Mme N̄wed Emi Ẹsiakde ke N̄wed Mbono Esop Uwem ye Utom Nnyịn

JANUARY 10-16

MME AKPAN N̄KPỌ KE IKỌ ABASI | JUDGES 17-19

“Ndibiat Ibet Abasi Esida Mfịna Edi”

it-2 390-391

Micah

1. A man of Ephraim. In violation of the eighth of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:15), Micah took 1,100 silver pieces from his mother. When he confessed and returned them, she said: “I must without fail sanctify the silver to Jehovah from my hand for my son, so as to make a carved image and a molten statue; and now I shall give it back to you.” She then took 200 silver pieces to a silversmith, who made “a carved image and a molten statue” that afterward came to be in Micah’s house. Micah, who had “a house of gods,” made an ephod and teraphim and empowered one of his sons to act as priest for him. Although this arrangement was ostensibly to honor Jehovah, it was grossly improper, for it violated the commandment forbidding idolatry (Ex 20:4-6) and bypassed Jehovah’s tabernacle and his priesthood. (Jg 17:1-6; De 12:1-14) Later, Micah took Jonathan, a descendant of Moses’ son Gershom, into his home, hiring this young Levite as his priest. (Jg 18:4, 30) Mistakenly feeling satisfied with this, Micah said: “Now I do know that Jehovah will do me good.” (Jg 17:7-13) But Jonathan was not of Aaron’s lineage and thus was not even qualified for priestly service, which only added to Micah’s error.—Nu 3:10.

it-2 391 ¶2

Micah

Shortly thereafter, Micah and a company of men pursued the Danites. Upon catching up with them and being asked what was the matter, Micah said: “My gods that I made you have taken, the priest too, and you go your way, and what do I have anymore?” At that, the sons of Dan warned of possible assault if Micah continued following them and voicing protest. Seeing that the Danites were much stronger than his band, Micah returned home. (Jg 18:22-26) The Danites thereafter struck down and burned Laish, building the city of Dan on its site. Jonathan and his sons became priests to the Danites, who “kept the carved image of Micah, which he had made, set up for themselves all the days that the house of the true God [the tabernacle] continued in Shiloh.”—Jg 18:27-31.

FEBRUARY 21-27

MME AKPAN N̄KPỌ KE IKỌ ABASI | 1 SAMUEL 6-8

“Anie Edi Edidem Fo?”

it-2 163 ¶1

Kingdom of God

A Human King Requested. Nearly 400 years from the time of the Exodus and over 800 years from the making of God’s covenant with Abraham, the Israelites requested a human king to lead them, even as the other nations had human monarchs. Their request constituted a rejection of Jehovah’s own kingship over them. (1Sa 8:4-8) True, the people properly expected a kingdom to be established by God in harmony with his promise to Abraham and to Jacob, already cited. They had further basis for such hope in Jacob’s deathbed prophecy concerning Judah (Ge 49:8-10), in Jehovah’s words to Israel after the Exodus (Ex 19:3-6), in the terms of the Law covenant (De 17:14, 15), and even in part of the message God caused the prophet Balaam to speak (Nu 24:2-7, 17). Samuel’s faithful mother Hannah expressed this hope in prayer. (1Sa 2:7-10) Nevertheless, Jehovah had not fully revealed his “sacred secret” regarding the Kingdom and had not indicated when his due time for its establishment would arrive nor what the structure and composition of that government would be—whether it would be earthly or heavenly. It was therefore presumptuous on the part of the people now to demand a human king.