Old Testament

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 19:1-21
No King in Israel, Part V

(Typed 24 Jul 2024) The day I typed this sermon, a pod of 8-10 manatee was swimming just off our dock. They stayed about four hours, churning up the water, poking out their noses, playing with their young, and slapping their giant tails as they dove down for more sea grass.

I have never seen them stay in a single place along the bay for this long, and it was a real treat. I focused the livestream camera on them, which was quite distracting. But it was also so exciting that Hideko and I had to go out on the dock to watch them for a while.

People tuned in from Australia, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere that day. I didn’t get the sermon done on time, but it was worth it. A bonus of them coming was that I didn’t have to think of a sermon introduction. The Lord just sent it our way.

Text Verse: “So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men,
⁶¹ And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy’s hand.” Psalm 78:61

As distracting as the manatees were, they really blessed us and others. The Levite in our passage today will also be a bit distracted. In fact, it will take him a couple of days just to get out of the area.

The old man, the Levite, and those with him left behind were probably sad at the loss of the company. But another old man will be happy about the company he receives that same evening.

In today’s verses are all kinds of treats from the Hebrew. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Gladden Your Heart (verses 1-9)

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel,

v’hi bayamim ha’hem u-melekh ein b’yisrael – “And is, in the days, the those, and king naught in Israel.” The words are similar to Judges 17:6 & 18:1. It is prior to the establishment of the kingdom, but there is no judge named in the narrative either. In fact, Judges 20:28 will show that this is during the time of Phineas, son of Aaron.

At such an early time in the history of Israel, their passing through the Jordan would still be fresh in the minds of the majority of the people. And yet, the horrific events of this story come about. The vile conduct of the people of Benjamin is hard to imagine at such an early point in Israel’s history, and yet it is on full display in the coming verses.

In the previous chapter, the typology reflected a time after Christ’s first coming and prior to His second coming. It is a time when there is no king actively ruling Israel. As for the historical narrative, it next says…

^{1 (con’t)} that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim.

vayhi ish levi gar b’yarkthe har ephrayim – “And is, man Levi, sojourning in flanks Mount Ephraim.” Like the previous chapter, another Levite in Mount Ephraim is highlighted. The word yerekah is used to describe where he is. It is the feminine of yarek, the thigh or flank. It is used when referring to inanimate objects such as a location, a house, a cave, and so forth. It indicates a side, be it an inner side or a remote side.

It is assumed that this is referring to the remote side of Ephraim in relation to Bethlehem Judah which is prominent in the story. It is interesting that the same location, Mount Ephraim, is mentioned in the previous narrative where Micah dwelt, and it is also the area where 1 Samuel begins.

Shiloh is within the tribal allotment of Ephraim. That is where the ark resided after it was moved from Gilgal in Joshua 18:1. The apostasy of Israel is highlighted in this early narrative in the time of the judges, which necessitated the calling forth of a judge.

That continues through the life of Samuel, Israel’s last judge. Eventually, the apostasy leads to Israel calling for a king. This account being in Ephraim tends to explain the words of the Lord through Jeremiah in our text verse as well as here –

 “‘But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. ¹³ And now, because you have done all these works,’ says the Lord, ‘and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, ¹⁴ therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. ¹⁵ And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.’” Jeremiah 7:12-15

Despite the ark being in Shiloh, there is a great deal of apostasy being highlighted in that very area. It is as if the evil of Israel, even with the presence of the Lord right at hand, permeates the lives and actions of the people.

Levi means Attached.

Ephraim means Twice Fruitful and also Ashes.

In Scripture, a har, mountain, is a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people.

^{1 (con’t)} He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

vayiqakh lo ishah philegesh mibeith lekhem Yehudah – “And takes to him woman, concubine, from house Bethlehem Judah.” The words seem to imply that the Levite had a wife and that this woman is added as a second wife with lesser rights.

The word is pilegesh, and is supposed by some to be a compound of the word palag, to split or divide, and nagash, to draw near or approach. If so, it would mean that the man divided his attention between his wife and his concubine. This is what was the case with Abraham –

“And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. ⁶ But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.” Genesis 25:5, 6

This concubine is considered a wife, belonging to one man alone, even if she is not a main wife, like Rachel and Leah, with full rights. The children of such a union would be categorized differently as well. It is remarkable that Bethlehem Judah is highlighted again, as in the previous chapter.

