Chapter 17
Religion
always has been a topic of controversy but it has particularly become a
cultural flash point in our society over the past twenty or thirty years. On
the one hand you have the secular atheistic crowd who always want to remove any
semblance of religion from society. The problem is that whenever there is an
action there is always an opposite and equal reaction, and the other side of it
is the religious group. The religious group always includes a vast number of
Christians who don’t have enough doctrine between their ears to understand what
the real issues are. So on the other side you have the pro-religious crowd
promoting any kind of religion as valuable, as important, as the backbone of
culture and society, and that any talk about spirituality, prayer, whatever the
content or lack of content might be, is automatically good, positive and
beneficial to society. The trouble is that we are going to learn in our study
of Judges 17 that both of these groups are deceived, misguided and dangerous,
and that if either of them wins society loses, the culture collapses and the
nation is on its way to destruction. The reason that religion has nothing to do
with biblical Christianity is that biblical Christianity is based on a
relationship with God, not ritual forms or contentless prayer, meditation, or
anything of that nature; it is not based on works. Religion is always based on
some kind of works and puts an emphasis on certain practices and their value
for their own sake—prayer, meditation, evangelism, giving, all of which seem to
have some inherent value, and that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible
teaches that a relationship with God is based on grace. Satan always attacks
grace so that religion is one of Satan’s greatest tools of history to distract
and destroy the human race. In Judges 17 we see how it was religion that
introduced apostasy into Israel and it is religion that caused the cultural
collapse during the period of Judges.
We come to a point in our study where we enter into a new section of the book of Judges. This section deals with the breakdown of the people and it demonstrates that if the majority of the people are negative to God and negative to establishment principles then even great leaders can’t preserve that society. You can’t look to a presidential election as some sort of magic bullet that is going to solve the problem. It has great application for us today. The problem has to do with the people in this nation. Until the people in this nation turn back to doctrine there is not gong to be a solution. It is not turning back to religion; it is not turning back to morality. Morality can’t solve the problem. The ultimate problem is sin. Morality may provide a measure of stability, religion may provide a modicum of control to some degree, but eventually it will fall apart, and we are going to see that religion and morality are only temporary fixes, they are limited in their application, and morality never ever solves the fundamental problem of sin. It has to start with grace and an understanding of doctrine.
In Judges chapter 2 we see Joshua’s perspective on this. We have to understand the overall time frame. In 1446 BC Israel came out of Egypt. They disobeyed God at Mount Sinai and got into idolatry there, and just as a note as we get into Judges 17, the only tribe that stood with Moses were the Levites, so God appointed the Levites to be the priest tribe of the nation. Then at Kadesh-barnea they sent the spies into the land. Ten came back and said they couldn’t do it, there were too many giants in the land, too many people, and strong fortifications. In other words, they thought their problems were bigger than God’s and they also misunderstood the Word of God. There is a tremendous lesson there and that is if you misinterpret the Word of God you will never be able to solve your problems. They thought God said, Go see if you can take the land, and God had said, Go see how you are going to take the land. God had already promised that He would give them the land, so they misunderstood and only two men got it right, Caleb and Joshua. And so the nation had to spend forty years in the wilderness in discipline until that rebellious generation died off and a new generation came along which was positive to doctrine. They sat under the Bible teaching of Moses, Joshua and Caleb, and they applied doctrine. So in 1406 BC they entered into the land, crossed the Jordan, and the conquest began under Joshua. It lasted about seven years, to 1399 BC, and they took all the major strongholds of the land. First they went into the centre part of the land, took out the major cities of Jericho and Ai. Then they headed south and then north, and then after that there was a mopping up operation. So after about forty years there is a mopping up operation where various tribes are trying to gain control of their territory. In the first chapters of Judges we saw how they failed. They gradually failed compromised, they failed, they didn’t annihilate the population as they were told to by God. So starting in 1360 BC, after Joshua and his generation completely died off, there is approximately a 300-year period of deterioration and decline. There is this constant cycle of disobedience, discipline and deliverance.
