Judges 18 11-31
A couple notes from last time that we need to remember.
II. Discontent with a Divinely marked lot leads to evil. Ver. 2.
The Danites would have been pleased with the shephelah, or rich plains between the hill country and the sea. But with the conditions attached, that they must drive out the Amorites, they were greatly offended. It was not impossible to comply with that condition. The fathers of that generation had conquered the larger part of the land through that faith, and in the same manner, they might have finished the conquest through faith. But it was irksome, and they wanted the faith; so that they refused to take their inheritance in God’s appointed way, and sought another way of their own. It is always dangerous to reject the lot which God has appointed for us, and instead, to take the ordering of our lot into our own hand. The consequence in this case was, that God left them to fall into idolatry. For if they had remained on their own proper soil, they would not have entered into the house of Micah, nor have been tainted with his forbidden image-worship (Ps. 125:5; 2 Chron. 15:2). We cannot walk long in ways of our own devising, without meeting with checks to show that we are wrong.
IV. Silent neglect at first, leads afterwards to open rejection of God’s ordinances. Ver. 5.
These Danites seem never to have given one thought to God’s appointed way of worship at Shiloh, and they must have gone near to it in passing through Mount Ephraim. They simply entirely neglected the worship which God had instituted in connection with His people, through the Ark of the Covenant, but the moment they hear of an illegitimate method of worship of Micah’s invention, they turn aside and ask counsel at this new shrine. They practically renounce Shiloh, and place their confidence in Micah’s priest, and Teraphim. This was an advanced step in the downhill road, and ere long they ceased to acknowledge Shiloh at all, and set up a system of idol-worship systematically, when they reached their new settlement in the north (vers. 30, 31). Sin grows.
4. (11-13) They assemble an army of 600 to take possession of Laish.
a. Six hundred men… armed with weapons of war:
B. The tribe of Dan adopts Micah’s idolatry.
1. (14-18a) On their way to Laish, the army of 600 men take Micah’s shrine for themselves.
VIII. False worshippers take refuge in imitating the appearances of the true. Ver. 14, 17, etc.
The symbols of worship which Micah adopted were a copy of those made use of at Shiloh. The ephod was the most important part of the priest’s vestments, the graven image and molten image corresponded probably with the Shekinah and the ark, the teraphim answered to the Urim and Thummim, and the Levite belonged to the sacred tribe. Now be felt sure of the Divine blessing, though everything was but a caricature of the true. Thus multitudes believe that if they but wear the semblance of religion, keep up an external form of respect for its requirements, show reform of manners, and go through certain observances, all will be well with them, though there is no real giving of the heart to the Lord. They retain their idols, and so many of their evil ways, but because they proudly “do many things, and hear the gospel gladly,” they think themselves in a good way for the Divine blessing here, and for heaven itself hereafter. The Jews also thought that because they had Abraham as their father, because they had the temple of God among them, and had the name of being God’s people, therefore it was, and must be, well with them, though they lived wicked lives, and refused to walk in the way of God’s commandments. Many still build similar hopes on their having pious parents, being enrolled as members of a Christian church, and enjoying the privileges of Christian society, though they have nothing of the spiritual life in their hearts.
a. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image:
i. There are many examples in history of people satisfying a religious impulse in a completely immoral way. In Europe in the 14th century unemployed soldiers often became small armies of bandits and robbed and burned and killed and raped towns and villages all over Europe. These brutal criminals often negotiated with a town before attacking it. If the town agreed to give the brutes a large amount of money, the army left the city alone. If the town refused to give the money or could not give the money, they attacked. These were done with formal negotiations and contracts. They have discovered that when these horrible men came to a monastery, they insisted on money as well – but they also demanded that the priests of the monastery give them a written document saying that all their sins were forgiven.
b. Took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image:
i. During the Los Angeles riots in the 1990’s, a reporter came across three looters leaving a store. He asked them what they took, and the first two told him off with profanity. But the third man said, “I got some gospel music. I love Jesus!”
XII. Worldly minds care little for accuracy in spiritual things. Ver. 17–19.
They would stand out for rigid accuracy as to the measure of land allotted to them. And in any mercantile transaction, they would see to it with the keenest particularity that the exact thing stipulated for was given. But when it is a matter of paying to God the reverence which is due, they make small inquiry whether they do it in the appointed manner or not. “Those that are curious in their diet, in their purchases, in their attire, in their contracts, are yet in God’s business very indifferent.”
XIII. Neither moral principle nor sound reason can be expected of those who deny to God His natural rights.
It was base in the extreme for those very men whom Micah had so hospitably entertained to turn upon him, and callously rob him of all that he counted most sacred in his dwelling. To take away forcibly his graven and molten images, his ephod, and his teraphim, along with the priest himself, was a rough act of brigandage at the very least, if it should not rather be called sacrilege. True it was a righteous judgment from God on the transgression of Micah, but the Danites did not mean it so, neither in their hearts did they know it to be so.
And what a miserable mockery of reason was it, for the lawless men to set up as gods, objects that could not save themselves from being stolen! How could they expect the gods, to bless the men that stole them—men who had virtually been guilty of sacrilege! Why make so much of objects that are graven by art, or man’s device? Why should rational creatures worship the work of their own hand?
2. (18b-21) The Levite goes with the army from the tribe of Dan.
a. Put your hand over your mouth:
b. So the priest’s heart was glad:
3. (22-24) Micah’s foolish idolatry comes to nothing.
(2.) His worldly estate was invested in his gods. True, only 200 shekels were given to the founder for making the images, but the remaining 900, spoken of may have been expended on the ephod, the teraphim, the fitting up of the house as a temple, the support of the priest, and other matters not mentioned. But the main idea is, that for the future, he looked to the proceeds that might be derived from consulting his oracle as his real income. He meant in fact to trade on the superstitious fears of the community all around him. His “house of gods” was his mint. He coined money thereby. How easily is the formalist deprived of his religion! It is not shut up in the iron safe, and doubly, trebly locked, but is left outside the dwelling, exposed to the fierce winds, and a prey to the passer by. Only that religion we can keep safely in all circumstances, which is laid up in our heart of hearts, and which gives colour, variety and force to all the outgoings of the life.
How different from Micah’s complaint is that of the truly pious man! The light of God’s countenance is his riches, and his language is, “O that I knew where I might find Him!” “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory!” “Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me; restore to me the joy of Thy salvation,” &c.