The Book of Judges: Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay
When People Lack Godly Leaders, Spiritual Anarchy Reigns
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Introduction: It’s good to be back with you this morning. I had a very profitable sabbatical and am very grateful for the privilege of being away for a concentrated time of study and rejuvenation.
This is our second of two family Sundays in a row. I welcome the children who are not normally here in adult worship. Many of you were here last Sunday, but that was a special Fifth Sunday Service focusing on Passport to Adventure. Today the children will experience a service that is more like what your parents normally attend, because we’re going to have a sermon and then we will share communion together.
This summer the pastors of our church have been preaching through the book of Judges. If you have learned the books of the OT, you know that Judges is the seventh book and comes right after Joshua. It tells the story of the first 300 years the Israelites lived in the Promised Land after Moses led them out of Egypt and Joshua led them into Canaan. That’s a longer time than the United States has been a nation.
If there is one verse that summarizes the message of Judges, it is the last verse in the book, Judges 21:25: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit,” or, as some versions put it, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Not long after the period of Judges ended, God did allow Israel to have a king–first Saul, then David, and then Solomon. In fact, even during the period of Judges it’s not entirely true that Israel had no king. They had no human king, but God was their king. He wanted them to obey Him and follow His commandments. But most of the time the people did not recognize God as King. They refused to obey Him and instead did what was right in their own eyes.
Most of the book of Judges is devoted to telling the stories of some of the great heroes God used to deliver his people from various enemies–individuals like Ehud, the left-handed judge, Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. But with the death of Samson, the period of the Judges chronologically comes to a close. The last five chapters of the book relay two strange stories that are probably flashbacks to an earlier period of the Judges, but they are relayed here to inform us of the profoundly negative effects upon everyday life when people do what is right in their own eyes. One story is about a young thief named Micah and the other is about a Levite and his concubine. We’ll tell the story of Micah this morning and then we’ll take up the other account in two weeks.
The title for my message today is this: “When People Lack Godly Leaders, Spiritual Anarchy Reigns.” Now I know what some of you are thinking: “The Pastor hasn’t had a chance to address the mess at the White House during August, so he’s going to take the chance this morning.” Actually, not. I’m not going to blame any of the spiritual anarchy we see in our country today on the President. I’m going to blame church leaders–seminary professors, pastors, radio and TV preachers, elders, and deacons. That’s where the real problem lies.
However, our final message from Judges is tentatively entitled, “When People Lack Godly Leaders, Moral Anarchy Reigns,” and I may well have a few things to say about the cesspool at the White House in that message. Not surprisingly, moral anarchy often accompanies spiritual anarchy. And both are to be expected when there is no recognized spiritual or moral authority and everyone, therefore, does what is right in his own eyes.
Now the story of Micah takes up two whole chapters, Judges 17 and 18, and there simply isn’t time to read these chapters this morning. So, allow me to just tell the story. You can check your Bibles later to make sure I’ve done so accurately.
Micah was a middle-aged man, at least old enough to have several grown sons of his own. He was also a thief. In fact, he stole 1100 shekels of silver. The value of that amount of silver can be seen in the fact that another man in verse 10 is delighted to get a job that paid 10 shekels a year, plus clothes and food. So, Micah has stolen a considerable fortune–enough to pay that man’s salary for 110 years.
That’s bad enough, but in addition we learn that he has stolen the money from his own mother. I can’t think of anything much worse than stealing from one’s own parents. That is ingratitude of the worst kind. Respect for parents is so important that God devoted one of the Ten Commandments to it. In fact, it is a unique commandment–one of a kind. It is the only one with a promise attached, namely that if you obey it, you’ll live longer than you would otherwise. I think it is generally true that obedience to all of God’s commandments allows a person to live longer. But that’s a promisewith the Fifth Commandment.
One night Micah overhears his mother utter a curse on the one who stole her money. He is a bit superstitious and is worried that the curse might actually come to pass, so he decides to come clean. He tells his mother, “I have the silver. I took it.” If he is worried about her reaction, he doesn’t need to be. She simply says, “The Lord bless you, my son!” I assume she is blessing him because he has finally told the truth, not because he stole the silver in the first place. And one can’t help but feel a certain amount of respect for this mom’s forgiving spirit. But on the other hand, one wonders why there is no word of reprimand and no effort to find out if he is sorry for taking it in the first place. Just, “The Lord bless you.”