The Levite, taken in by Micah of Mount Ephraim, was from there. Now a Levite from Mount Ephraim takes in a concubine from there. Micah’s Levite committed harlotry against the Lord through idol worship. Now the concubine of the Levite will commit harlotry against her husband…

² But his concubine played the harlot against him,

The meaning is highly debated: vatizneh alav pilagsho – “And harlots upon him, his concubine.” Some feel this means she actually committed adultery and he found out about it (hence, “before him”). Others see it as her simply being unfaithful by leaving him. Some see it as her being a crummy concubine toward him and then leaving him.

The use of the word zanah, to commit fornication, is used both literally and figuratively, but it always gives the sense of harlotry, not simply departing from the home. When used figuratively about Israel, which is quite common, it means being adulterous against the Lord.

For example, it is used multiple times this way in the book of Hosea –

“Ephraim is joined to idols,
Let him alone.
¹⁸ Their drink is rebellion,
They commit harlotry [zanah] continually.
Her rulers dearly love dishonor.
¹⁹ The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.” Hosea 4:17-19

^{2 (con’t)} and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months.

Again, the meaning is debated: vatelekh me’ito el beith aviha el beith lekhem Yehudah vathi sham yamim arbaah khodashim – “And walks from him unto house her father, unto Bethlehem Judah. And is there days, four months.” The term “days four months” could mean a year and four months, or it could mean “days, namely four months.”

The latter seems more likely. She left, and for four whole months, she did not return, making it likely she would not return. It would explain what is said in the next clause.

Either way, the focus is on the number four. Bullinger says, “It is emphatically the number of Creation; of man in his relation to the world as created; while six is the number of man in his opposition to and independence of God. It is the number of things that have a beginning, of things that are made, of material things, and matter itself. It is the number of material completeness. Hence it is the world number, and especially the ‘city’ number.”

Bethlehem means House of Bread. It can also mean House of War. Judah means Praise.

³ Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back,

At times, there are differences in the Hebrew text when it is written (kethiv) and when it is read (qere). When this occurs, it usually means there is something in the written words that the scribes find odd, and they replace the part that is read with something that makes more sense to them.

In these words, there is a kethiv discord: vayaqum ishah vayelekh akhareha l’daber al libah lahashivo – “And arises, her man, and walks after her to speak upon her heart, to return him.” What would, on the surface, seem to make sense, and what the qere reads, is “to return her.”

However, there is strong reason to assume that it is referring to her heart, a masculine noun, and the nearest antecedent. Only Smith’s Literal Translation follows this idea –

“And her husband will rise and go after her to speak to her heart, to turn it back” (SLT).

Because typology is being conveyed, Smith’s is certainly correct. There is no reason to deviate from the written Hebrew unless the Jews somehow sensed that this passage sniffed of their own rebellion. This rendering is not without precedent. For example, in 1 Kings 13:4, the same verbal form refers to the hand of a person –

“So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, ‘Arrest him!’ Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back [lahashivah] to himself.”

When the Levite went to Bethlehem, it was specifically l’daber al libah, to speak upon her heart to bring him (it) back. It is a thought that is also seen in Hosea 2 when the Lord appeals to Israel, asking them –

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her [v’dibarti al libah].
¹⁵ I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” Hosea 2:14, 15

This would explain the expression “days, four months.” Because the concubine would never return on her own, he instead goes to speak upon her heart.

^{3 (con’t)} having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him.

v’naaro imo v’tsemed khamorim – “And his servant with him, and pair donkeys.” Here is a new word, tsemed. It signifies a pair. As such, it is used to designate a measure of land, as in the amount of land one can plough in a day, such as an acre. It is derived from tsamad, to join.

In this case, it is a pair of chamor, donkeys. That is derived from chamar, to be red, thus designating their reddish color. Specifically designating two shows that his intent is that she will return with him on one of them. Thus, with a servant and two donkeys, the men went down and met with his concubine…

^{3 (con’t)} So she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him.

vatviehu beith aviha vayirehu avi hanaarah vayishma liqrato – “And brings him house her father. And sees him, father the damsel, and rejoices to meet him.” Obviously, the Levite’s speaking upon her heart was effective because she is willing to bring him to her father’s house.

Nothing is said about why her father rejoiced to meet him, but it seems apparent that he was happy that the two would be reconciled. It doesn’t seem there are any hidden motives. The Levite had gone out of his way to make reconciliation. The girl’s father liked the Levite, and he was glad things were working out.

⁴ Now his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days.

vayekhezaq bo khothno avi hanaarah vayeshev ito shlosheth yamim – “And holds, in him, his affinity, father the damsel. And dwells with him three days.” The word khathan, to be joined in affinity, is used. It shows us that this union was considered a marriage.

