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OK, you can turn in your Bibles 
to Judges chapter 17. I mentioned to Rebecca on the 
way out from the car, this is an interesting chapter, which 
In the book of Judges, that is saying something. It's a very 
interesting book, very intriguing all the way through. These last 
few chapters, 17 to 21, are sort of like appendices to the book. I do not believe that these events 
or these things described follow the judgeship of Samson. More 
than likely, they precede the actual institution of the judges. Biblical authors don't always 
write strictly chronologically. They write thematically and theologically. I think what's going on here 
in 17 to 21 is a bit of a look or a glimpse into Israel's life 
in this period or in this time, just coming up to the judges. Gil says that it probably happened 
after the death of Joshua and prior to the institution of Othniel 
in the judgeship. And basically, as I said, these 
are appendices. There are two. There's two units 
that go together. 17 and 18 demonstrate the religious 
apostasy illustrated primarily by the tribe of Dan. And then 
chapters 19 to 21 demonstrate moral degeneracy, illustrated 
primarily by the tribe of Benjamin. Because there's a lot going on 
in these chapters, instead of going 17 and 18 tonight, We'll 
just do 17, then God willing pick up 18 next week, and then 
see how we do with 19 to 21. So that's sort of the structure 
from here on out. 17 and 18 go together. You'll 
see that 17 is background and information necessary for a proper 
understanding of 18, and then the same thing with 19, 20, and 
21. So I'll just pick up reading 
in 17 at verse 1. Now there was a man from the 
mountains of Ephraim. whose name was Micah. And he 
said to his mother, the 1,100 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. His mother said, 
may you be blessed by the Lord, my son. So when he had returned 
the 1,100 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 200 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. We 
won't look at 18 tonight, but I do want to read it so you'll 
see the flow here. 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 Eshtoel, 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 will 
be with you, or 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. Then the spies 
came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtoel, 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 in 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 600 men of the family of 
the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtael, armed 
with weapons of war. Then they went up and encamped 
in Kirjath-Jerim in Judah. Therefore, they call that place 
Mahana-Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath-Jerim. And they passed from there to 
the mountains of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. 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 in 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 600 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 priests stood at the entrance of the gate with the 
600 men who were armed with weapons of war. When these went into 
Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household 
idols, and the molded image, the priests 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. 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. 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 built 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. Then the children of Dan 
set up for themselves the carved image. And Jonathan, the son 
of Gershom, the son of Moses, 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. Amen. So obviously, there's a lot going 
on in chapters 17 and 18. I hope just through the reading, 
you see why 17 is essential for understanding 18, because the 
Danites come and take Micah's stuff. Just a couple of introductory 
quotes. Daniel Block says, the introductory, 
now there was a man. You look at chapter 17, verse 
1. The pattern and the structure are different. Remember, in chapters 
1, verse 1 to 3.6, we have introduction. Specifically, 2.6 to 3.6 sets 
forth the thematic overview of the book. 3.7 to 16.31 is the book of the 
deliverers, and there's a recurring formula that's used, not always 
exactly the same, but pretty much the same. There's a statement 
of the fact that the children of Israel did evil in the sight 
of the Lord. Then the Lord sent an oppressor 
to get them or to bring them under subjugation, and then the 
people of Israel cry out, and then God sends a deliverer. Well, 
that's absent now. We have, now there was a man 
from the mountains of Ephraim. So Bloch says, the introductory, 
now there was a man, hints at a new focus. In the following 
chapters, the narrator will offer the reader a series of glimpses 
at how ordinary Israelites fared in the dark days of the judges. 
The effect will be to confirm the picture of a pervasively 
and increasingly canonized society. That is precisely what we see 
in 17 and 18, again, with reference to their religious apostasy, 
and 19 to 21 with reference to their moral or ethical degeneracy. Davis indicates that this section, 
17 to 21, shows or highlights the confusion of a depraved people. And he says, the writer changes 
his style in order to portray the confusion of a depraved people. 