It has been suggested that the reason this mother does not condemn his thievery may be that she, too, is a thief. She is a thief the same way Annanias and Sapphira were thieves in the book of Acts. You may remember how they sold a piece of land, brought the proceeds and told the church leaders, “Here is the money we got from the sale of our land. We are giving it all to the Lord.” (Acts 5) The only problem was they were being deceptive. They, in fact, received more than they gave, which wouldn’t have been a problem except that they lied about it.
Micah’s mother also says, upon the return of her money, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord.” At first that sounds very noble, but when we read more closely, we find that she gives only 200 shekels and keeps 900 for herself. Not only that, look what she does with the 200–she doesn’t give it to the tabernacle in Shiloh for the support of the ministry there; rather she gives it to her son to make a carved image and an idol. So, he hires a silversmith to do the work, and with the silver image and the idol, plus an ephod (that’s a priestly vest) and some other household gods he has collected over the years, Micah establishes a shrine in his house. He also installs one of his sons as his personal priest.
Now what’s wrong with this picture? Not only do we have a thief who is also the son of a thief, but we have a man who is “doing his own thing” as far as worship is concerned. In fact, the very next thing we are told in the story (verse 6) is, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” What’s wrong with that, you ask? Plenty. We don’t have the right to “do our own thing” when it comes to worship. Worship is doing God’s thing in God’s way. Oh, true, there is a lot of leeway regarding the manner of worship. There are few rules in Scripture about the right time, place, style, or length of worship. But there are some rules. And one of the rules is as old as the Second Commandment:
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God….” (Exodus 20:4-5)
You know, none of us is happy when we have to view an unflattering picture of ourselves. The Driver’s License Bureau specializes in taking bad pictures. Is there anyone who likes the picture on his or her Driver’s License? I didn’t think so. We like it even less when someone else’s picture is printed with our name under it, such as occasionally happens in a school yearbook or a church picture directory.
Well, the reason God doesn’t allow images or idols is because no idol or image can accurately represent Him. God is so much greater than any created thing that any image automatically leads to a demeaning concept of Him. That’s why He hates idolatry. Listen to Isaiah’s scathing description of the idol-maker:
“The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might. His work makes him hungry and thirsty, weak and faint. Then the wood-carver measures and marks out a block of wood, takes the tool, and carves the figure of a man. Now he has a wonderful idol that cannot even move from where it is placed! He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak (because they don’t rot as fast as other trees)…. He uses part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread. Then–yes, it’s true–he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god for people to worship! He makes an idol and bows down and praises it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says, “You are my god!”
Such stupidity and ignorance!… The poor, deluded fool … is trusting something that can give him no help at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this thing, this idol that I’m holding in my hand, a lie?” (Isaiah 44:12-20)
Not only are Micah and his mother wrong in making an image; they are also wrong in setting up a shrine in his home. At this point in Israel’s history, God had made it clear that there was to be one central sanctuary for the worship of God–in Shiloh. One of the reasons for this is that the people needed the unifying effect of coming together at Shiloh to keep the Twelve Tribes from becoming isolated from one another and thus becoming enemies of one another. Furthermore, a quick look at a map reveals that Shiloh is in the hill country of Ephraim, only a short journey from Micah’s house. So, Micah’s idolatry cannot be excused because the house of the Lord was too far away. He just wants to do his own thing in his own way.
Now when we try to apply this today, we must be careful. There is no central sanctuary for believers today. Thankfully, we are not all required to go to one place to worship, like First Baptist of Dallas or Willow Creek in Chicago or Saddleback in California. In fact, Jesus instituted a radical change from OT procedures when He told the sinful woman in John 4 that the place of worship is no longer a crucial issue: “true worshipers must worship the Father in spirit and truth.” But even today, friends, it is unhealthy to worship in isolation from other believers, as Micah was doing. That’s why the book of Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I don’t know anyone who is a mature, growing Christian who doesn’t worship regularly with other believers. Those who say they can consistently worship just as well on the golf course or home watching TV or at the lake are kidding themselves.
Still another mistake Micah made was to hire his son to be a priest. God had appointed the tribe of Levi to be priests, and no one had the right to appoint himself. But Micah didn’t know any Levites, and his son provided cheap labor. So, what we have here is the homemade worship of a man-made god.