In his happiness concerning things getting straightened out, he kept his son-in-law as a guest for three days. Bullinger says the number three denotes divine perfection, and it “stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire.”

^{4 (con’t)} So they ate and drank and lodged there.

vayokhlu vayishtu vayalinu sham – “And eat, and drink, and lodge there.” The girl’s father provided everything, accommodating his guest as one would expect in such a situation. However, after three days, it was time to go…

⁵ Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart;

v’hi bayom harvii vayashkimu ba’boqer vayaqum lalekheth – “And is, in the day, the fourth, and arises early in the morning, and stands to walk.” In what seems an almost comical set of events, the Levite prepares to leave for the first of four times.

The visitors arose early. In doing so, they would avoid traveling during the heat of the day. They got themselves ready and once set, the Levite gets up, ready to head out…

^{5 (con’t)} but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.”

The father’s words are imperative: vayomer avi hanaarah el khathno s’ad livkha path lekhem v’akhar telekhu – “And says, father the damsel, unto his affinity, ‘Support your heart, bit bread. And after, walking.’” It is almost as if he is in a panic that the son-in-law intends to leave, so he admonishes him to have something to eat. The words he uses are similar to when Abraham spoke to the Lord in Genesis 18:5, except without the imperative –

“And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”

⁶ So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.”

vayeshvu vayokhlu shnehem yakhdav vayishtu vayomer avi hanaarah el ha’ish hoel na v’lin v’yitav libekha – “And sit, and eat, they two, together, and drink. And says, father the damsel, unto the man, ‘Yield, I pray, and lodging. And gladden your heart.’” The Levite agreed to stay and eat.

This would mean departing in the afternoon after the sun moved from its high point. But he probably reasoned it wasn’t a terrible idea. While eating, however, the father-in-law asked him to lodge for the night and enjoy the evening with him. This didn’t appeal to the Levite, and so…

⁷ And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again.

vayaqam ha’ish lalekheth vayiphtsar bo khotno vayashav vayalen sham – “And arises, the man, to walk. And presses in him, his affinity, and returns and lodges there.” The Levite got up to leave and probably said, “We really need to get going. However, the father-in-law pressed him to stay the night and so he obliged…

⁸ Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate.

There are different ways to consider these words: vayashkem baboqer bayom hakhamishi lalekheth vayomer avi hanaarah s’ad na l’vavkha v’hithmahmhu ad n’toth ha’yom vayokhlu shnehem – “And arises early in the morning in the day, the fifth, to walk. And says, father the damsel, ‘Support [imp.], I pray, your heart [masc. sg.].’ And lingered [masc. pl. they] until extends the day. And eat, they two.”

Or “…Support [imp.], I pray, your heart [masc. sg.], and linger [masc. imp. pl.: yourselves] until extends the day.”

Either he asks the Levite to eat and then they all linger until later in the day, or he is asking the Levite to eat and also linger with the others until later in the day. The Hebrew tends toward the latter, but Lange says –

“Older Jewish expositors, as Abarbanel and Meir Obernick, very properly take this, not as imperative, but as 3d per. perf. It is against the sense to make the father say: “Delay till it become evening.”

However, that appears to be exactly what the father-in-law is saying. The Levite sat the day before and then got up in the afternoon to leave. Once that happened, his father-in-law asked him to “yield” and stay the night. Now, the father-in-law uses a different word translated as “linger.” It is like saying, “Just refresh yourself now, and then you can go in a little while.” So the two of them did…

⁹ And when the man stood to depart—he and his concubine and his servant—his father-in-law,

vayaqam ha’ish lalekheth hu u-philagsho v’naaro – “And arises, the man, to walk. He, and his concubine, and his servant.” He had granted the father-in-law’s request and they had supported their hearts. Now, it is time to go as suggested. Therefore, the three of them arise to go. However…

^{9 (con’t)} the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is now drawing toward evening;

The words are unusual: vayomer lo khotno avi hanaarah hineh na raphah hayom laarov – “And says, to him, his affinity, father the damsel, ‘Behold, I pray, slackens the day to darken.’” It seems evident that the father-in-law didn’t want them to go at all. Now that they had spent a part of the day, he urges them to just stay the rest of the day. “See, it’s getting dark. Evening is just around the corner! Therefore…”

^{9 (con’t)} please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home.”