Judges
2:6--”When Joshua had dismissed the people.” This is a reference to Joshua 24
when he gathered the nation together to reaffirm their covenant with God at
Shechem. “the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess
the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the
days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of
the LORD, that he did for Israel.” There was objective historical reliable
evidence in their lives. That was the generation that saw God tear down the
walls of Jericho, the generation that saw the defeat at Ai, the generation that
saw the sun stand still when they battled the Gideonites, that was the
generation that saw the historical evidence of what God had revealed to them.
They knew that God existed. Religion always ends up in subjectivity but
Christianity is always objective, it is based on objective revelation of God’s
Word, that God communicated to us, He communicated certain things that He
intends for us to understand. He did not communicate in order for us to have
soome guessing game as to what he meant. He communicated to be clear, to be
lucid, to have a clear perception of what God wanted. And they had an objective
understanding of truth in that generation and they understood the acts of God
in history, they understood that history was important because history gives us
an understanding of God’s plan and purposes. History is the outworking of His
plan.
Verse
8 – but then we are told, “And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD,
died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of
his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of
the hill Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers:
and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet
the works which he had done for Israel.” What happened was that they rejected
history. They had no concept or appreciation of history, they thought history
was just a bunch of stories. And there are many people who rewrite history,
many historical revisionists come in because they don’t have an objective
framework, and so they don’t know how to interpret history, and history just
becomes a tool of propaganda. This is exemplified most clearly in the Old
Testament when Jereboam becomes the king of the northern kingdom. After there
is a tax revolt against Solomon because of the oppressive taxes on them that he
had raised, and then when his son Reheboam took over at the point of Solomon’s
death Reheboam followed the advice of all the young men to jack up the taxes so
that they could have more. The people finally got fed up with it and Jereboam
led a tax revolt and the ten nations went out and set up an alternative nation.
But now he had to establish a religious foundation because he had to unify the
people. He couldn’t have his people as a separate nation always having to south
into the other country to Jerusalem to worship God. So he decided that he would
rewrite history. He had a golden calf made, established it in Samaria, and he
established an altar and a worship site. And he said—and here is the historical
revisionism—“This is the God who led you out of Egypt.” So he began to rewrite
history. Always be careful when people rewrite history, they have an agenda
that will lead to the nation’s destruction. So this generation that came up was
negative to God and they had no appreciation for objective works of God in
history.
There
are three important principles to understand from this.
1)
When a nation rejects the historical evidences for Christianity as being
objectively valid the people always become subjective. Once you begin to reject
the fact that Christianity is an objective reality, that there was a man named
Jesus who walked on the earth and His ministry extended from about 30-33 AD,
and that He went to the cross and died for our sins, and that He was buried and
on the third day rose again, Jesus becomes just some idealized figure of
morality, or some figure of somebody who is to motivate us to live for what we
believe in, or any of the myriad of other ideas that destroy the person of
Jesus Christ, then if there is no objectivity all you can know is your own
impression, emotions, feelings. Once you destroy objective truth the only thing
to replace it with is subjectivity.
2)
Once you replace objectivity with subjectivity, then everything goes to
mysticism and emotion. Subjectivity always leads to emotion and mysticism.
Objectivity is based on clear, rational, objective thought. But one you destroy
that then all you are left with is emotion. So the masses of people in a nation
are moved by their emotions, not fact, not by thought, not by content. They are
motivated by whatever the emotional appeal is of the day.
3) Subjectivity
in a nation always leads to the destruction of that culture. It will always
deteriorate and will always fall apart, because once you get into subjectivity
it destroys values, it destroys objective absolutes, everything becomes
relative, and then you get into the same situation Israel got into where
everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Once you get into working out over
time in history the results of relativism is fragmentation. The more people do
what is right in their eyes the more desperate they become. One group wants
this and another group wants that, and everybody is into political action. It
just drives people further and further away until eventually you see some form
of internal collapse.
