Year 1, Day 279: Judges 18

Making It Makes Sense

Judges 18 is not an easy chapter of which we can make sense.  So let me try as best as I can.  As I did yesterday, let me do a little story recap to help.

The Micah from yesterday – who has his son as a priest, his own shrine with idols, and a Levite to teach him – is the same Micah today who gets robbed by a bunch of Danites.  These Danites are out in search of easy plunder.  They are guided to Micah’s house by five spies that come across Micah’s house as they are investigating the land. 

The Danites

Why are the Danites looking for plunder in the first place?  Well, most people believe that Judges 17-21 are out of historical context.  This means that these are stories from earlier in the period of the Judges but they have been pulled out of the progression and placed here in order to not interrupt the flow of the earlier stories of true judges.  If this is the case – and it is likely that it is true – then these stories could be from the time when Dan had no inheritance (See Joshua 19:40-48, specifically v. 47 referencing that there was a time when Dan had no inheritance).  If they had no land to call their own, it would explain why the Danites seem to be out looking for plunder rather than tending the land and putting down roots.

The Priest and His Blessing

Okay, I think we’ve got about as good of a grip as we can on the history of this passage. So let’s turn to what we can learn.  First, let’s look at the priestly blessing that happens in Judges 18:6.  The text reads as though the priest doesn’t pause – doesn’t even blink! – before uttering the declaration.  Now, I confess I am reading into the text quite a bit here.  I am assuming that because something isn’t stated it didn’t happen, and that can sometimes be dangerous.  But we can learn something from this verse.

When we are speaking words of faith and spirituality we must be very careful to do so appropriately.  If people are expecting us to utter the opinion of God and not mankind, we need to be very careful to seek out the opinion of God first!  As Christians, we are all priests of God, and as such the world expects all of us to portray the God into whom we believe.  Certainly we aren’t going to get it perfect all the time, but we must remember to be diligent and represent God in word and deed.  Regardless of whether or not the priest is guilty of not pausing to seek out God’s will, it is a good lesson for us to pause and consider anyway.

The Priest’s Response to the Big Question

The second point I’d like to bring up comes out of the question that the Danites ask the priest in verse 19.  Is it better to be a priest over 1 person or a priest over 600 people?  The human answer is 600.  You can see the motivation of the priest because this is exactly what he says.  The priest’s heart is made glad when he is offered a position of greatness instead of being over just one person.

But I disagree with the assumed answer.  The correct answer is this: it is best to be doing what God wants you to do. If God has appointed you to disciple 1 person your whole life, then do that!  If God has called you to lead a mega-church into God’s kingdom, then do that!  But to fall into the trap of “bigger is better” without stopping to ask if it is God’s will shall only end in both frustration and acting outside of God’s will as we follow human pursuits.

Micah’s Cry

The last point I’d like to bring out is with respect to Micah’s response in verse 24.  Micah cries out, “If you take away my gods and my priest and go away, what will I have left?”  That sentence there reveals Micah’s character.  Micah still hasn’t realized that a true relationship with God cannot be taken away by people in this world.  The priest and the idols and the ephod and the shrine do not make a relationship with God.  The spirituality in your heart makes the relationship with God.  Yesterday we talked about Micah and his character.  Today we learn that nothing has changed from what we said yesterday.

This is a lesson modern America can learn.  How many of us would wilt if we thought about worshipping in an abandoned warehouse instead of our beautiful edifices we call churches?  How many of us would wilt if we had to get our theology from some “Spirit-filled layperson” rather than some “academically seminary trained professional?”  How many of us would cry if people in the church started showing up in jeans and T-shirts instead of fancy Sunday clothing?  I hope not many, but I fear that a great many would.

Our faith is not in material stuff.  Our relationship with God is not in our quality of life.  Our belief is not related to our intellect.  Don’t get me wrong: there is nothing wrong with a nice building, a well trained pastor, or looking our best for God.  There is nothing wrong with it at all!  However, not having those things should not impact our spirituality one bit!  If it does, then there is something wrong with our spirituality. 

Micah shows us the typical human reaction.  Many of us – myself included from time to time – think that we have to have “stuff” to do ministry well.  All we need is the Spirit of God and His guidance.  That is something nobody can take away from us.

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