The words curiously change between singular and plural: linu na hineh khanoth hayom lin poh v’yitav l’vavekha v’hishkamtem makhar l’dark’khem v’halakhta l’ohalekha – “Lodge [pl.], I pray. Behold, declines the day. Lodge [sg.] here and gladden [sg.] your heart [sg.]. And arise early [pl.] tomorrow to your way [pl.]. And walk [sg.] to your tent [sg.].” The change is more evident in the older versions that use you/your and thy/thine, but even then, most people just read right over the changes, not paying attention to the nuances.

The man is speaking to the Levite and then to all of them. He finishes by speaking to only the Levite. His word choice throughout these verses has been careful to sway all of them, but particularly the Levite.

In his words, there is a sort of pun. The word translated as decline, khanah, is normally used when referring to encamping, as in pitching a tent. It is where the word makhaneh, or camp, is derived from. As such, the old man is basically saying, “The day is encamping for the evening, stay here and walk to your tent tomorrow.”

Stay a while and refresh your heart
And relax while the day goes by
No need to make such a hasty start
Rest! Give it a try

Stay a while and gladden your heart
You can remain here a bit more
No point in such an early start
No need to rush out the door

Don’t hurry away, the day is just starting
Linger a while and relax before you go
No need to be hastily departing
Let the sun incline a bit, it’s hot out, you know

Hold off till tomorrow, the day is almost gone
Yes, hold off and then depart at dawn

II. Shalom To You (verses 10-21)

¹⁰ However, the man was not willing to spend that night;

 

v’lo avah ha’ish lalun “And no acquiesced, the man, to lodge.” He had been offered to refresh himself in the morning and then depart later in the day. Nothing would further detain him, so he refused to acquiesce to another appeal…

^{10 (con’t)} so he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him.

vayqam vayelekh vayavo ad nokhakh y’vus hi y’rushalim v’imo tsemed khamorim khavushim u-pilagsho imo – “And arises, and walks, and goes until front Jebus – it Jerusalem. And with him pair donkeys, saddling, and his concubine with him.” A walk from Bethlehem to Jerusalem is a couple of hours. They are now facing the city, but it is mostly occupied by Jebusites at this time.

The word translated as saddling signifies to wrap firmly. Thus, it likely means saddled. However, it could mean they were loaded with things. Because the concubine is mentioned, being saddled seems to be the thought. The servant walked while they rode.

Jebus means Trodden Down or Trodden Underfoot.

Jerusalem means many things, but Foundation of Peace gets the intent.

¹¹ They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent;

hem im y’vus v’hayom rad m’od – “They with Jebus, and the day flattened, very.” If it was a two-hour or even three-hour walk, this means that, depending on the time of year, the father-in-law detained them until at least mid-afternoon, maybe later. He had actually put their lives in peril through his actions.

A new word is used, radad. It means to tread in pieces. In 1 Kings 6, it is used to indicate the spreading of gold over the cherubim in the temple. Thus, the day has been almost completely exhausted, thus, flattened.

^{11 (con’t)}  and the servant said to his master, “Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.”

The servant’s words are imperative and contain a cohortative: vayomer hanaar el adonav l’khah na v’nasurah el ir hay’vusi hazoth v’nalin bah – “And says the servant to his lord, ‘Walk-ward, I pray, and we will turn aside unto city the Jebusite, the this, and lodge in her.’” He urges his master to walk toward Jebus, and they will turn in there. It is the only logical option because night would be coming very quickly…

¹² But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.”

The intent is understood even though the words are complicated: vayomer elav adonav lo nasur el ir nakhri asher lo mib’ne Yisrael henah v’avarnu ad givah – “And says unto him, his lord, ‘Not we will turn aside unto city strange, which not from sons Israel here. And we will pass over until Gibeah.’”

Jebus was not completely subdued by Israel yet, even if it was partially at the time of Joshua. In continuing to Gibeah, which was another two-and-a-half hours or so, they would be in an Israelite city filled with Benjamites. It is the town from which Saul would come.

Gibeah means Hill. It is etymologically connected to the word Gabbatha. If Gibeah was his destination, it seems odd that he would then add in another destination that is not much farther away, as is seen with the words…

¹³ So he said to his servant, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.”

vayomer l’naaro lekha v’niqrevah b’akhad hamqomoth v’lanu bagivah o baramah – “And says to his servant, ‘Walk, and we will approach in one the places, and lodged in the Gibeah or in the Ramah.’” The Ramah is not far from the Gibeah, and so they could stop at either. They are so close that they are mentioned together at times –

“When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him.” 1 Samuel 22:6

“Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah,
The trumpet in Ramah!
Cry aloud at Beth Aven,
‘Look behind you, O Benjamin!’” Hosea 5:8

The Ramah, is from rum. It means The Height or The Lofty, but it could be from rama, and would thus mean The Deceit or The Loose (as in the “being trustworthy” department).