He will do this by displaying both Israel's confusion and her 
depravity. In two narratives, he will hold 
the mirror in front of Israel, as if to say, here you are, Israel, 
making your own gods and destroying your own people. Here is Israel 
wallowing in her own religious and moral mess. Here the problem 
is not the enemy without, but the cancer within. So it's not 
the foreign oppressors that's the problem in 17 to 21. It is the internal corruption 
that Israel finds herself in. and there are three sections 
in the entirety of 17 and 18. The first is corruption in Micah's 
household, chapter 17 verses 1 to 6. Secondly, we'll look 
at the corruption of the Levitical priesthood in 17, 7 to 13. And then chapter 18 is taken 
up with the corruption of the tribe of Dan. So you see the 
gradation there. You have the family, you have 
the priesthood, and you have an entire tribe. The author is 
indicating that this corruption and apostasy was widespread. In fact, after highlighting Micah 
in chapter 17, verses 1 to 5, There is that statement in verse 
6. In those days there was no king 
in Israel. Everyone did what was right in 
his own eyes. It's not just Micah that's the 
problem. The fact that the Levitical priest, 
at least in chapter 17, is not mentioned by name, again, probably 
indicates the reality that it wasn't just one renegade priest 
within the whole construct of the priesthood, but rather the 
entirety of the priesthood was corrupt at this particular juncture, 
this particular time in Israel's history. So let's look at, first 
of all, the corruption of Micah's household. And I want to consider 
three things here. First, the facade of true religion. Secondly, the presence of apostasy. And thirdly, the theological 
commentary given to us by the narrator. When you read through 
17 and 18, there's not a specific scene, or a specific statement, 
other than what we find in verse 6, and again in verse 1 of chapter 
18. This was wicked in the sight 
of the Lord, or they did evil in the sight of the Lord. But 
there's so many things that the author does to highlight their 
evil, their wickedness, their depravity, and their wretchedness. So we'll look at the façade, 
the presence, and the theological commentary. Note first the façade 
of true religion. There is at least an expression 
of piety in the name of Micah himself. You'll know the name 
Micah from the minor prophet Micah. There and here, the name 
means, who is like Yahweh? Who is like Yahweh? This is a 
good name to give to an Israelite in any generation. Remember that 
in Micah chapter 7, he makes a play on his own name, asks 
the question, who is like you, O Lord? Pardoning iniquity. So this is an expression of piety 
through the name of this particular man. Notice, secondly, there 
is a confession of sin on the part of Micah. Verse 2, he said 
to his mother, the 1100 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. He took his mother's money. 1,100 shekels isn't chump change. Chump change would be more like 
the 10 shekels that he pays to the priest. 10 shekels and a 
shirt, along with his sustenance. That's what he pays to the priest. 1,100 shekels is a lot of dough. 
Remember, this is what was given to Delilah by each of the five 
lords of the Philistines. Some have speculated that this 
is Delilah. That's probably not the case. 
But anyways, Micah took this money from his mother, but he 
confesses his sin. Notice thirdly that he returns 
the money to her, according to verse 3. His mother said, May 
you be blessed by the Lord, my son. Notice the capital L, capital 
O, capital R, and B. We see that there. We see that 
in verse 4 also. This is Yahweh. She is speaking 
of the Covenant Lord. So he returns the money according 
to verse 3. So when he had returned the 1,100 
shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly 
dedicated the silver from my hand to Yahweh for my son. And then notice the money is 
actually consecrated to the Lord. Again, these are all things that 
on the surface look good. I mean, they're doing things 
in the name of Yahweh. They are confessing sinners, 
at least he is. He is returning money. She is 
taking this 1,100 shekels that she says is dedicated to Yahweh. Though it is interesting, she 
only spends 200 shekels on Yahweh. We don't know where the other 
900 shekels actually go. When it comes time to actually 
make these molded images, she spends chump change. She doesn't 
spend a lot to make the trinkets that are going to represent the 
incomparable God. You see the irony here. Micah 
means, who is like the Lord? Well, what we find as we proceed 
in the narrative, who is like the Lord but these trinkets and 
these things that Micah has constructed together and put into his house. So there is a facade going on 
here in terms of biblical religion. The end of verse 13, then Micah 
said, now I know that the Lord, again, The name of the Covenant 
God. It's interesting, the narrator 
never uses the name Lord. He never uses Yahweh. He only 
reports that they say that. Some speculate that the narrator 
doesn't even want to mention Yahweh as he's reporting such 
things. If you're reading the New King 
James, you'll notice at the end of chapter 18, I read Moses rather 
than Manasseh. You look at your marginal reading, 
it's probably Moses. The narrator, the rabbis, a particular 
rabbi in the 1100s said they did not want to put Moses in 
the text and connect him to this kind of depravity that is going 
on among the tribe of the Danites. They did not want to link Moses 
to such apostasy going on. We'll look at that, God willing, 
next week. But what we see here is at least 
the surface appearance of biblical religion. of grace to minister 
in his house of God. Notice, secondly, the presence 
of apostasy. We're met, first of all, with 
the absence of piety. I mean, he steals 1,100 shekels 
from his mother. That violates two principles 
in the Ten Commandments. You're not supposed to steal, 
and you're supposed to honor your mother. She's probably an 
older lady because he's got adult sons. And so she's an old lady 
with probably not a lot of possessions. He takes the 1,100 shekels from 
her. Note the motive behind the return of the money. Look at 
it verse 2. The 1100 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, seems to indicate that 
he's more concerned about this curse that has been put on him 
rather than doing the right thing. And it's quite intriguing that 
here he is concerned about this curse that his mother puts on 
him and he gives no concern whatsoever to the curse of God Most High. Remember the book of blessings 
and cursings at the end of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 27, at verse 15, 
we read this, Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded 
image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of 
the craftsmen, and sets it up in secret. What is unfortunate 
about this particular passage is that I think it is all too 
true of many of us in the church today. We can operate and proceed 
and move about thinking that we actually have the favor of 
God, thinking that we're actually courting His goodness and His 
kindness. I mean, this is what Micah says 
in verse 13. After he gets the genuine, official, 
blood-having Levite, he says, now the Lord's gonna bless me. 
