In my last post, I wrote about the setting for the book of 1 Samuel. It was a dark period of history for the nation of Israel, who, due to their idolatry and sin, were in a downward spiral that would have ended up in their extinction if the Lord had not intervened. In these next couple of posts, I want to take a look at Judges 17 and 18, where we are introduced to a man named Micah. This account will give us a good indicator of the spiritual state of the nation.
Micah was a man who lived in the mountainous region inhabited by the tribe of Ephraim. One of the first things we learn about his character is that he stole eleven hundred shekels of silver from his mother (a real nice guy). Right away, we learn that he is dishonoring to his parents and is a thief. Anyone who would steal from his mother is not a good guy. This was no small sum either, for later in the chapter we see that 10 shekels was considered a year’s wages. If 10 shekels was a year’s wages, then eleven hundred shekels would be more like her life savings. Well, his mother, not knowing it was him, put a curse on the money (or probably more accurately the person who stole it). Micah, either feeling guilty for stealing from his mother or afraid of the curse, decided to return the silver to her, saying, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.” She responded, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” This may sound good at first, but after he returned the money, she told him that she had dedicated it to the Lord for him to make a carved image and a molded image. Thus, we see that his mother was an idol worshiper, and as often as is the case, her son followed suit. It is interesting how casually she used the Lord’s name in connection with idol worship: you see, idol worship does not have to be the all-out replacement of God with something else, but often times it is the idol in addition to God. Historically, the Catholic church has been notorious for doing this: rather than allowing the Gospel to transform the culture they are in, they have sought to blend the pagan practices of the area with Christianity. The praying to saints, the pagan traditions surrounding Christmas and Easter, the deification of Mary, and even the priesthood itself are all Babylonian idolatrous practices that the church mixed with Christianity. They are by no means the only part of Christendom that has done this, but they are probably the greatest example of it. After this, we see a back and forth of who is going to take the money. She gives it back to her son, he gives it back to her, and she then gives 200 shekels of it to the silver smith to make the carved and molded image. They were so polite in their idolatrous endeavors. It’s really quite the amazing exchange when you stop to think about it. So, Micah kept these images in his own house.
Next, he built a shrine for the images, made an ephod (a specific garment worn by Levitical priests), and made some other household idols to go along with them. He also consecrated one of his own sons to be the priest. It is here that the author tells us that there was no king in Israel in those days, and that everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. Well, it gets better (or worse).
There was a Levite who lived in Bethlehem, in the tribe of Judah, and he left Bethlehem to find a new place to live. As he journeyed, he came to Mount Ephraim, to the place where Micah lived. Micah asked him where he was from, and the Levite replied that he was from Bethlehem Judah and was looking for a place to stay. Well, Micah seeing an opportunity for a step up in his religious experience, offered the man to stay with him. He offered the man that if he would be a father and priest to him, he would give him 10 shekels salary per year, a suit of clothes, and his sustenance. To this the Levite agreed, and it states he was content to live with Micah and became like one of his sons. So, Micah consecrated the man to be his priest, and the Levite lived in his house. Micah then said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”
As we can see, there was quite a disconnect going on here. The first thing to take note of is that there is no mention of the tabernacle, and as we will find out later, it was probably due to (at least in part) to the corruption in the priesthood. Whenever a society is going astray, the blame lies first and foremost at the feet of God’s people, the Church. Micah was out of fellowship, and just wanted to do his thing at home. Herein lies a warning for believers: if we don’t want to fellowship with God’s people and sit under pastoral authority, it may be we have some idol(s) in our lives we don’t want to get rid of. Maybe it’s work, sports or hobbies, or just simply wanting control. Really an idol is anything that takes the place of the Lord on the throne of our hearts. So, Micah and his mother were out of fellowship with God’s people, and as a result they were naturally out of fellowship with the Lord and His word. Idol worship was strictly forbidden in the first two commandments: “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:3-6) Even if he was simply making an image to represent the true God, it is still forbidden as we can see from the text. Maybe there is no actual image at all, in which case it would fall under the first commandment. This rules out any other religions whether they be cultic or occultic. Micah also had little regard for his mother, which was demonstrated by him stealing the large sum of money from her. This was also a violation of the 5th and 8th commandments: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you,” and “You shall not steal.” All this, and he had convinced himself that the Lord would be pleased with him since he had a Levite for his priest.
The Levite too, was out of fellowship with the Lord and the Lord’s people. Levites were directed by God to perform certain tasks in connection with the tabernacle, and they were given specific cities to live in. He had neglected both, and he did so to be hired as a priest in an idol’s temple. This is what we call a hireling. A hireling doesn’t care for God’s people; he only cares about his own self-interest. He serves God or an idol for what it can give him, rather than for what he can give to God in his service. In a regular job, you do what you are told in order to get your paycheck, and in the ministry it is no different for a hireling. He becomes a yes man, and is constantly adapting his ministry to please the people who hired him. Money is often a primary driver for a hireling, but as one commentator aptly points out, it could also be they become hirelings for emotional reasons such as the need for approval. This inevitably places them in a situation where they are walking in disobedience to the Lord. In contrast, a true pastor cares for his flock, and he demonstrates this by obeying the Lord first, come what may. He does what is right by the people by teaching them the word of God and to do his best to obey what it says. The problem with a hireling is that he is content to dwell with a person(s) until he gets tired of being a yes man or he gets a better offer, and that is precisely what will happen in the next chapter. In the following post, we will take a look at how the rest of the story turns out.
Micah and the Levite Part II.
