Lesson from Judges : Part 1

by Pastor John Lin

Big idea:
We're to worship God on his terms and not ours

Israel degenerated to a rotten core

#. The corruption of worship in a household

Judges 17:1-6
Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels[a] of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!” 3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.” 4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels[b] of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house. 5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.


From these verses, We see different commandments of God broken here:
- The people did not regard God and honour him as king, that speaks for Micah who do not regard God

Judges 17:7-11
A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way[a] he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” “I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.” 10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels[b] of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.


- For Levite to be in ministry it should be 30 years old
- Levite should not be from Bethlehem
- The Levite decides to sojourn as he chose not to serve yahweh but men
- He wants to feel importance and do it his way

This Levite should have gone to a temple in Shiloh

Judges 17:12-13
Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

Micah ordained the Levite

Lesson 1:
Our worship of God can be sincerely wrong
- Micah is definitely sincere but the truth is he's sincerely wrong in the way he worship gone, done in the wrong manner
- Micah defile God in his own man-made way and terms of worship
- have we carve our own ways of God in our understanding him?
- we're simply worshipping him base on our own preferences (I feel the peace of God...)
- false religion always want to control God
- true worship is regardless of whatever I choose to worship god because jesus has saved me and deserve all my praises
- sinful activities can brings success as well
- true worship always demands our surrender

#. The corruption of a tribe

In those days Israel had no king.

Judges 18:1
And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.


Instead of going back to yahweh the tribe of Dan looks for a land to settle in. They choose to hear the voice of the young Levite at Micah house. The Levite did what was right in his own eyes and said go in peace

The Danites just wanted to use God to bless their plans.

Judges 18:15-20
So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate. 18 When the five men went into Micah’s house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 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?” 20 The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people.


Corrupted Levite surely agree, because it was never about Yahweh

Judges 18:22-24
When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?” 24 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 was robbed by a tribe!

Micah's life was so attached to the things he man-made them

Lesson 2:
God is to be worshipped and not used

God was shrung to the size of the carved image to be used for their purpose

When we have already put the cart before the horse, what's the point of asking God?

Seek his heart, mind and will, instead of presenting our plans. Ask "What is God's will?"

If God were small enough to be understood, he would not be big enough to be worshipped
- Evelyn Underhill -