Well, Micah, obedience is the path to blessing in God's kingdom. When you make a shrine in your 
house, he literally has a house of God, which is contrasted with 
the house of God that is at Shiloh at the end of chapter 18. When 
you throw together your own place of worship, and you proceed in 
this sort of a manner, you cannot assume that you are gaining the 
blessing of God. He doesn't want mom's curse, 
but he doesn't think twice about God's curse. This is truly ironic. Davis says, hence, even though 
his mother's curse can be evaded or countered, which it is, because 
when he returns the loot to her, what does she do? She then blesses 
him. All that matters to her is that 
she has her money back. She wants to counterdict that 
particular curse because it turns out that it's upon her boy. So 
she says in verse 3, may you be blessed by Yahweh my son. So Davis says, hence, even though 
his mother's curse can be evaded or countered, Micah and the Danites 
rest under a divine curse which cannot be retracted and under 
a threat that will in no way be neutralized. If we evade the 
curse of men, the curse of Yahweh is greater. Micah is living proof 
that it is possible to be set on a course of religious faith 
and or ministry which exudes success in every respect and 
yet to rest under the curse of God's judgment. This is a terrifying 
passage. Everybody's happy in their religion 
and yet they are under the very curse of God most high. Thirdly, the money is not given 
to the priests who are operating in Shiloh. Chapter 18, verse 
31 is key. So they set up for themselves 
Micah's carved image, which he made all the time that the house 
of God was in Shiloh. Remember that in the book of 
Deuteronomy, in chapter 12, it was specifically commanded there 
would be a central sanctuary for worship. God did not want 
Israelites wandering off and worshiping wherever they wanted, 
wherever they hankered after it. Remember this was a big deal 
in Joshua 22. Remember when the eastern tribes 
crossed the River Jordan to go back to their particular land? 
