Vision and Delusion, Part I

Blurry Vision

Tis the season for New Years Resolutions… or to put it another way, to reflect on the year past and form a vision for the year to come.

This year I gave this challenge to the kids and asked them to form resolutions this way: A stop and a start. Something (a new behavior or goal or habit) you would like to start… and one you would like to stop.

Dylan: stop having screen time limits and start having another dog.

Arabelle: Start taking piano and voice lessons and stop not taking them.

Logan: Start getting solo Fortnite wins and stop getting beat by my Dad even though he is amazing in every way at all the things. #ILoveMyDadForever

(I may have added a bit to Logan’s).

They had really sweet real goals too, but I won’t be sharing those.

What is your vision for the New Year? For your future?

We want a “more preferable future” and if pressed we all have a vision of what that looks like. For ourselves? For our church?

Making it up

Vision is a big deal in the world of business. The goal is making a profit or growing the business, or starting a business in order to make a profit. A vision or plan might look something like:

This is my product, I need this kind of staffing to produce and service that product, and so I need this kind of funding… and here’s how I’ll get it. Product, staff and funding. That’s a business.

What if religion were a business? What would you need? Product, staff and funding. In this case, your product is a god, or gods, or some customized version of an existing God.

So I would like to introduce you to a visionary named Micah. This is a man with a plan, a visionary, an entrepreneur extraordinaire.

We meet him in Judges 17.

Judges 17:1–2 ESV

There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 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.”

He steals the money, then gives it back… after Mom curses the thief.

Judges 17:3–4 ESV

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.” 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.

We have Funding!

So Mom “dedicates the money” (notice she only actually gives a fifth of it).

And what do they do with it? Create a graven (or molten) image. Already we have stealing, probably the mother taking the Lord’s name in vain in her curse in order to get the money back, certainly some lying in the mom promising to dedicate 1100 and only giving 200, and finally idolatry.

Judges 17:5 ESV

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.

There is this intention of worship… but in either disobedience or inexcusable ignorance… they are completely outside the commands of the God they claim to worship.

How did things get in this state?

Judges 17:6 ESV

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

But what if Micah had some great leadership? Leadership in line with what God had commanded? and who did God command to be the spiritual caretakers and leaders of Israel? The tribe of Levi.

And lo and behold:

Judges 17:7–8 ESV

Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. 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.

Micah sees this opportunity.

Judges 17:9–10 ESV

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.” 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.

Judges 17:11–12 ESV

And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

Judges 17:13 ESV

Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”

Vision or Delusion?

And how does he know the difference? Micah is absolutely sure that “the LORD” is with him. And, let’s be clear, it is Yahweh he is talking about.

In the Hebrew, “Lord” is said instead of the name of God “Yahweh” as a sign of respect. This is where we get the word “Jehovah “ from: the letters of Adonai (Lord) above the consonants of YHWH (The Tetragrammaton).

He is 100% sure that God is on his side, in line with his plan.

After all, he has the intention to worship God. His intention seems to be there, as far as we can tell.

He has sacrificed real value to do it (even if it was Mom’s money). They crafted the idol, the ephod. And we know that Yahweh doesn’t want idols, graven images or molten images… but maybe Micah didn’t know that? Maybe he is doing the best he knows how?

The text is pretty clear he is making it up as he goes along:

Judges 17:6 ESV

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

But he does seem to know that a Levite is supposed to be the priest and so he is STOKED when he gets one as his own priest.

And it gets even better. We will discover in chapter 18 (again, spoilers) that this priest is not just any Levite, he is a “son” (a descendant) of Gershom, son of Moses. What a win! What a legacy!

He has the intention, he has the right name of God, he has the very best lineage of staffing, surely Yahweh is with him now!

Judges 17:13 ESV

Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”

Spoilers: He doesn’t.

It isn’t going to go well. Micah isn’t going to win. He isn’t going to keep his idols and he isn’t going to keep his priest. He is going to disappear from the narrative completely, fade into obscurity, a footnote in someone else’s origin story.

Micah was a visionary worship leader who took bold next steps… into idolatry and disaster.

His vision of a more preferable future was simply delusion.

He is sure that he is headed for greatness… but he is only headed for disaster.

Your More Preferable Future

So, how about those New Years Resolutions? We make our plans for the future, we strain and strive to get a vision for a more preferable future...

Is it vision or delusion? Is it prophecy or fallacy?

The only thing worse than no direction is the wrong direction.

The only thing worse than no vision is a self-delusion. An idolatrous vision.

And we are all capable of that, aren’t we? How easy is it to have a “good idea” and baptize it by calling it a “vision” or “God’s leading” or even “God’s voice?”

“Surely Yahweh is with me because...” because why? Because I hope He is. Because I said He is.

That’s simply not good enough… and that’s kind of terrifying.

But we are in a very different position than Micah. Micah was in a scary position because:

Judges 17:6 ESV

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

In those days, there was no appointed human king, but more than that… Israel had not allowed Yahweh to be their king. We see it in their idolatry, we see it in their ignorance of God’s commands, even the big 10 which Micah has trampled all over just in this chapter!

Yahweh stepped onto the throne in a far more visible way.

We know who our king is, and we live in… in a living and moving way we are his Kingdom.

And we know the contours and the boundaries of His vision for our lives, for the Word of God has given us the words of God, and His Living and Holy Spirit to interpret it within us.

So vision and direction for 2019 looks, for certain, something like this

1 Timothy 6:11–16 ESV

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

2019 Vision Quest

As we consider 2018 and plan for 2019 we are a people in need of vision for our lives and church.

We are not without guidance here. We know it is going to look like “pursueing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness… fighting the good fight of faith.” We know it is going to be in line with God’s Word.

And God has faithfully directed our path in the past. And we will faithfully continue in the directions he has called us.

The Vision of our church is to glorify God in worship, in service and outreach, in edification and holy living, in fellowship with Him and with one another. The mission of our church is to encourage and equip one another to take the next bold steps in Christian belief, maturity and ministry.

We continue in those directions… and because we are a “next step church” we ask the question: God, what’s next? What is next for me, what is next for our church?

That’s an exciting question. But I will confess, as your pastor, that’s a bit of a terrifying question. Vision or delusion? Prophecy or fallacy?

God’s call or Dusty’s idea.

I propose that we make 2019 a year of seeking God’s vision: Towards 2020 Vision.

I invite you to join me in prayer on Tuesdays, focused prayer on Tuesdays, and fasting if and when you’re able. Practicing together waiting on the Lord: a disciplined refusal to act before God acts.

(To be continued in next week’s sermon).

We are not a people without direction, without hope or, like Micah, a people without a King. We earnestly seek His Vision, His Will, knowing that He is ever faithful and will lead and speak through His Holy Spirit.