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“The More Things Change . . . ” • 9.28.14
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We have seen the 12 Judges serve through 7
waves of Israelite rebellion against the Lord, summed up by the comment,
"And they did evil in the sight of the Lord."
- I have wondered, "How is this possible?
How could they have fallen so deeply?" Samuel uses chapters 17 through the
end as an epilogue which serves that exact purpose.
- The following pieces of historical pie are
presented as prime examples of what precipatated their fall. What's interesting
is that you will find striking similarities to another culture you know!
Text
• Judges
17:1-6 : "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." : Micah, a man whose name
means "Who is like God" admits to taking 1100 pieces of silver from
his own Mother. In this action, he was not at all "like God!"
- Micah's Mother placed a curse on whoever had
taken her silver, but just as quickly offered a blessing the moment her son
owned up to it!
- Historically, the blessing or curse of a parent
held profound, almost superstitious weight. Micah returned the silver for that
reason alone.
- She proclaims that she had set this money
aside as a gift to the Lord for her son. Sounds good doesn't it. But what was
the intention? To procure a carved and molded image!
- She had "wholly" dedicated that
money to the Lord, but then only gave 200 to Micah!
- Let's count the sins that we see here. Micah
coveted, then stole the silver from his dishonored Mother.
- He lied about it and then set up an image, a
representative image of God no doubt, which brings the total to five out of a
possible ten, broken commandments!
- In Micah's mind, this is for the Lord. He
sets up the little statues in his home and then sets apart his own son to
become his personal priest, something that only the High Priest could do!
- He is having church on his own, where he
alone is served and where he can control it all!
- This could only happen because of a lack of
authority and a lot of autonomy!
- There was no King and there was no norm,
except for the personal judgment of the people involved. When God's Word is not
considered and His structure ignored, this is inevitably the result.
- If you acknowledge God as Your King, then the
Bible is not a book of suggestions. We don't worship in any way that pleases
us. That is idolatry. Look at how it continues to spread.
•
Judges 17:7-13 : "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!'" :
"Why is this Levite traveling looking for a place at all?" According
to the law, he was to be supported by the people who came to the Tabernacle in
Shiloh as he physically worked.
-
Numbers 18:23,24 and Deuteronomy 18:1 delineate that
principle. Without a tribal inheritance and without a faithful Israel to
congregate in the presence of God, this Levite is looking!
-
He happens upon Micah, who views his arrival as gift from the Lord! Micah
offers to pay his wage, plus a clothing and food allowance. "You have a
shrine and an idol and an ephod? I accept!"
-
He sold out but should have called for Micah's death, as was prescribed in the
law!
-
If anyone was caught talking about idolatry in God's land, much less practicing
it, they were to be executed! (Deut.13)
Micah though, wasn't rebuked and saw the Levite's approval as God's.
-
Never confuse success or happenstance with approval from the Lord. God did not
approve!
-
The pride of Micah and the lack of concern on the part of the Levite shows how
far Israel has plummeted from their lofty position. They have traded the
reality for an illusion provided by idolatry.
• Judges
18:1-7 : "In those days there was
no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an
inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among
the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.
So the children of Dan sent five men of
their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy
out the land and search it. They said to them, 'Go, search the land.' So they
went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. While
they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite.
They turned aside and said to him, 'Who brought you here? What are you doing in
this place? What do you have here?' He said to them, 'Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me,
and I have become his priest.' So they said to him, 'Please inquire of God, that we may know
whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.' And the priest said to them, 'Go in
peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.' So the five men departed and went
to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the
manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who
might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians, and
they had no ties with anyone." : Recall
that Dan had been granted a territory, but had failed to secure it according to
Joshua 19:47.
- The area that they were given was theirs and
instead of humbling themselves before the Lord and asking for His assistance,
they simply gave up and went looking for an easier solution.
- They sent out a five man team which ends up
at Micah's place where they meet the Levite that will "inquire of the Lord
for them."
- The Levite shows that he has neither godly
wisdom or backbone. He essentially tells them what they wanted to hear. Had he
been a true servant of God, he would have turned them right back!
- This turn of events precedes their finding of
a group of helpless Sidonian settlers.
•
Judges 18:8-13 : "Then the spies came back to their
brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, 'What is your report?'
So they
said, 'Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed
it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to
possess the land. When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land.
For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of
anything that is on the earth.' And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from
there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah.
(Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it
is, west of Kirjath Jearim.) And they passed
from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah." : The spies presented a glowing report of the land. The people
were easy pickings and the provision was abundant.
-
Forget about what God wants. Let's run after what is expedient. Let's go for what
is easy. That place has everything that we want and more! This is the cry of
sub-Christian idolatry.
-
No wonder they were able to rouse 600 for war and it wasn't long before those
600 men happened again upon the house of Micah.
•
Judges 18:14-17 : "Then the five men who had gone to
spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, 'Do you know
that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a
molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.' So they turned aside there, and
came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted
him. The six
hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan,
stood by the entrance of the gate. Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up.
Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and
the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six
hundred men who were armed with weapons of war." : The five spies turned the host on the hopes of inquiring again
at this house of spiritual ill-repute!
-
The five men gained entrance to the home and stole Micah's religious implements
while the Priest stood at the gates entertaining 600 men with "a message
of hope and happiness!"
-
Imagine his surprise when they went from his house over to Micah's house.