What did they do? They erected an altar. When the 
Western tribes got wind of that, they armed up, crossed the river, 
and were going to kill the Eastern tribes. Until the men in the 
East said, wait a minute, we're not worshiping here, we're not 
sacrificing here, we have only placed this here to be a witness 
that we are part of Israel. We don't want you all in the 
West to forget about us. That appeased the people in the 
West. They didn't kill them. But you 
see, they didn't allow for anybody to throw up an altar wherever 
they wanted. Because you see, the issue is, 
when we do that, it typically doesn't end well. When we make 
our own house of God, when we hire our own priesthood, When 
we construct our own trinkets, this is all contrary to what 
God the Lord commands and demands. And so what is happening here 
is that mom takes the shekels and instead of giving it to the 
house of God, which is at Shiloh, we have a competitor. We have 
a house of God in Micah's place. And this is wrong. Notice, mom 
violates the second commandment, verses three and four. So when 
he had returned the 1,100 shekels of silver to his mother, his 
mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the 
Lord for my son. That's good right there, isn't 
it? Don't you want a mother like that? She's not the mother of 
the year, at least in Israel. Notice what happens. 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 200 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. This is terrible. No matter how 
many times you say this is unto Yahweh, when you have a molded 
image and a carved image, it is not unto Yahweh. You do not 
help in the worship of God by taking Canaanite practices and 
making them your own. The particular sin here is idolatry, 
but it's also what's called syncretism. Syncretism is when we take a 
bit of this, and a bit of that, and a bit of this, and we meld 
it all together to have one acceptable way of worship. So they are worshiping, 
at least professedly, Yahweh of Israel, but they are doing 
it in a decidedly Canaanite manner with their trinkets and with 
these articles of religion. So Mom violates the second commandment. Notice verse 5, there is the 
existence of a cult shrine. Then the man Micah had a shrine, 
or he had a house of God, and he made an ephod and household 
idols. and he consecrated one of his 
sons who became his priest. So he not only has this shrine, 
but he manufactures idols. He understands the necessity 
for priesthood, so in the absence of a Levitical priest, he takes 
one of his sons and he lays the whammy on him so that now son 
can minister professively unto the Lord. You see, the author 
is telling us that this is bad. This is horrible. This is the 
Israel of God. These are the people who received 
the Ten Commandments. These are the people who are 
prohibited from fashioning for themselves an idol. These are 
the people who have a particular tribe that is dedicated to priesthood. These are the people that are 
to have a centralized sanctuary. These are the people that are 
to be absolutely different than the way that the Canaanites go 
about worship. Everything we read in this chapter 
ought to make us hang our mouths open and just lament for the 
wickedness that is going on in this particular instance. It 
is syncretism, attempting to worship Yahweh with Canaanite 
practices. The name of Micah is turned on 
its head, the incomparable God of heaven and earth, is now reduced 
to these little things. He had made an ephod and household 
idols, or teraphim, and he consecrated one of his sons who became high 
priest. Davis says, I suggest the writer 
places these two sanctuaries, the false and the true, over 
against one another. There is the true house of God 
at Shiloh, and then there is Micah's collection of cultic 
tinker toys. That is precisely what's going 
on in the passage. And then he installs, as I've 
already mentioned, an unauthorized priest. Now, obviously, even 
he wasn't comfortable with this. He makes his own shrine. He makes 
his own idols. He makes his own priest. But 
when a Levite comes along, he says, good. Even his own conscience 
couldn't get around the bastardized worship that he had instituted 
under the guise of Yahwehism. Now note the theological commentary, 
verse 6. In those days, there was no king 
in Israel. Everyone did what was right in 
his own eyes. I've already mentioned that appears 
again in chapter 18 at verse 1. Notice in chapter 19, verse 
1. And it came to pass in those days when there was no king in 
Israel. It doesn't say everyone did what 
was right in their own eyes, but it's a reminder of the current 
situation. And then again at chapter 21 
and verse 25, we see that emphasis. In those days there was no king 
in Israel. Everyone did what was right in 
his own eyes. Now, we didn't see that language 
used in the previous section. From 3.7, to 1631. It never says there was no king 
in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. But 
that convention or that idea is used repeatedly. So what we 
find in the latter section, at least in terms of the written 
chronology, does not differ from the previous section. Every time 
it says in the previous section that Israel did what was evil 
in the sight of the Lord, that is exactly what we find here 
in the latter section. to do what is right in our own 
eyes is to do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord. It 
runs counter to what the Pentateuch enjoins. What are we supposed 
to do according to Moses in Exodus chapter 15 and littered throughout 
the book of Deuteronomy? One sample text, Deuteronomy 
618. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of 
the Lord, that it may be well with you. You see, the author 
is telling us that everything that was commanded to them, they're 
not doing it. They have thrown out the idea 
of a central sanctuary. They have thrown out the Second 
Commandment. They have thrown out the Fifth Commandment. They 
have thrown out the Eighth Commandment. When we get to the next section, 
they've thrown out the Sixth Commandment. They've thrown out 
the Seventh Commandment. Every commandment has been dashed 
to the ground, and these people are corrupt, perverse, and morally 
depraved before Almighty God. In those days, there was no king 
in Israel. Everyone did what was right in 
his own eyes. Sounds somewhat similar to what 
we face today. We don't like stricture. We don't 
like regulation. We don't like people telling 
us what to do. Not even talking about in the 
civil or political realm, talking within the Church of Jesus Christ. 
