Seeker-Friendly Levite Priest,
took Laish by storm, and commenced what became the “toilet bowl” of Israel’s
Apostasy, to wit:
“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan
the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe
of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up for themselves
Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in
Shiloh.”
Now, is there any wonder
why the Tribe of Dan is NOT mentioned in Revelation 7:5-8? The Lord hates apostasy—plain and simple; and, what you
have witnessed here in the stories of Obadiah and Micah is precisely the type of
apostasy over which the Lord is outraged. Eventually—this “Door of Apostasy”
that was opened infected all Israel. Indeed, King Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel
was facilitated, no doubt, through this putrid portal.
Today’s “super-sized,
seeker-friendly” Shrines pepper the American landscape—and their practices are
touted as reproducible throughout the world! Grand tours on the internet give one a stereoscopic view of their palaces
and “success.” In glowing terms do they speak of this new “Church
Revolution” – and intone that believers who have not encountered these “new
marketing tools” will miss out on the “evangelical boom!” May we be able to discern these times of apostasy and see what the “Spirit says to the
churches” in this closing hour of history . . . .
So little has changed from
these examples of Israel’s apostasy, except one thing: IT’S BEEN SUPER-SIZED!
The world is fascinated by their success—yet would the Lord speak these words:
“For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows
that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things
shall be added to you. Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father’s good
pleasure to give you the kingdom. See what you have and give alms; provide
yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does
not fail, where no thief approaches nor mouth destroys. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also” (Luke
12:29-34).
Back to the Table of Contents