¹⁴ And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

vayaavru vayelekhu vatavo lahem ha’shemesh etsel hagivah asher l’binyamin – “And passes over, and walks, and goes in, to them, the sun beside the Gibeah which to Benjamin.” They were on the road that could take them to either Gibeah or Ramah, but the day was spent when they were at the point where the road joins with Gibeah.

This is probably stated to set the tone of the narrative for what lies ahead. Benjamin means Son of the Right Hand.

¹⁵ They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city,

vayasuru sham lavo lalun bagivah vayavo vayeshev birkhov ha’ir – “And turns aside there to go in to lodge in the Gibeah. And goes in, and sits in plaza the city.” The city gates were still open, so it was before night had completely settled in. Once inside, they went to the plaza, which was probably inside the gate. It is where people would gather.

The common courtesy of the times dictated that someone would welcome them into his home. Not this time…

^{15 (con’t)} for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.

v’ein ish m’aseph otham habeithah lalun – “And no man gathering them the house-ward to lodge.” It was a command of the law to love the stranger. As such, one would expect them to be taken in. Even before the time of the law, Job noted that this was his custom –

“(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler).” Job 31:32

The unfriendliness of the people is set forth markedly. However…

¹⁶ Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites.

v’hineh ish zaqen ba min maasehu min ha’sadeh ba’erev v’ha’ish mehar ephrayim v’hu gar ba’givah v’anshe ha’maqom b’ne yemini – “And behold! Man old came in from his work from the field in the evening. And the man from Mount Ephraim. And he sojourning in the Gibeah. And men, the place, sons Benjamin.”

The fact that the man is only a sojourner is given as a contrast to the inhabitants of the city. He is old and he is a field worker at the end of the day. And more, he is only a sojourner in the city. He had every reason to want to be alone for the evening and let someone else take care of things…

¹⁷ And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”

vayisa enav vayar eth ha’ish haoreakh birkhov ha’ir vayomer ha’ish ha’zaqen anah telekh u-meayin tavo – “And lifts his eyes, and sees the man, the wayfaring, in plaza the city. And says the man, the old, ‘Where walk, and from whence come?’” Here is a new word, arakh. It signifies to go wayfaring.

The old man came through the gate into the open area and saw the Levite with his companions and donkeys, and it was obvious to him that this was a wayfaring man. Therefore, out of curiosity, he asked about the route of their trip.

¹⁸ So he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah;

vayomer elav ovrim anakhnu mibeith lekhem Yehuda ad yarkthe har ephrayim misham anokhi vaelekh ad beith lekhem Yehudah – “And says, unto him, ‘Passing over, we, from Bethlehem Judah until flanks Mount Ephraim – from there, I. And walks until Bethlehem Judah.’”

He answers the second question first. They have come from Bethlehem Judah and are going to Ephraim. To explain further, he then notes that he is from there. In other words, he is on a return trip from Bethlehem Judah. He then says…

^{18 (con’t)} now I am going to the house of the Lord.

Wow! Complicated: v’eth beith Yehovah ani holekh – “And House Yehovah I walking.” Cambridge (of course!) says the text is corrupt and it should read, “I am going to my house.” Most say that it means he is going to the house of Yehovah. However, he just said he was going to his home in Ephraim.

Some insist that the words, which bear an accusative, must signify “And I walk at the house of Yehovah.” In other words, he was a Levite who served there. This seems likely. Numbers 18:2, 3 says –

“Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of witness. ³ They shall attend to your needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die—they and you also.”

The verb in these words is a participle that acts as a verbal adjective – like “walking papers” (Beat it. You’re fired!). It would explain why he says the next words…

^{18 (con’t)} But there is no one who will take me into his house,

v’ein ish m’aseph othi habay’thah – “and no man gathering me the house-ward.” He is a walking Levite at the House of the Lord. Either he is saying that he is reliable, but no one has taken him in, or it is because he is a Levite in Yehovah’s house that nobody wants anything to do with him. Either way, the reception is very disgraceful.