Now, there's two ways to take the statement in verse 6. There's 
the pro-monarchy view. Pro means for. Monarchy means 
kingdom. The pro-monarchy view says in 
those days there was no king. The implication is a good king, 
right? Because the bad kings in Israel 
would help the people do what was evil, right? So the idea 
here is there was no good king in Israel and everyone did what 
was right in his own eyes. When there is no one in charge, 
when there is not the exercise of restraint, when there is not 
godly regulation imposed, then people are going to sin. The Westminster Larger Catechism 
tells us, with reference to Christ and his function toward the Church, 
Christ executes the office of a king in calling out of the 
world a people to himself and giving them officers, laws, and 
censures by which he visibly governs them. In other words, 
the kingdom of Christ, or the church of Christ, which is that 
visible representation of the kingdom on earth, is ruled by 
Jesus such that something like this shouldn't happen. It shouldn't 
be the case that the church functions as if there were no king. The 
Catechism goes on to say, in bestowing saving grace upon his 
elect, rewarding their obedience and correcting them for their 
sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations 
and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, 
and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory and their good. and also in taking vengeance 
on the rest who know not God and obey not the gospel." So 
the idea here is that in the absence of a godly king, the 
people will run amok. Or, there's the non-pro-monarchy 
view. Because when you get to the monarchy, 
there is wholesale wickedness and corruption in the North. 
You never have a good king in the North. You have a few littered 
in the South. So the alternate interpretation 
is, in those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did 
what was right in his own eyes. They were so wicked, and so polluted, 
and so vile, they didn't need the monarchy to help them to 
pursue their depravity. I kind of side with the first 
view that it is a pro-monarchy statement that there is a blessing 
and a benefit when there is a godly king who sits upon the throne 
to restrain and to hopefully hedge in and to deal with the 
sorts of wickedness that a people left to themselves will engage 
in. You see, structure and authority 
and regulation according to the word of God is not bad. Now, 
there's an abuse. And there is a wretchedness about 
it when men are tyrants, but when men operate and function 
under God the way they're appointed to function under God, it is 
a blessing. These are good things, and we 
ought not to discount them. So in those days there was no 
king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in 
his own eyes." Again, it's not just Micah. Make sure you don't 
fall prey to that. Micah's the exception to the 
rule. Everybody's living. Everybody's 
functioning. Everybody's going to the centralized 
sanctuary. Everybody's going to Shiloh. 
They're all bringing their sacrifices in tow. They are not making for 
themselves idols. They're not ordaining men to 
the priesthood that they have no authorized to do. It's just 
Micah that's this renegade man in the mountains of Ephraim. 
No, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Now notice, 
secondly, the corruption of the priesthood. The Introduction 
of the Levite, verses 7 and 8. 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. 
Again, that's just odd. Why is he wandering around trying 
to find a place? There's some things here that 
we hopefully will wonder about as we read through it. The man 
departed from the city of Bethlehem and 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. So we have a 
young man, Bethlehem Judah, and he was a Levite. Now notice his 
meeting with Micah. Verse 9, 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's probably thrilled at 
this point. A real live Levite, right? I got a Levite. Certainly God is in this. And you must see the providence 
of God in the passage, don't you? I mean, these just haphazardly 
happen? No. I mean, when we get to chapter 
18, isn't it intriguing that these spies come, or that these 
Danites come to Micah's house? They know this Levite. He's a 
Levite they actually knew. I mean, God is at work behind 
the scenes to be sure, but probably doing something absolutely contrary 
to what they're thinking. Again, this is what I think is 
most scary about this passage is when people move and live 
and have their being. When they've got some glaring 
sin in their life, they've got some issue they're not dealing 
with, they've got some religious apostasy, or they've got some 
moral failing, and they're not dealing with it. And because 
things are going well, they assume that God's blessing is upon them. And so that's really not a big 
deal, that area of my life. Something we ought to cause, 
or ought to cause some examination. Am I being blessed by God because 
I'm being faithful? Or am I being blessed by God 
because he is doing something I'm not sure of at this particular 
point? So notice, Mike is probably doing 
one of these numbers. Son, take off your garments, 
we got a real live Levite. It's almost like hillbilly religion 
out here. What's happening in these mountains 
of Ephraim? Are they swinging snakes around, 
too? What's going on here? I mean, 
this just ought not to be. This is the covenant community. 
This is the Israel of God. This is a people that is to be 
regulated by the Word of God. And if it is the sense, or it 
is the case, that 17 to 21 precede Othniel, Then after Joshua dies and the 
elders die, look how quickly things go to bad. Very, very 
bad. We're not talking about a few 
little things in this particular area. We saw it in Gideon. Gideon 
and the city where Gideon hailed from had their own sanctuary. They had their own shrine. They 
had their own form of worship. All along the way, we are seeing 
that these people are not exercising fidelity. So that whenever God 
does reach down and deliver them, he ought to get the praise, the 
glory, the honor, and the adoration. It's not because they're worthy. 
