Most Christians know they won’t have seven years of misfortune breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, or petting a black cat. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t superstitious. For without love, our faith can become superstition.
The Book of Judges comes right after the Book of Joshua. The Israelites had finally entered the Promised Land and, although they hadn’t completely conquered the cities God had given them, they had spent several years in peace, ruling over them. Then, pagan peoples regained their authority at the same time that the Israelites lost their spiritual values. The Book of Judges tells of the oppressions of the Israelites and of a few heroes who gave them respite, such as Gideon and Samson. But taking a step back, we notice that even these heroes did not obey God out of love, but rather because they feared the dire consequences of not following God. The Israelites worshipped pagan gods out of fear of not inheriting the same promises as the people who prayed to them. They also worshipped God for the same reason.
It is this twisted attitude that is well represented in Judges 17. Micah and his mother decided to make a statue of God to give Him glory. Yet, the Ten Commandments clearly stated that they should not make a statue of God. Micah then hired a Levite to be a priest in his house. That may seem praiseworthy, but God had also clearly stated that there was only one place where priests could minister, and that was in Zion. Why did Micah choose to do this? Out of love for God? Certainly not. If he had truly loved God, he would have consulted Him before making these commitments. The reason for his actions is found in verse 13. “Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!” (NKJV). He believed that his action would earn the Lord’s favor.
We find in the Bible a guide to conduct leading us to abundant life, to eternal life. But we must be careful not to fall into superstition and believe that only by following these rules will we automatically have everything we desire. The rules God has given us are not magic formulas. God has always intended for His children to follow Him out of love, not for the sake of His blessing.
Yes, it is good to pray every day. But we should not pray because we fear having a bad day if we don’t pray. No, our prayer time should be motivated by our love for God. Some people tithe their income out of fear of financial problems if they don’t give. No, we must tithe out of love for God. And along the same lines, some singles believe that dating or marrying another Christian will ensure a trouble-free marriage. A single Christian should seek to enter into a relationship with another Christian out of love for God, not out of fear of unhappiness.
We must search our hearts because doing good works for the wrong reasons is not faith. It is superstition. Our faith must be motivated by our love for God. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18 NKJV). True faith is based on love and hope. Superstition is based on fear and manipulation. If your relationship with God is built on fear, take some time to realign your motivation.