¹⁹ although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.”

v’gam teven gam mispo yesh lakhamorenu v’gam lekhem vayayin yesh li v’laamatekha v’lanaar im avadekha ein makhsor kal davar – “And also straw, also fodder is to our donkeys. And also bread and wine is to me, and to your maid, and to the servant. With your servant no deficiency all word.”

Here is a word used for the fifth and last time, mispo. It signifies fodder, coming from a word meaning to collect. It is food gathered for animals’ use. He has everything he needs for his animals as well as for himself and his companions. Nothing is lacking except a place to spend the night. Despite this…

²⁰ And the old man said, “Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square.”

The final clause contains a jussive: vayomer ha’ish ha’zaqen shalom lakh raq kal makhsorkha alay raq ba’rekhov al talan – “And says, the man, the old, ‘Shalom to you, only all your deficiency upon me. Only in the plaza not shall you lodge.’” “Shalom to you” means that he would give them lodging. However, he then extends himself beyond that, saying that he would provide all their needs.

As for spending the night in the plaza, he is adamant that they shall not. It is apparent he knows the character of the people and what they are prone to doing. Therefore, he insists on personally caring for them.

^{21 (fin)} So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

vay’viehu l’beitho vayibol lahamorim vayirkhatsu raglehem vayokhlu vayishtu – “And brings in him, to his house, and mixes to the donkeys, and washes their feet, and eat, and drink.” The old man prioritized the animals first to ensure they would be taken care of for the continued journey.

It is easy to get distracted by entertaining guests and forget the needs of the animals. And so, the old man showed careful attention to his guests so that they were able to be on their way early in the morning.

Washing feet was a custom not to be ignored. After only a couple of miles, while wearing sandals, the feet would be rather grody. It would be a relief to each of them. And then they all together ate and drank.

Nobody in Gibeah was willing to take them in except a foreigner. It is not unlike Lot, a stranger in Sodom, who did the same thing for the messengers who came there –

“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. ² And he said, ‘Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.’
And they said, ‘No, but we will spend the night in the open square.’” Genesis 19:1, 2

It is evident that the town is an inhospitable place. What is coming will reveal it is much worse than that.

We are finished for the day. Think about what has transpired and what you’ve learned. Then, take time to read the coming verses and see if you can come up with any conclusions about what is being said. The word is telling us details so that we can peer into the future of redemptive history. Take your time and think about it. Next week’s sermon is just around the corner.

Closing Verse: “But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ ¹² But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.” Luke 10:10-12

Next Week: Judges 19:22-30 Some people are destined for hell. It’s the only fix… (No King in Israel, Part VI) (53^rd Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King in Israel, Part V

And it came to pass in those days
When there was no king in Israel to lead the team
That there was a certain Levite staying
In the remote mountains of Ephraim

He took for himself a concubine
From Bethlehem in Judah, not Lichtenstein

But his concubine played the harlot against him
And went away from him
To her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah
And was there four whole months, things were lookin’ grim

Then her husband arose and went after her
To speak kindly to her and bring her back
Having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him
So she brought him into her father’s house to get back on track

And when the father of the young woman saw him
He was glad to meet him, happy to the brim

Now his father-in-law
The young woman’s father, detained him, he did ensnare
And he stayed with him three days
So they ate and drank and lodged there

Then it came to pass on the fourth day
That they arose early in the morning, and he stood to
———-depart that day
But the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law
“Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward
———-go your way

So they sat down
And the two of them ate and drank together, fun very
Then the young woman’s father said to the man
Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry

And when the man stood to depart
His father-in-law urged him to stay
So he lodged there again
There goes another day…

Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart
But the young woman’s father said, yes he did state
“Please refresh your heart
So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate

And when the man stood to depart, he and his concubine
———-and his servant
His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him
———-being quite forthright
“Look, the day is now drawing toward evening
Please spend the night

See, the day is coming to an end
Lodge here, that your heart may be merry
Tomorrow go your way early
So that you may get home (before next January!)

However, the man was not willing to spend that night
So he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus
———-(that is, Jerusalem)
With him were the two saddled donkeys
His concubine was also with him

They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent
And the servant said to his master
“Come, please, and let us turn aside
Into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it and keep from disaster

But his master said to him
“We will not here into a city of foreigners turn aside
Who are not of the children of Israel
We will go on to Gibeah, that’s what I decide

So he said to his servant
“Come, let us draw near to one of these places
And spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah
With some familiar Israelite faces

And they passed by and went their way
And the sun on them went down
Near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin
Yes, as they neared Gibeah town

They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah
And when he went in, he sat down at some site
In the open square of the city
For no one would take them into his house to spend the night

Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening
Who also was from the mountains of Ephraim like him
He was staying in Gibeah
Whereas the men of the place were of Benjamin

And when he raised his eyes
He saw the traveler in the open square of the city
———- (cue the music dum de dum…)
And the old man said
“Where are you going, and where do you come from?