It's because God is gracious and God is merciful in this whole 
situation. So he seeks a place. Micah said 
to him, where do you come from? Micah said at verse 10, dwell 
with me and be a father and a priest to me. Kind of an interesting 
thing that goes on here. He's a young man. Micah wants 
him to be a father. And then Micah treats him like 
one of his sons. Kind of an interesting play going 
on. Micah's always in control of this whole situation. The 
priest is simply a lucky charm. The priest is simply a rabbit's 
foot. The priest is a holy horseshoe. All that the priest is there 
for is to make sure that Micah gets his. I know that sounds 
crass, I know that may sound unkind, but that is precisely 
how we ought to understand verse 13. Micah is not in this for 
the glory of Yahweh, Micah is in this for the good that Yahweh 
will do to him. He sounds like the consumer types 
that we face in evangelicalism today. People who try God. They tried prayer. They tried 
religion. But they concluded that it didn't 
work. They still have cancer. They 
still have wayward children. They still have empty bank accounts, 
which indicates they were never in it for God. They were in it 
for their wayward children. They were in it for cancer healing. And they were in it for full 
bank accounts. Why are we in this? Hopefully 
it is for the glory of God. And that any blessing that does 
flow our way is a corollary. It's a benefit. It's a boon. But we are in this first and 
foremost because we love God. We want to honor God. So Micah 
makes a deal with this man. Verse 10, dwell with me, be a 
father and a priest to me. And I will give you 10 shekels 
of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance. I mean, this is just Paris Reedhead. Mark Hall told me about this 
man many years ago. Was it Paris Reedhead? I think 
so. Mark told me about this sermon. called 10 shekels and a shirt. And I think you can find the 
sermon. I remember listening to it years ago. I can't remember 
a word about it now. But it's on there, and it's based 
on this text, whatever he got from 10 shekels and a shirt. 
But they're making a deal. Be my priest, and I'll give you 
10 shekels and a shirt and your sustenance. This priest sounds 
a bit like a prostitute. You say, well, he's got to eat. 
Yeah, he does have to eat. And as far as he's concerned, 
this is a good deal until something comes along that's better. What 
happens when the Danites come and take everything in Micah's 
house? They appeal to the priest and say, wouldn't it be more 
beneficial for you to minister to a whole tribe than one household? Sounds good to me. Off the Levite 
goes. He's like a whore. And as offensive 
as that may sound, that is precisely how the man is acting. He gets 
his ten shekels, he gets his shirt, and he gets his sustenance. Verse 10, at the end, 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. Now notice the consecration of 
verse 12. So Micah consecrated the Levite. This is just not good. This would be akin to going online, 
clicking get your ordination papers, and we'll send them to 
you. We'll send you a reply, a do 
not reply email, and you print that out and frame it and hang 
it on your wall, and you are now a legitimate minister of 
the gospel. That's what this is. This is 
a dot-com transaction. This is not legit. It's not of 
God. It is simply a means by which 
Micah is putting a formalistic structure in place so that he 
can get God to give him good stuff. That is the essence. Verse 12, 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." So that is what I would call his heretical implication. And we'll wind it down at this 
point. The shrine was established, the 
idols were in place, and the priest was ministering. Everything is in order. Everything 
is in place. We've got the structure. Therefore, 
God will bless us. Notice the degree of folly involved 
here. Daniel Bloch says it this way. 
aware of the tradition that gave the Levites a monopoly on the 
priesthood in Israel, Micah assumes that now that he has engaged 
a member of this clan, he has automatic access to the resources 
of heaven. You'll see this in 1 Samuel chapter 
4. They take the Ark of the Covenant 
and they march it out like it's a holy horseshoe. As long as 
the Ark of the Covenant is with us, we will be protected. Do 
you know what God does? God destroys the Israelites involved 
in that combat and has the Ark of the Covenant captured by the 
Philistines. When we put our trust in a piece 
of hardware, rather than in the living and true God, it is misplaced, 
it is misdirected. Block goes on to say, surely 
Yahweh will be impressed by his adoption of a more orthodox approach 
to religious affairs. What is Micah thinking? Now that 
I've got a genuine Levite, the blessings will flow. But isn't 
there a bit of Micah in everybody? Now that I've done this, let 
the blessings flow. It certainly evidences where 
our hearts are at times if we get down to this nitty-gritty. 