•
Judges 18:18-20 : "When these went into Micah’s house
and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded
image, the priest said to them, 'What are you doing?' 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?' So
the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and
the carved image, and took his place among the people." : Things have gone from bad to worse when a Levite willingly
steals another man's false idols!
-
The tribesmen are quick to warn and then to offer him a significant promotion.
"Isn't it better to be the Priest for a whole tribe than the Priest for
one man?"
-
The Priest's heart leapt from his chest! Their offer was all he needed to grab
the stolen items and begin to run with the tribe of Dan.
-
Here is a man who has abandoned all hope of receiving anything from God! It is
right to live off of the ministry, but never to seek excess. This hireling would
have all his reward on earth!
•
Judges 18:21-26 : "Then they turned and departed, and
put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them. When they were a good way from the
house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered
together and overtook the children of Dan. And they called out to the children
of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, 'What ails you, that you have
gathered such a company?' So he said, 'You have taken away my gods which I made, and
the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to
me, 'What ails you?’ And the children of Dan
said to him, 'Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon
you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household!' Then the children of Dan went their way. And
when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to
his house." : The men of Dan knew Micah would
follow, so they put the defenseless in the front and were genuinely surprised.
They wondered why this man would think to challenge them.
-
Indeed, having taken just a few moments to consider his actions, an angry mob
going up against a large armed force is a foolish notion fueled by a foolish
idolator.
-
He gathered his neighbors together and went out, perhaps hoping to reason with
them. When they looked at him as though he were the one that was insane, he
responded with incredulity!
-
"You have taken my gods which I made!" Just stop there and consider
this. A god that can be stolen is obviously not a god worth trusting in, nor
giving worship to.
-
His second statement should also have bothered him. He had fabricated this idol
himself! This was something that he created, or that he commissioned to be
created.
-
His third complaint was that they had taken his priest. He had "ordained"
this man and employed him for his own house. He adds a very telling phrase:
"What more do I have?"
-
What a confession to make! What a statement to utter in the Promised Land! Does
he not have God Almighty? Why would he need anything beside Him?
-
Micah's confession underscores a profound loss of the consciousness of God's
presence and it serves as a warning that we can easily become attached to secondary
source worship.
-
"I need his teaching" referring to our favorite Pastor Teacher.
"I can't worship unless these songs are played." "I can't do
anything without my good gospel goosebump feelings!"
-
These are by products that we have come to idolize, which paralyze when we do
not have them! God offers you and I, Christians after the time of Pentecost, a
personal relationship!
-
We don't worship that which facilitates worship. We worship the object of
worship, Jesus!
-
For Micah's case, Dan makes it clear that the idols that he sought were now
Danite property and that if he wanted to live to see another day, it'd be best
if he kept his complaining to a minimum!
•
Judges 18:27-29 : "So they took the things Micah had
made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people
quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned
the city with fire. There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they
had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So
they rebuilt the city and dwelt there. And they called the name of the
city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However,
the name of the city formerly was Laish." : The
battle was completely anti-climactic as the tribe simply overran this unsuspecting
group of Sidonian settlers.
-
They burnt their city down to the ground and rebuilt it after their own
namesake. This became the northernmost point of the Kingdom, Beersheba being
the southernmost portion.
•
Judges 18:30-31 : "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." : The children of Dan, being a tribe of Israel, having been
delivered to the Promised Land by God, has now broken commandment number one!
-
God had called Israel to never have an image that represented Him or any other
deity. God cannot be memorialized. He is alive and dynamic. He cannot be
captured in time.
-
It's much more convenient to look at God in a static way because He can no
longer be seen as a being that requires present obedience.
-
Ultimately, when we set up an image of God in our minds, we are actually
worshipping ourselves because we have reduced Him to what we understand and
honor.
-
When the God of the Bible reveals Himself and reveals that He does things that
can't be explained by that mental image, we cannot compute. "My God would
never." But the true God would!
-
As a tribe, they have turned their backs proudly and officially upon their God.
And who were they led by? Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses!
-
The manuscripts on this point suffer from a textual insertion which changes
nothing of the content of scripture. In Hebrew, Manasseh and Moses are
separated by one character.
-
One scribe added one character and a group of manuscripts carried that forward.
Why did he add a character? It may have been a simple mistake or it may have
been added to honor Moses.
-
Either way, this man who led Israel into this religious apostasy, possessed the
genes of one of the most revered men in the world and the foremost authority on
present revelation!
-
Year after year, this man ordained priesthood served Dan's idolatrous
interests, even while the Tabernacle, the house of God was in Shiloh, a
proverbial hop, skip and jump away!
-
This continued all the way until the capture of the Ark by the Philistines
spoken of in I Samuel 4 and Psalm 78:60-62! The lies stood right
next to the truth and the people preferred the lies!
-
In any direction that you look, you can find a church filled with people that
have a form of godliness, but deny the power by denying the present authority
of God's scripture.
-
They hold pamphlets down the road, this church performs plays instead of
sermons and still others write sermons using the Bible as a proof text for
their points. Nothing has changed!
Conclusion
- In order not to do what is right in your own eyes, you must deeply
commit yourself to what God has revealed in His Word as normative Christian
behavior. That is what is right in His eyes!
-
Our greatest need is to be sure that our actions don't reveal an idolatry that
fools us into thinking that we have God's approval because that will be all
that matters when we stand before Him!
-
Many will boast and be rejected. Ours is to be sure today that this is not our
story.
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