So he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah
Toward the remote mountains of Ephraim, yes toward
I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah
Now I am going to the house of the LORD

But there is no one who will take me into his house
Although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys
———-yes, we did bring
And bread and wine for myself, for your female servant
And for the young man who is with your servant; there is
———-no lack of anything

And the old man said, “Peace be with you!
However, let all your needs be my responsibility
Only do not spend the night in the open square
No way shall it be!

So he brought him into his house
And gave fodder to the donkeys too
And they washed their feet
And ate and drank beaucoup

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. ² But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. ³ Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. ⁴ Now his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there.

⁵ Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.”

⁶ So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.” ⁷ And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. ⁸ Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate.

⁹ And when the man stood to depart—he and his concubine and his servant—his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home.”

¹⁰ However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him. ¹¹ They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, “Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.”

¹² But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.” ¹³ So he said to his servant, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.” ¹⁴ And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. ¹⁵ They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would take them into his house to spend the night.

¹⁶ Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites. ¹⁷ And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”

¹⁸ So he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to the house of the Lord. But there is no one who will take me into his house, ¹⁹ although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.”

²⁰ And the old man said, “Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square.” ²¹ So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

 

 

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 18:21-31
No King in Israel, Part IV

(Typed 17 June 2024) The Bible is a book of amazing words that convey incredible meaning. Rare and even unique words come into the narrative at times, some of which are hard to pin down as to their actual meaning.

Some words are found only once in the Bible. These are known as hapax legomena (said once). Some of these words are found only once in all ancient writings, meaning that they were coined by the author of that book and not used again.

Other words are coined in Scripture and later used outside of Scripture. Likewise, there are words that come from translations of the Bible only used within that translation. Others were developed by translators and became a part of the language, being used in other contexts.

This happens outside the Bible all the time as well. The German word jein, a combination of ja (yes) and nein (no), was brought into everyday language by a hip-hop band named Fettes Brot in their 1996 single, Jein. It means that you could go either way on a decision.

Another German word, of which there is no English counterpart, is zugzwang. It refers to when you are forced into making a decision. It comes from the game of chess, where the word zug means to move, and the word zwang is where you are forced to move, even if it harms your prospects of gaining the advantage or winning.

Text Verse: “Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.” Genesis 49:17

The description of Dan in Genesis 49, and the wording concerning Dan in that passage matches what we will see in typology today. However, Dan is somewhat of a serpent by the way to Micah in these verses.

Because of this, Micah will have a choice to make. Like the German word zugzwang, I have coined a word for this. Maybe you will be able to identify it as we go. If so, maybe you can start using it in your own daily speech.

If so, maybe the word will become famous and a part of our standard lexicon. If so, maybe I will become famous, and this sermon will become notable as the first use of it. If so…

Well, let’s just get on with it. Great things, such as interesting words, concepts, and ideas are a marvelous part of His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Difficult Forcision (verses 21-31)

With the events bringing these Danites to the house of Micah, and the agreement of the Levite to accompany them to their new home set, the narrative next says…

²¹ Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them.

vayiphnu vayelekhu vayasimu eth ha’taph v’eth ha’miqneh v’eth ha’k’vudah liphnehem – “And turn, and walk, and set the youngster, and the livestock, and the abundance to their faces.” Having plundered the gods of Micah’s home, the Danites continue north to Laish.

The wording here is given to show their defensive strategy as they continued. If Micah were to challenge them to a battle over his things, they wanted whatever would inhibit their ability to strike back ahead of them. This is because Micah would be coming from their rear as they marched away from him.

The taph, or youngster, comes from taphaph, signifying small quick steps. Thus, it speaks of the wee ones.          Having little ones implies bringing women along, but it is the children who need to be guarded and who also set the pace.

Likewise, the livestock would vary in kind. Some would walk at a slower pace and need more frequent stops, thus slowing the pace of the rest. Both of these are seen in the account of Jacob meeting up with his brother Esau –

“Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.” Genesis 33:14

Lastly is the kevudah, abundance. It is a new and rare word coming from kavad, to be heavy or weighty. Scholars debate what it refers to, but as it is from a word meaning heavy, it probably means their baggage or other abundance that would slow them down.

