We finish Judges this week and confirm that rather than doing what is right in our own eyes, it is better to consider, ‘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. Judges 17 begins with the interaction between Micah from the tribe of Ephraim and his mother. It sets a rather uneventful scene. But we read of Micah stealing, then repenting. His mother forgives him, then she happily goes and makes an idol. Note her words in vs 3, “I dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image”. Her understanding was that the Lord would be pleased with an idol being made. When our reading of scripture wanes, so does witness for what brings Him glory in our lives.
2. Micah even takes on a Levite. In his ignorance he says “that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest” Jdgs 17:13. Religion never saves. Our Father is worshipped in ‘spirit and truth’, John 4:23, 24 and our actions must proceed from a heart that is persuaded by the word of God.
3. 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 and 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.
4. The story takes another turn when the tribe of Dan steal Micah’s ephod idol as well as his priest, Jdgs 18:13-26. The tribe of Dan from that point on were susceptible to idol worship – later in their spiritual witness they would set up a gold calf under king Jeroboam. The tide of cultural religious apostasy is hard to stem when it begins 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. What is also interesting is that the original gate of Laish (Dan) still stands today and would have been the same gate these Danites went through, but also the same gate that Abraham went through when he rescued his nephew Lot around 1750BC, Gen 14:14. These ancient mud brick gates were discovered in 1980. An incredible discovery to confirm the city’s history.
5. The house of God was at Shiloh, Jdgs 18:31. This is where the true worship of the LORD was to be carried out. Israel was to gather three 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 where a Christian family decides “It’s too much for us to attend church every week, we are saved by grace anyway – let’s spend our time and money on the house, our leisure, or ourselves.” Beware of the idol of the ‘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 statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. Continuing through the Sermon on the Mount. Wednesday night 6:30pm.
Young adult Life group - a meat lovers lunch this Sunday week after church!
Prayer Points
1. Graham Willey and family. Graham’s mum is near the end of her earthly journey. She is looking forward to being home with her Saviour Jesus. Pray for peace, comfort and hope at this time.
2. Pray for Pastor Ric as he heals and seeks further medical advice.
3. 30th June Special meeting re financial position and direction of the church.
4. Keep praying for Anna and the Playgroup, pray for more families to be reached.
5. The ongoing conflict in Israel and Ukraine.
6. Church finances to cover all expenses. Budget presently not being met.
7. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
8. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
9. Pray about the possibility and planning of a Farmers Market at Chuwar Baptist Church on Saturdays. Anastasia taking the lead on this. Pray for us as we plan
10. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for Dr Rose Blackwood and her insight on the topic of abortion in Australia.
2. New people at our service on Sunday.
3. Praise God for young people stepping up in the worship ministry.
4. Playgroup is a great encouragement for our church.
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Special Members (all congregation) meeting 30th June after the service. Lunch afterwards
2. Working bee Saturday morning 13th July. Please contact Che for a list jobs and requirements.
3. Monday and Wednesday evening prayer at church 5:30-6:30pm
4. Life Group Wednesday 6:30pm at church.
5. Kids@Church on break over the school holidays.
6. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
7. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for June...
Q. 21. In what condition did God make Adam and Eve? A. He made them holy and happy.
Bible References – Gen.1:26-28; Ps.8:4-8.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
