We finish Judges this week and confirm that doing what is right in your own eyes is never good. Always ask, ‘What is right in the Lord’s eyes’?
Judges 17: Micah and the Levite
1 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
2 And he said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed be my son by the LORD."
3 And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, "I dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you."
4 So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah.
5 And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.
6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
7 Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
8 And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.
9 And Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place."
10 And Micah said to him, "Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living." And the Levite went in.
11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.
12 And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest."
Judges 18: Danites Take the Levite and the Idol
1 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.
2 So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, "Go and explore the land." And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3 When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. And they turned aside and said to him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?"
4 And he said to them, "This is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest."
5 And they said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed."
6 And the priest said to them, "Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD."
7 Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.
8 And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, "What do you report?"
9 They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land.
10 As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth."
11 So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol,
12 and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim.
13 And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do."
15 And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare.
16 Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17 And the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.
18 And when these went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
19 And they said to him, "Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?"
20 And the priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.
21 So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them.
22 When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.
23 And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, "What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?"
24 And he said, "You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, 'What is the matter with you?'"
25 And the people of Dan said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household."
26 Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.
27 But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
28 And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.
29 And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first.
30 And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
31 So they set up Micah's carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.
Things to think about…
1. In Judges 17 the introduction and interaction of Micah from the tribe of Ephraim and his mother all seems rather cosy doesn’t it. He steals, then repents, she forgives – she then happily goes and makes an idol. Micah even takes on a Levite. What a truly blessed religious household! They are all right “in there own eye”w’, Jdgs 17:6. Yahweh’s truth was ignored again. Religion never saves. How is your worship of the Father in ‘Spirit and Truth’ this morning?
2. Micah from the tribe of Ephraim believes that because he has hired a Levite as a personal priest for his household that the Lord would be pleased with him Jdgs 17:13. This is simply not the case. The Levites were to minister in the cities of Refuge as well as at Shiloh where the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were. Both the Levite and Micah from Ephraim were being disobedient to the Word of God. No doubt they did not hear the Word of God or the law being read because the festivals were forsaken by most in Israel at this time.
3. It all turns sour when the tribe of Dan steal Micah’s ephod idol and his priest, Jdgs 18:13-26. The tribe of Dan from that point on were susceptible to idol worship – remember later they would set up a gold calf under king Jeroboam. Cultural religious error is very hard to break whether it is in an individual, a family, a church or a country. A testimony to the gold calf and the idol worship that was part of the culture at Dan (Laish) is still seen today at the ancient site of the city.
4. The house of God was at Shiloh, Jdgs 18:31. This is where the true worship of the LORD was to be carried out, at least 3 times per year when the festivals were celebrated. Dan was miles away from Shiloh. As such it was easier to just worship the local ephod idol. A modern application would be…It’s too much trouble to attend church this week – I’ll worship my family, or leisure, or myself with what I want to do. Beware of the idol of ‘me culture’. It is nothing more than ‘doing what is right in your own eyes’. The writer to the Hebrews has it right by saying “Do not forsake the gathering together as is the manner of some”. Heb 10:25..
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon and reading topic for this week – Sermon “You’re not saying it right”
Reading – Judges 12:1-7
1. The Judges were often outcasts. Jephthah was no different. He was the son of a prostitute and cast out by his brothers to live miles away in a town called Tob. But this period made Jephthah into a warrior and he was called upon to lead the Gileadites. What hardships or differences from the ‘norm’ have you experienced that have made you stronger and more resilient?
2. Jephthah led the Gileadites and fought the Ammonites and won. Another tribe in Israel, Ephraim got jealous and fought against Jephthah and the Gileadites. Do you recall the circumstances surrounding the word “Shibboleth” and how it was their undoing?
3. Discuss what you know about the history of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, what it was and how Pentecost and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 reverses the language barrier curse.
4. We are known by our words and attitudes as to what motivates us and what captivates our hearts. Discuss how the Holy Spirit speaks to you and how we can more accurately discern God’s voice.
5. Discuss some prayer points of the group. Church prayer points.
Prayer Points
1. Recharge youth and Kids@Church ministries. Pray for Maddison and Melinda as they Coordinate Kids and Youth ministries.
2. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
3. Church finances to meet our new staff and to put a roof over our café.
4. Sunday’s message from Judges 12 - “Ruth’s Redeemer and ours” – Pastor Jay.
Praise Points.
1. More visitors to church on Sunday.
2. Two cell groups starting up this term.
3. Praise and worship – pray for continued growth and blessing.
4. Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
Announcements
1. Members meeting 23rd May after the morning service.
2. Recharge on this week all high schoolers – 6:30pm-8:30pm Friday at church. $2 coin donation. Melinda Fourie heading up this ministry.
3. Kids Church for all primary schoolers. Maddison Willey is the ministry contact. Parents please check your rosters. Remember to sign your kids in and out.
4. Combined Church worship and prayer meeting at Beacon Baptist, 30th May 5pm.
5. Working bee – Saturday 5th June, 8:00am start at the church.
6. Outdoor service in the morning 6th June followed by lunch, Potjie on “the common”
7. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