In
Judges 2:11, notice that Israel does not go into secularism. They go into
religion! They reject God and the solution is religion. It is the fertility
religion of the Canaanites but nevertheless it is still religion. And that is
an immoral religion. We see an example of moral religion is the history of
Israel later on after they return from the Babylonian captivity with the rise
of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, specifically the Pharisaical Party. What
happened was that when God disciplined the nation in 586 BC and took them out
into captivity, the reason for that discipline was idolatry. After they got
their divine discipline and had returned to the land Israel never again had a
problem with overt idolatry. What they had a problem with now was legalistic
morality. But the legalistic morality of the Pharisees didn’t solve the problem
either. Religion and morality can’t solve the problem. What happened? The
legalistic morality of the Pharisees ultimately led to the nation going out
under the fifth cycle of discipline again in 70 AD. They are still out under
discipline, and that shows that neither immoral religion or moral religion can
solve the problem. The problem with man isn’t a problem of morality, it is a
spiritual problem: that we are born corrupt by Adam’s nature, we have all
inherited a sin nature, and because of that we are divorced from God, and until
that problem is solved there is no solution. All attempts that come under the
category of activism where people get out and march and carry on all kinds of
activistic crusades in order to try and change society are going to fall apart
and collapse. They are doing nothing to address the problem, they are doing
nothing more than polishing the brass on a sinking ship. It is the devil’s
world and too many Christians are out there trying to clean it up, they forget
that we are still living in the cosmic system. That doesn’t mean that we throw
up our hands and be just passive in the whole situation, we need to be involved
but it needs to be the right kind of involvement.
Judges
chapter two sets the stage, and the result of their rejection of historical
evidences was idolatry. They intentionally rejected the God of their fathers
who brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Judges
chapter 16 is the end of the period. Samson and Samuel live at the same time.
Samson can’t deliver the nation, Samuel will be the one through whom the nation
is delivered because he teaches doctrine, and there will be a return to
positive volition under the ministry of Samuel. But that is the story that
begins over in 1 Samuel. So what happens in chapters 17-21. These chapters
describe what is taking place among the people at this time. It is parallel to
what took place from chapter three to chapter sixteen. In fact, it will take us
all the way back to the very beginning and we are going to understand from one
particular illustration of how they got involved in apostasy.
In
chapters 17 & 18 we have one event related to an apostasy system set up by
an Ephraimite named Micah. These two chapters describe how the apostasy began.
What we have seen again and again in Judges is that first there is religious
apostasy and then there is the collapse of the culture. It is not the other way
around. It is because of apostasy that there were economic problems and
military problems, and you could add all of the many problems that people come
up with today. All of that is a consequence of religious apostasy. That is why
in chapters 17 & 18 the author of Judges focuses on how the religious
apostasy began, and then in chapters 19-21 we have a description of the
grossest immorality, vicious activity, violence, abuse, some of the most graphic
abuse described anywhere in the Scriptures. The author sets it up this way to
make a point: that religious apostasy always precedes cultural collapse.
Apostasy precedes rampant immorality and violence and criminality. Notice: It
is not a secular, humanistic, atheistic culture that produces this kind of
violence. It is a religious culture, an apostate culture. The answer to
problems is not a religious solution, it is a biblical solution, and until
there is a return to understanding the grace of God, starting at the cross,
there is no solution.
Notice
Judges 18:30. This chapter describes the impact of this idolatry and apostasy
and how it is accepted and assimilated, particularly into the tribe of Dan.
There is a textual problem here, it is not “Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the
son of Manasseh,” it is “Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses.” This
takes us back to the fact that it is a descendant of Moses. Moses died about
1401 BC when they were getting ready to go into the land, so Gershom would have
been close to 80, and this could have been the youngest son that he had. This
takes us right back to the beginning of that period only a couple of
generations removed from Moses. It is this man who introduces apostasy into the
nation. So for that reason we see that these events take us all the way back to
the beginning now. This is approximately the same time as Othniel’s judgeship.
