Judges 18:1-31

It is amazing how far and how fast a people can stray from God and His Word.  Once again we see that there is a lack of leadership in Israel and the consequence of this is that all of the people just did whatever they felt was right in their own mind.  It is very clear that the hearts of the people were now very far from God.  They were living as gods unto themselves and worshiping according to their own wishes and not according to the instruction of the Word of God.  Today we continue to see a tendency in our own lives to worship God in the way that we enjoy and see fit.  We are more concerned about out worship being enjoyable to us as opposed to pleasing the Lord.  We must remember that the worship of God must be according to the Word of God.

THE TRIBE OF DAN SPIES THE LAND: Apparently to this point in history Dan has not been able to conquer the land that had been allotted to them so they send spies into the land of Ephraim where Micah lives with his idols and Levite priest.  The spies are amazed at the prosperity of the land and admire the idolatry that Micah has established in his own home.  That which should have appalled and shocked them causes admiration and jealousy instead.  They ask the Levite to inquire of the Lord as to whether their journey will be blessed by the Lord and the Levite assures them that they will be successful.  It is a dangerous thing when people come to a point that they are no longer offended by sin but become jealous of it.  Men who stray from the Word of God will be unable to recognize sin in their own lives and begin to imitate the sins that they observe in the lives of others.  We must constantly bring ourselves under the authority of the Word of God and seek fellowship with a body of believers who hold one another accountable to live according to the standards of God’s Word.

THE TRIBE OF DAN STEALS THE IDOL: When the tribe of Dan comes into the land the first thing that they do is go to the house of Micah and steal the idols that he has made and take the Levite that had given them the good word about their exploits.  What a clear illustration this is of people who want to assure themselves by having a form of godliness but that lack any conviction or knowledge of the Word of God.  They want to surround themselves by a “spiritual” leader that will give them assurance that everything is okay with God, but they have no true fear of God in their lives.  They are simply looking for someone who will tell them what they want to hear.  The Levite is simply making himself available to the highest bidder and goes to wherever he will have the greatest position of power and authority.  He is moving up the corporate ladder of idolatry and happy for the promotion he has been offered.  Unfortunately, many churches and their pastors bear a close resemblance to this narrative.  The people want a pastor who will give them assurance of God’s blessing while they live lives of sin.  The pastors are happy to oblige and tickle the ears of their congregations as long as the pay and benefits are to his liking.

THE TRIBE OF DAN SETTLES THE CITY: Dan goes forward and conquers the city that they have targeted.  They are not willing to take over the land that had been given to them so they invade their neighbor’s land and then congratulate themselves for their conquest by setting up Micah’s idol in a shrine that becomes the center of worship for the people.  The Levite is in a position of power and wealth and everybody lives “happily ever after.”  Or at least until the wrath of God comes burning down upon them.  We must be very careful not to confuse our measures of success with the blessings of God.  There are many prosperous churches and ministers that are basically practicing their own brand of idolatry.  They misinterpret their wealth as the blessing of God on their sinful worship and congratulate themselves on their accomplishments.  They enjoy their sin and are at peace because they have convinced themselves that God is not only tolerant of their sin but is blessing it.  They do not realize that God is nowhere near their exploits and that one day judgment will fall on them and they will be completely unprepared to stand before God and the only “heaven” they will enjoy is that of their own making here on this sin infested world.