When worshipers practice what is right in their own eyes, self-made religion is inevitable.
Well, believe it or not, we haven’t heard the worst from Micah. One day a young Levite was wandering around the countryside looking for a better ministry opportunity, and he happened to arrive at Micah’s Bed and Breakfast. A light went off in Micah’s head. He knew his own son was not a legitimate priest, but here is an actual Levite, and he’s available. Wow! God must have sent him. So, Micah offers the Levite a job for 10 shekels of silver a year, plus clothes, plus all he can eat. The Levite grabs it. And Micah’s conclusion is, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”
Once again, we see Micah’s superstitious nature. He’s got a real priest with the right credentials, so he’s safe. God must now be on his side. He doesn’t even stop to think about the fact that he is still violating God’s laws with his idols and with his shrine, to say nothing about the fact that he has hired a Levite who has no business roaming around looking for a job in the first place! You see, the Levites were assigned specific cities in which to live, called “Levitical cities,” and that is where they were to reside and serve God. But this Levite wasn’t satisfied to live where God had put him. Just like Micah, he, too, is doing his own thing.
Unfortunately, a lot of churches today are hiring pastors the same way Micah hired the Levite—on the basis of credentials alone. Search committees are asking, “Does he have a doctor’s degree from a prestigious school? Has he written lots of books and articles? Does he belong to the right organizations?” If so, he’s exactly what we’re looking for and God will bless us. The only problem is that when the Bible gives us the qualifications for being a minister of the Gospel, nothing is said about degrees or books or organizations. But there is a lot about character and example and obedience and about avoiding the love of money. This Levite doesn’t qualify to be a priest on any of these bases.
Once again, we read at the very beginning of this chapter that “In those days Israel had no king.” We’re being reminded again that there is no clear spiritual authority in the land. The priests are not doing their job. The spiritual shepherds are feeding themselves instead of the sheep.
When religious leaders practice what is right in their own eyes, self-enriching service is inevitable.
In chapter 18 our attention is turned to the third part of the story, the search by the tribe of Dan for a place of their own where they might settle. This search shouldn’t even have been necessary, because God had promised Dan a large portion of the Promised Land when Joshua led them across the Jordan. But unlike the other tribes, the Danites failed to completely occupy the land they were promised. They were afraid or they were lazy. But now they realize they need a place of their own.
The way the Danites decide to find a homeland is to send five men on a spy mission. They just happen to stop at Micah’s Bed and Breakfast, and while there, they notice that the young man in the home, the Levite, has a southern Judean accent. Perhaps he greeted them with, “Shalom, y’all.” When they ask him what he’s doing so far from Judea, he explains that Micah has hired him as his personal priest.
A priest, huh? Can’t beat that. These Danites are on a secret mission, and they could use a priest to tell them if they’re going to be successful. So, the spies ask him to inquire of the Lord whether their search for a new homeland will be successful. He tells them, yes, they have the Lord’s approval.
It so happens that after leaving Micah’s home, the spies do indeed find a land that looks very promising to them. It’s very prosperous and the people who live there are unsuspecting and feeling very secure. They don’t even lock their doors at night because they have no known enemies. The Danites figure it shouldn’t be difficult to kill these people and take their land. When the spies return home, they tell the rest of their tribe about their good fortune and the tribe commissions 600 soldiers to go and seize the land.
On their way to the battle the soldiers pass near Micah’s house again, and the five spies, who are traveling with them, decide that they could use some more good luck on their journey. They ask the 600 soldiers, armed for battle, to stand guard at the entrance to Micah’s gate while they enter and take the silver idol and image, the ephod, and other household gods Micah has collected. They just steal them.
The young Levite priest arrives as all of this is happening, and he demands to know from the ungrateful spies, “What are you doing?” The spies respond, saying, in effect: “You’ll be quiet if you know what’s good for you. In fact, why don’t you come and be our priest? Isn’t it better to be the priest for a whole tribe than for just one family, and we’ll pay you a better salary?” It takes the Levite about two minutes to pray about that opportunity, and the next thing you know he is helping them steal Micah’s gods. Off he goes with the tribe of Dan to be their priest. This reminds me of the old account of the pastor who received a call to a larger church with a larger salary. He told his wife, “We need to seek the Lord’s will in this matter. You go upstairs and pray while I pack.” Friends, pray for your pastors, your elders, and everyone else who has responsibility in this church. The temptation to use spiritual leadership to serve oneself can be very tempting.