Othniel was positive, but even that early in the period of the Judges we see
what is internal collapse that is taking place in the nation.
In
these last chapters there are crises involved in both sections. Chapters 17
& 18 are one event, 19-21 relate to another event. In both accounts the
crisis is precipitated by the actions of a nameless Levite. The Levites were
the priest nation. The reason the author picks these two episodes is because
they are going to be representative of many other things that are going on in
the nation. So he is indicating that the crisis that is occurring in Israel
comes from the spiritual leadership. We see the same kind of thing happening in
our nation today. If a pastor isn’t feeding the sheep he doesn’t love Christ: “If
you love me, feed my sheep.” Today we have lost sight of what the real issues
are, which is the studying of the Word of God and applying the Word of God. So
we see here that the narrator chooses these episodes in order to emphasize the
fact that the basic problem is a spiritual one and related to spiritual
leadership. Then he also makes the statement four times in these chapters that “in
those days Israel had no king” -- 17:6; 18:1; 19: Today we have lost sight of
what the real issues are, which is the studying of the Word of God and applying
the Word of God. So we see here that the narrator chooses these episodes in
order to emphasize the fact that the basic problem is a spiritual one and
related to spiritual leadership. Then he also makes the statement four times in
these chapters that “in those days Israel had no king” – 17:6; 18:1; 19;1;
21:25. 1; 21:25. The writer is writing some years later, either when Saul is
king or David is king. And there is a very positive view of the monarchy there
because there is almost the suggestion that if they had a king we wouldn’t have
the problem with this moral relativism. That is not what he is saying. The
reference is not to a human king. Look at Deuteronomy 33:5--”And he was king in
Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered
together.” This is on Moses’ parting blessing to the Jews before he was taken
home to be with the Lord. Jeshurun is another name for Israel and it is a
picture of Israel as spiritually mature. He is talking to the generation which
is going to go be the conquest generation, and they were the spiritually mature
generation. So the word Jeshurun—which has its roots in the Hebrew word for
uprightness, integrity, righteousness—refers to Israel as spiritually mature.
It says that “He [God] was king in Jeshurun.”
What that verse tells us is that God is the king. It was a theocracy.
But Israel in the period of the judges rejected God. Kings never did solve the
problem. In the northern kingdom every single king followed in the sins of
Jereboam who introduced idolatry into the northern kingdom. In the southern
kingdom there were also numerous kings did what was right in their own eyes,
including Solomon, Jehu and Ahaz. Others were commended for doing what was
right but they still fell short of the ideal which was to remove the idolatry.
Only David, Hezekiah and Josiah received unqualified approval by the writers of
the Old Testament. So kings were not the solution. In other words, the
political solution is not a solution. The only solution is biblical
Christianity relying on the grace of God and the sufficient and finished work
of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Judges
chapter 17:1, “Micah” is the Hebrew is Michaiah. In verses 2 & 3 he restores
the money to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred pieces of silver
(there were 1100—follow the money). It went from 1100 to 200. This is what you
have in religion a lot. You get people commit, they are going to do big things
for God! A lot of talk and no action.
She said she was going to give it to the Lord. Well she is not giving it to the
Lord, she’s going to give it to make an idol and she is violating the law in
numerous places, and then she is not even going to give all of the 1100 which
was a lot of money. All of a sudden she is not being very generous with God any
more. Anyway she is going to make a graven image, “and they were in the house
of Micah.” Verse 5 – “And the man Micah had a shrine.” This is a participle of
attendant circumstance in the Hebrew, which indicates that all along he has had
this shrine, this little temple in his dwelling; “and made an ephod, and
teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons [ordained him], who became his
priest.” So he is just setting up his own little religious operation there. And
then we have the statement in verse 6: “In those days there was no king in
Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” “In those days”
here refers to the very early days of the period of the judges, so this is
something that occurs early on and it characteristic of the whole period of the
judges.