The narrator is laying him on the table and opening him up 
for all of us to see. I think it would be good for 
us to examine our hearts and say, is there a little bit of 
mica in my soul? Do I think that if I put in three 
hours a week of Bible reading, if I put in three hours a week 
of prayer meeting, or praying, praying, praying, if I put in 
three hours a week of church attendance, do I then just get 
to hold out my hand and let the blessings flow? Is that what 
I'm about? Is that what dictates? Or am 
I genuinely involved with seeking first the Kingdom of God and 
his righteousness? Is it God or what God gives? Is it Christ or is it stuff? Is it the blessing of being in 
communion with him or all of the benefits that he gives us 
in this temporal world? Locke continues. Surely, I'll 
read that section again, surely Yahweh will be impressed by his 
adoption of a more orthodox approach to religious affairs. But he 
is totally oblivious to the fact that this approach, specifically 
his capitalization on the presence of a Levite to manipulate the 
deity, is fundamentally pagan. This is akin to putting the quarter 
in and pulling the handle and waiting for the blessings to 
pop out. He says, the Levite is nothing 
more than a good luck charm. That is a problem in Israel. Now notice, by way of conclusion, 
application, personal reflection, There is a danger that persists 
that I think flows from this text. The first is the folly 
of idolatry. You say, well, I don't have an 
ephod. I don't have a carved image. I certainly don't have 
a shrine in my house. The Apostle John, when he ends 
the first epistle that he writes, ends on what seems to be a very 
negative note. I mean, John is writing so that 
you may know that you have everlasting life. It is upbeat. It is positive. He emphasizes truth. He emphasizes 
righteousness. He emphasizes obedience. Several 
times in the epistle, he highlights the glory and the magnificence 
of Christ. Certainly, he would end with a grace to you and a 
peace. Certainly, he would end with a benediction or a good 
word. Certainly, the way that John ends is not the way that 
we might think he would end. Little children, keep yourselves 
from idols. Amen. Interesting way for an 
apostle in the New Testament to end an epistle. No, we may 
not have ephods, and no, we may not have teraphim, you may not 
go home tonight and open your closet door and bow to the little 
idol that you call Yahweh, but there are idols that persist 
that we need to guard our hearts against. We need to resist the 
allure, we need to resist the temptation. A second thing that 
I think flows from Judges 17 is the persistence of syncretism. Again, the idea that we're going 
to take a means, a method, a strategy by which we will impress God 
so that he will bless us. There are several that we might 
consider. Formalism. If as long as we have 
our ducks in a row, as long as we have our service at 11, as 
long as we have our hymns and we have our prayer, and as long 
as we have our sermon, we can expect that God is going to cause 
blessing to flow. Well, we don't engage in those 
things in some empty, ritualistic way. I hope that every one of 
you, prior to Sunday morning worship, prays that God will 
send the Holy Spirit. We don't just want the structure, 
as important as structure is. I don't think it honors God if 
we come in here at 1118 and just kind of sit around and do whatever 
we feel led to do. That doesn't honor Him. God is 
a God of order. He is a God of decency. This 
was one of the problems in the Corinthian church. They were 
going nuts, and so Paul says, don't go nuts. Your God is a 
God of order. So while we don't come in here 
willy-nilly, we don't come in here without a structure, it 
is not only the structure that secures the blessing. It is not 
just the liturgy, a reformed approach to worship. We must 
have God. There must be an Isaiah 64-1 
sort of a prayer on a Sunday morning, or on a Saturday night, 
or sometime prior to our arrival in this place. O Lord, rend the 
heavens, and come down. We cannot trust in our forms. We don't get rid of them, but 
we pray to God to bless, to come in the midst of those things. 
Another thing that is connected to or similar to this formalism 
is sort of a formula-ism. I think we see this in the health-wealth-prosperity 
faction. We do this, we say this, we chant 
this, and God delivers blessing. Well, God is not the formula. He is not an algorithm. We don't activate him by putting 
in the right numbers. We don't turn the crank and out 
come blessings. That whole approach is fundamentally 
flawed. Then there is that syncretism, 
which is more subjective or mystical. It is that hankering after God 
in the way that I choose. It is that mica spirit. I am going to construct my own 
shrine. I am going to construct my own 
idols. I'm going to fetch my own priest. 