In my last post, we looked at a man named Micah who was from Mount Ephraim. He stole a large sum of money from his mother, but later thought better of it and returned it to her. She took a portion of the money and gave it to the silver smith to make images to worship. Micah then built a shrine for them, and later hired a Levite to be his priest.
The story picks up in chapter 18 as the Danites were looking to claim their inheritance, since it had not fallen to them yet. They sent five men to spy and search out the land, and they ended up lodging at Micah’s house in Mount Ephraim. While there, they recognized the voice of the Levite, and they said, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?” After he explained things to them, they asked him to inquire of God for them as to whether or not their journey would be prosperous. The Levite responded, “Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.” Notice the guy didn’t even stop to pray or anything, but confidently pronounced a blessing. Perhaps he was so deceived that he actually believed the Lord was pleased with the entire situation, or more probable that he was just a people pleaser. Whatever the case, the spies heard what they were hoping for, and went on their way. They came to a place called Laish where they found a quiet people who were secluded from anyone else, and there were no magistrates in the land who would try to stop them. The spies return to their tribe, and told them they should go up and conquer the land. So, 600 men of the Danites armed themselves and left for Laish.
When they came to Mount Ephraim, the spies said, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.” So, the armed men went to Micah’s house and stood at the gate. Next, the five men who were spies went in the house and took the carved and molded images, the ephod, and the household idols. When the Levite saw what was happening, he protested saying, “What are you doing?” One might think he cared for his master’s things, but it appears he was more concerned with losing his position. They told him to be quiet and lay his hand on his mouth. They said,” come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” At this, it states the Levite was glad, took the ephod and idols, and decided to go with them. And why not? A bigger congregation, more popularity, and probably better pay. This was a big step up for him (or so he thought).
After they left and were a good way off, Micah and the men living near him, upset that he had just been ripped off, pursued after the Danites, and overtook them. The Danites asked what was wrong with them since they had gathered together such a company. Micah responded that they had just taken his gods and his priest, and what more did he have left? What do you mean, what ails me? The man that stole his mother’s life savings was upset that his gods and his priest were stolen. Often times these idols were connected with fertility and material blessings, and as a result, they represented all life had to offer. So, to have them taken was a big deal. However, if your gods can be stolen, you have an even greater problem. The Danites responded, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household!” These were real nice guys as well. When Micah saw they were too strong for him, he let them go, and the Danites continued on to Laish.
The Danites went and conquered Laish, killing them with the sword and burning the city with fire. They rebuilt the city and called it Dan after the name of their father. This is up on the northern border of Israel. Then they set up the carved image and made a man named Jonathan, along with his sons, priests for their tribe. Most think this Jonathan was the young Levite who was formally at Micah’s, but the Levite was not previously said to have sons. If this was a different guy, then the Levite didn’t get the promotion he was promised. This is what sin always does. Sin and the devil promise big, but they don’t deliver. So, this became the beginning of established idol worship in the land, and it was this way until the captivity. This is probably referring to the ark being taken captive by the Philistines, but as we read through the rest of the Old Testament, Dan continued to be a place of idol worship. If we recall, after Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel split into two, and a man named Jeroboam ruled over the northern kingdom. He set up golden calves in Bethel and in Dan to prevent the people from returning to join back up with the southern kingdom in Jerusalem. This established idolatry became permanent in the northern kingdom, and it was to their almost ruin and extinction. They became so corrupt, that the Lord would eventually have them taken into captivity by the Assyrians. As we can see, this did not pan out so well for Micah, and possibly the Levite. In the end, it did not pan out well for the tribe of Dan, nor for the nation of Israel. It will not pan out for you and me either.
Where are you with the Lord today? Are you part of another religion, the new age, or eastern mysticism? Maybe you are even trying to mingle them with Christianity. The Bible says, “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:5-6) If this is you, you need to repent and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Without Him, you cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven. No other god has done for you what the God of the Bible as done by sending His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins. You cannot please God through religion or your own attempts to be righteous, because the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You only need to trust in Jesus who paid the price for your and my sins. Call on Him today by admitting you are a sinner, and ask Him to save you. If you do, He says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6:37)
As believers, we can also get involved in idol worship. It’s become quite popular today for Christians to mix yoga and other forms of Eastern mysticism with Christianity. If you are someone who is participating in these activities, I would encourage you to take a look at the following article. According to the yogis, yoga is not a physical exercise, but a series of postures to help them lose their personality and individuality, and to become one with the Kundalini spirit (a white serpent of light they believe to be at the base of the spine). Well, there’s only one serpent I’m aware of who wants to be worshiped, and is referred to in the Scriptures as an angel of light. So, when believers do Yoga, they are bowing down to the various Hindu gods, with the goal of becoming one with the serpent. Also, the Scriptures never teach we are to clear our minds of everything, but we are to renew our minds with the word of God. I have never met a Christian who has decided to get involved with these activities and as faired well in the end. If this is you, you need to repent of these things and go to the Lord and His word for your spiritual needs.
However, I believe idolatry goes beyond the obvious. Really it can be anything that keeps us from loving, serving, and obeying the Lord. What are those things that keep us from regularly attending Church or spending time with the Lord in prayer and reading the word? What is preventing us from being the husband or wife, parent or child, employer or employee that we are called to be? We need to ask the Lord to search our hearts, and get rid of those things that are distracting us from Him. They may not even be sinful in and of themselves, but just have taken the place of the Lord on the thrones of our hearts. Well, sinful behavior (especially sexual immorality) always follow idol worship, and that is what we will see in the final chapters of Judges.
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