As
we look at this certain things appear positive. First of all, there is a name
that suggests that he has a positive relationship to God. Micah is just a
shortened form of a name that means “Who is like Yahweh.” The thrust of the
name is, No one. No one is like Yahweh. So we have someone who we expect to
stand up for God. It has a religious-sounding name. That sounds somewhat
positive but what we will discover is that like so many people who use God’s
name and religious terminology as a cover for their activity, their own actions
and agendas. The facade of religion always attempts to wrap itself in the
terminology of biblical orthodoxy, and that is why it is so deceptive and why
we need to study doctrine and understand the backgrounds of various false teachings
that are going on.
The
second positive thing we see here is that Micah seems to own up to his
responsibility. He is going to own up to his theft of the money. But the only
reason he confesses his sin is because he is superstitious and he heard his mother
utter a curse, so now he is afraid God is going to curse him and he is going to
own up to it so as to avoid any extra punishment. There is also no mention of
his father here. That should bring
something to mind. Remember Israel is adopted by God, but they rejected
God so there is no father for Israel right now. So the writer really sets this
up to make us think about other things that are somewhat representative of what
is going on in the nation as a whole. And what we have seen again and again in
these cycles is that Israel only comes back to God when God has disciplined
them and they cry out to Him--many times not because they recognize their sin
but because of the pain of their punishment. So just like Micah there is a
confession to avoid punishment with no real recognition of any fault, it is
just that they don’t want to suffer the consequences and get hurt.
The
third thing we notice is that when he returns the stolen goods to his mother
she blesses him. Her religion obviously isn’t very good. She uses the name
Yahweh: “Blessed be my son by Yahweh.” But what we are going to discover is
that she had no relationship with Yahweh. She is immediately going to set up an
idolatrous situation. She is going to violate the first two commandments in the
Mosaic law. It is instructive that she uses the name Yahweh, because Yahweh is
related to God’s covenant with Israel. It is the name that should remind us
first and foremost that He is Israel’s covenant God. She is violating that
covenant almost with every breath.
The
fourth thing we notice here that may seem positive is that the mother solemnly
consecrates the money that has been recovered to Yahweh. So we expect that we
are going to have something positive here, she seems to be devoted to the Lord,
but as soon as we get past that she says, “I had wholly dedicated the silver
unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten
image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.” We get to the second half of
the sentence and realize that it is not so positive after all.
So
here are several features that are negative about the whole situation.
1)
There is a tremendous amount of religious verbiage here, a lot of
pious-sounding language. Religion always has a lot of accurate verbiage but it
doesn’t mean anything.
2)
Micah’s motive is out of fear, not out of the desire to do what is right.
3)
The woman, when she dedicates the silver to Yahweh doesn’t take it to the
priests at Shiloh but gives it to her son.
4)
Despite her statement that her silver should go to god she keeps most of it for
herself.
5)
The woman’s intention in dedicating the silver flies in the face of the second
commandment, which is not to worship other gods or idols.
6)
What we see through all of this is a flagrant disregard for the Mosaic law.
Then Micah takes it, and he already has a cult shrine which he calls a house of
God, in verse 5. Literally, it means “a house of the gods.” Elohim is used
there, it is not God but a house of gods, and he has his own little religious
operation going and he is just going to add another god. That is what a lot of
people do with God. They just add God to their life like one other thing,
rather than making God the absolute authority in their life, and they never get
anywhere in life as a believer until they recognize that God is the highest
priority and He is over and above everything else.
7)
He designs his own idols. He builds teraphim, cf. Zechariah 10:2, we
learn that these are used in some kind of fortune telling operation.
8)
He sets up one of his own sons as a priest. So this sets up a new religious
system, and then he is going to really expand it in the second half of the
chapter.