And I'm going to do it this way because nobody can tell me otherwise. Subjective mysticism. As long as we want it bad enough 
and do enough to get it, we will surely be blessed. You ever met 
that? Or you ever come across it? But 
their intentions are so good. Yeah, but their method or their 
lack of biblical fidelity is so wrong. You mean to tell me 
that God just blesses because you really want it? That's not 
the God of the Bible. God does bless faithfulness. God bless obedience to his word. But just because someone really 
wants something doesn't mean the heavens are going to open 
and the blessings are going to rain down. Davis makes this comment. He says, this false religion 
also appears in the form of what I shall call subjectivism, that 
whole idea that it's about me. I think this is probably where 
the church is most typically to err in this sort of an approach. Subjectivism. He says, the Danites 
sanctuary stands over against the legitimate house of God at 
Shiloh. No need to bother going to Shiloh 
now, right? Where's Dan? Dan's way up north, 
isn't it? That's why we say from Dan to 
Beersheba. That's the A to Z in Israel. When you hear a sermon, you say, 
the man went from Dan to Beersheba, just means that a lot of ground 
was covered, right? So why would Dan spend all that 
effort to go to Shiloh when they can get God where they're at? 
Now the first king in the northern kingdom reckoned that way too. Remember, Jeroboam made a couple 
of calves and said, look, this is Yahweh. This is your God. 
This is who brought you out of Egypt. Why? Because he didn't 
want the people going to Jerusalem, because then they would have 
stayed with the Judahites. This was a means by which Jeroboam 
separated them from the unity of Israel. Idolatry does not 
bring cohesion, it brings confusion. So anyways, the Danite sanctuary 
stands over against the legitimate house of God at Shiloh. No need 
to go to Shiloh now. Dan is its own little Israel. The Danites now have their own 
little convenience store shrine nearby where they can control 
it. They can worship as they please. 
Does this not parallel the contemporary model, even in the church, that 
worship is actually a very individual affair, a matter of sheer personal 
preference and, like your true toothbrush, a very personal thing? You've met them, right? How come 
you don't go to church? Well, I worship God in my own 
way. I don't need the strictures of religion. In fact, I hate 
religion, and Jesus hates religion. This is being preached out there. 
Jesus hates religion. That's interesting, because Jesus 
founded a religion. Why would he hate it? Why would 
he despise something that he himself sanctions? But this is the mindset, isn't 
it? I don't need church. I don't need hymns books. I don't 
need Bibles. I just have this relationship 
with God. That's where we're at, brethren. 
I think there's a lot more judges in the 21st century than we always 
see. He says, does this not parallel 
the contemporary model, even in the church, that worship is 
actually a very individual affair, a matter of sheer personal preference, 
and like your toothbrush, a very personal thing? He says, to declare 
that faith, worship, and religion are rather regulated by royal 
revelation and subject to sovereign prescriptions sounds like a novel 
idea. Surely contemporary Danites tell 
us God is not so picky. But you see, he is. Because the 
New Testament makes commands. The New Testament makes demands. Do not forsake the assembling 
of yourselves together, as is the manner of son. Sing psalms 
and hymns and spiritual songs to one another. Preach the word, 
be ready in season and out of season. All these things are 
not suggestions so that a people gathered together might hanker 
for God in that particular way, but the church is regulated by 
divine commandment. We are not privileged to be like 
the Danites and do what is right in our own eyes. Let us learn 
the lesson from Judges 17 that what Micah did and what this 
Levite did were corruptions and indicated the religious apostasy 
that was extant in Israel at this particular time. And let 
us praise God. that we have a king at the right 
hand of the father who does restrain our wickedness and corruption, 
who does forgive our iniquity and our transgression, and who 
has promised to build his church, and that the gates of hell itself 
shall not prevail against it. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for your word, and we thank you for these lessons that I 
hope that we'll internalize, and I hope and pray, God, that 
you will protect us from in this local church. Give us grace to 
love the truth of Holy Scripture. Give us grace to be faithful 
to you, our God. Give us grace to seek first your 
kingdom and your righteousness, and then know that all these 
other things will be added to us. I pray that you'd go with 
us now, that you'd watch over us, Again, we pray for all of 
our brothers and sisters in our local church that you would look 
with favor upon them, grant physical health and strength to each and 
every one, and grant spiritual health and strength to each and 
every one. And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.