A Man-made Religion
Without a King - The Book of Judges • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Micah. This morning, I would like to introduce you to a very unusual character: Micah.
Micah lived in the region of Ephraim. His name means “Who is like God?”—a name that proclaims the incomparable nature of the God of Israel.
Yet, although Micah’s very name confesses that no one can be compared to God, his actions stand in direct contradiction to this truth. Instead of worshiping the living God as He revealed Himself, Micah attempts to create a religion of his own.
This chapter presents a tragic picture of human stubbornness: people crafting their own god, their own faith, and their own tailor-made religion. As Isaiah describes it:
The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, “It is good.” The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.
Judges’ Structure. Although we are near the end of the book of Judges, the events described in chapters 17–21 took place shortly after the death of Joshua.
It is as though the author of Judges deliberately places these episodes at the end of the book in order to highlight the root causes of Israel’s apostasy. The problem did not emerge suddenly; it began quietly, at home, and early.
Micah’s house. Only two generations separated Micah from the faithful leadership of Joshua.
Why had Micah’s house fallen into such spiritual confusion?
Judges 2:10 gives us the answer:
After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.
We cannot afford to lose even one generation.
Sermon Outline. Usually, what's homemade, what's cooked at home, is tastier, more nutritious, and healthier than what we eat in restaurants.
But in this case, we're not talking about food, but about religion; not about pasta, but about faith and our relationship with God.
God revealed Himself to us through His Word: the Bible. The Bible speaks of only one recipe, one faith, one God, one Mediator, Christ Jesus.
Yet Micah had created a new recipe, a homemade religion. I would like to consider five aspects of this religion:
An ambiguous religion;
A flashy religion;
A convenient religion;
A deceitful religion;
A precarious religion.
N.1 - An Ambiguous Religion
N.1 - An Ambiguous Religion
Micah’s Mother. One of the founders of Micah’s new religion is his own mother.
After discovering that 1,100 shekels of silver had been stolen, she curses the thief (Judges 17:2). When she later learns that the thief is her son Micah, she immediately blesses him.
In the same breath, she curses and blesses. Scripture warns us against this kind of inconsistency:
My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
In this homemade religion, there are no stable principles, no fixed values, and no clear convictions. Everything is evaluated based on personal benefit.
Application: Clear principles. We live in a time when everything is questioned. Yet Jesus calls His followers to clarity:
All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
We live in a time of great confusion, where ambiguity reigns supreme in many ecclesiastical contexts. I am therefore happy to read that the apostles gave a clear answer to the confused crowd at Pentecost:
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
N.2 - A Flashy Religion
N.2 - A Flashy Religion
A Showy, Gaudy Religion. Micah’s religion is full of ceremonies, idols, gestures, sounds, and visible symbols.
It appeals to the senses and seeks to reassure its followers through external performance.
The emptiness of such religion is exposed in Amos:
“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Application: Real and Authentic Faith. False religion depends on spectacle. Genuine faith begins within the heart.
The woman who touched Jesus to be healed experienced faith in a deeply personal and intimate way:
She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
When worship depends on lights, sounds, and spectacle to feel meaningful, it may be flashy religion rather than living faith.
N.3 - A Convenient Religion
N.3 - A Convenient Religion
Religion as Business. Micah and his mother invested money to transform their home into a center for religious activity.
Micah's religion also promised benefits to the Levite.
His religion became a personal enterprise.
When the Danites later steal his idol and priest, Micah cries out:
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?’ ”
Micah had invested everything in this religion because he expected profit.
Application: Relation or Transaction? Sadly, there are still people who approach ministry with the same mindset: gain rather than sacrifice.
True faith calls us to offer ourselves, not to exploit God for personal benefit.
Paul warns us clearly:
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Let’s look Paul’s desire:
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
There is no profit, no advantage, no personal advantage, but just Jesus Christ.
N.4 - A Deceitful Religion
N.4 - A Deceitful Religion
False Assurance, an Illusion. Micah was convinced that God would bless him. Yet, within Micah’s own household, seven of the Ten Commandments were violated—and Micah never even left his home:
He placed an idol in his house;
He created a new religion;
He appointed a personal priest;
Despite all this, Micah believed he lived under God’s approval.
Scripture speaks sharply to such presumption:
But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?
Application: Conviction, Not Comfort. False religion reassures people in their sin.
True faith convicts. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit:
When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:
N.5 - A Precarious Religion
N.5 - A Precarious Religion
A Temporary Security. For a time, Micah’s religion seemed successful. He lived in comfort and security—until 600 Danites arrived at his door (Judges 18).
In a single moment, everything collapsed. Micah’s religion ended as it began: with theft. His house was left empty.
Why did Micah lose everything? The reason was that his priest had abandoned him, preferring to become the priest of the Danites:
They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.
Application: Eternal Faith. This is always the end of false religion: nothing remains.
But in the true God we find lasting security. Micah lost his idol and priest; we can never lose our High Priest, Jesus Christ: Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.
The apostle Paul reminds us that God will complete is work in us! No theft, no robber will never stop Him to accomplish His perfect plan in us:
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Conclusion
Conclusion
A Homemade Religion. Micah’s story is the story of a man who tried to build his own religion—and ended up with nothing.
We thank God that He has not left us to invent our own faith, but has revealed Himself fully through His Son, Jesus Christ.