When Micah himself learns of the heist, he pursues the thieves. I want to read a few verses beginning in 18:22, because it’s almost humorous:
When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, Micah called his neighbors together and they overtook the Danites. As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”
He replied, “You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?'”
The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some hot-tempered men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.
That’s the last we hear of Micah. The men of Dan, however, proceed to attack the peaceful and unsuspecting people they had previously spied out, kill most of them, and burn their city. The Danites then set up the stolen idols in their own sanctuary and install the Levite, whose name we now learn is Jonathan, son of Gershom, as their priest. The last verse of the story says, “They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.” The point is that even though God had commanded that worship take place a short distance away at Shiloh, they prefer the idolatrous and disobedient worship they have established in their own community.
It’s not hard to see the third major point we have noted in your outline:
When a people practice what is right in their own eyes, self-willed behavior is inevitable.
Well, that’s the story of Micah, a strange story indeed. But is it really all that strange? Don’t we see things that are just as strange today? I spent the past month in Eureka Springs, AR. If you’ve been there, you know there is a lot of Christian influence in that little Ozark town. A lot of the motels have Bible verses on them. There are more Christian bookstores than bars, and the #1 Passion Play in the U.S. is presented there. But there is also a lot of New Age paraphernalia. There are dozens of stores where you can buy crystals and divining stones and even items of witchcraft. And last weekend there was a gay pride festival, complete with a special worship service affirming the gay and lesbian lifestyle.
New Agers and gay activists are just two examples of groups who are doing what is right in their own eyes today. I don’t doubt that many of them really believe that what they are doing is right. They’re sincere. But sincerity does not guarantee truth. I remember a Charlie Brown cartoon in which Charlie is bemoaning the fact that his team is behind, 167-0. And he moans, “How can we lose when we’re so sincere?!” Sincerity must be linked with te truth. And so much of what we see happening in the spiritual realm in our country clearly violates what God Himself has said in His Word. People can’t be honoring the King when they are disobeying Him in their worship.
Cults are alive and spreading all over America, and while their idols may not be made from silver, they are nevertheless worshiping gods of their own making–not the God of the Bible.
I said at the beginning that I put the blame for this mess squarely on the religious leaders of our nation. That is where the problem starts. They are the ones who are leading people astray—the blind leading the blind. So many of the seminaries are teaching unbelief, not faith. So many of the denominations are debating political and social issues, while ignoring evangelism and discipleship. So many of the pastors are delivering trite little 15-minute homilies to tickle the congregation’s ears, instead of preaching the Word with power and forthrightness.
May that never happen at First Free. There’s a reason why Passport to Adventure this summer focused its attention on the Bible stories in the Book of Acts. God gave us those stories to teach us truth about Himself and about ourselves. There’s a reason why our youth group and our college students and our Small Churches regularly study the Bible–because that’s where the answers to life’s problems lie. There’s a reason why we have a Lay Biblical Institute each Fall and Spring–it’s so people can dig deeply into the eternal truth that leads to life.
The only alternative to having everyone do what is right in his own eyes is to teach them to do what is right in God’s eyes. He’s the One who created us; He knows us better than we know ourselves; He knows what’s best for us. No matter how well intentioned you may be, no matter how smart you may be, no matter how loving you may be, what is right in your eyes is going to be wrong more often than not. Our hearts are more desperately wicked, more self-serving, more willing to use religion without encountering God than we are willing to admit to ourselves. Shrines, prophets, prophecies, priests, curses, blessings, religion in all its glory, good intentions, doing the best we can–none of these things are of any value if we are not following the Book.[i]
Conclusion: One of the things an instrument-rated pilot learns very early is to trust his instruments. It’s easy for a pilot to become disoriented in bad weather and to think he’s going one direction when the instruments tell him something else. His only hope as a pilot is to trust his instruments. And our only hope as a Christian is to trust God’s Word.
Friends, the most important thing of all to trust is what God says about salvation. He tells us we are sinners, and our only hope is to put our faith in Jesus Christ, who took our sin upon Himself and paid our penalty at the Cross.
DATE: September 6, 1998
Tags:
Sin
Greed
Idolatry
[i] Steve Zeisler, sermon entitled “Religion for Rent,” Peninsula Bible Church, March 28, 1992, 4.