Sorry for the long delay in following on from chapter 16. Honest, I never intended to dodge these final chapters. So, here goes ...
Judges 17:1-6
I don’t like to say Scripture is difficult, but these final chapters of Judges are difficult, because they are so unpleasant.
The cycle of sin, defeat, calling to the Lord, raising of a Judge appears to vanish here, we are dropped right into the middle of some terrible situations.
We begin with Micah making idols and setting up one of his sons as priest in his own house. In this he is encouraged by his mother, who clearly doesn’t understand what it means to dedicate something to the Lord. And this sorry situation started with Micah stealing the money from his mother before returning it to her. A broken picture of broken lives in a nation about to be devastated by sin.
Verse 6, "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.", introduces the new refrain of these final chapters.
What do we mean by dedication to the Lord? Do we ever try, like Micah's mother to dedicate to the Lord something he doesn't want, or in a way that will not please him?
Judges 17:7-13
It is not just one family that is falling into sin. A Levite, if anyone should know better in the nation then a Levite should. But no, coming across Micah and his false idols and false worship centre the Levite is persuaded to remain with Micah and become a priest to one family.
Is there no one to stand up for the Lord? No one to say that this behaviour is wrong? Is there no authority (no king) who will serve the Lord? No, at this time there is no one. What a dreadful state of affairs for a nation to fall into.
We know it is not always easy to stand up, but there is a time when we must. Even if we are the only one we cannot and must not deny and be ashamed of our Lord.
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1 comment:
Things are not going well - ‘every man did that which was right in his own eyes’ (17:6). People were doing what suited themselves. Micah was trying to ‘get the best of both worlds’. He was worshipping idols (17:4-5). He was trying to keep on the right side of the Lord - ‘Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite priest’ (Judges 17:13). Micah’s priest was a ‘Yes’ man. He told Micah what he wanted to hear. Many people ‘refuse to listen to the truth’. They prefer to listen to those who ‘tell them what they want to hear’ (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Many are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (2 Timothy 3:4). We must not fall into the trap of ‘trying to please all the people all the time’. Seek to be like Jesus - ‘I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me’ (John 5:30).
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