By having these precious and needed items set the pace, it would avoid what happened in the wilderness as Israel trekked toward Canaan –

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, ¹⁸ how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.” Deuteronomy 25:17, 18

²² When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan.

The words “gathered together” are a paraphrase. The word zaaq means to cry or call out. As such, it is often used as a cry for battle as gathering men to assemble and arm themselves: hemah hirkhiqu mibeith mikhah v’ha’anashim asher babatim asher im beith mikhah nizaqu vayadbiqu eth b’ne dan – “They far off from house Micah, and the men who in the houses who with house Micah cried and impinged sons Dan.”

As the men of the area were probably in the fields tending to daily work, it would take time for whoever saw what happened or noticed the missing articles to get to the field and start gathering people to pursue the thieves.

This gave the Danites time to remove themselves some distance. However, with the slowest of the travelers setting the pace, those in Micah’s area would eventually catch up with them. Therefore…

²³ And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?”

As with the previous verse, the word zaaq, to cry out, is used: vayiqreu el b’ne dan vayasebu p’nehem vayomru l’mikhah mah l’kha ki nizaqta – “And calls, unto sons Dan, and turn their faces, and say to Micah, ‘What to you that cried?’” The words begin a rather comical exchange between the two parties.

Micah and his group are hollering at the Danites. We can assume it is something like, “Hey, hey you! Stop. What do you think you’re doing? Stop!”

The Danites, knowing very well why they are being pursued, look back and ask what the matter is, as if they had no idea on earth why anyone would be coming after them. “Wha…? What’s the matter with you?”

It is as if Dan is taunting them for the laughs they will have in the future when they sit around the bonfire and talk about the good old days. Micah, however, isn’t so excited about the events…

²⁴ So he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away.

vayomer eth elohay asher asiti l’qakhtem v’eth ha’kohen vatelkhu – “And says, ‘My gods which I made, taken, and the priest – and walk.’” We can’t read Micah’s mind as to whether he is using the word elohay as “God” (meaning a representation of Yehovah) or “gods” meaning several gods he served as god. However, verse 17 listed a panoply of things taken. Thus, “gods” seems appropriate.

With that in mind, everything about the entire statement is absurd in the extreme. Micah wants the gods he made back. If he made them, they are not gods.

If his “gods” were taken from him, then if they were real gods they are not “his” gods. And the Levite is not a priest, even if he was his “priest.”

The amount of unclear thinking by Micah is astonishing. He had completely deceived himself that the things he had were what he conjured them to be. It is exactly why understanding who the Lord is, what He is like, and what interacting with Him involves is so important.

He is not one of many gods.
He is not created, nor can any part of creation, including something formed by man, be equated to Him.
If He is someone’s God, He can never be taken from that person.
Because He is the One true God, He can always be a person’s God (in the sense of relationship).
Further, as God is omnipresent, He can never be absent from His people.

Also, because of man’s state before Him, meaning our sin nature, only a priest without sin who is designated by Him can actually be a priest before Him. As for the priests of the Law of Moses, their sin is dealt with under the law in a temporary way which was anticipatory of the coming Christ.

However, a Levite (or any other person) had no such provision to allow them even this accommodation.

^{24 (con’t)} Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?’”

u-mah li od u-mah zeh tomru elay mah lakh – “And what to me still? And what this says unto me, ‘What to you?’” Without the Lord, the statement is true, even if it is ridiculous. He was without the Lord as well as the tinker toys that he thought were his guidance and source of care and blessing.

Therefore, he was willing to chase after the people who carried away his gods and fight to rescue them so that his gods could continue to bless and guide him. His affliction was one of the mind, but he was too blind to even understand how preposterous his actions were.

Micah and those with him are like Laban who went chasing after Jacob when Rachel had stolen his gods. While he inspected the tents for his gods that supposedly directed his life, they sat under his daughter, who was in her time of impurity, having her period.

²⁵ And the children of Dan said to him, “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!”

vayomru elav b’ne dan al tashma qolkha imanu pen yiphgu bakhem anashim mare nephesh v’asaphta naphsh’kha v’nephesh beithekha – “And say unto him, sons Dan, ‘Not let be heard your voice with us, lest impinge in you men bitter soul, and gather your soul and soul your house.’”

The comical tone continues, even if a bit grim. The sons of Dan threaten Micah’s life and the lives of his family members while pretending they are talking about some unknown individual who might happen to be among them.

As they had lived together, journeyed together, encamped together at Mahaneh Dan, and continued on to Laish together, everyone would have been perfectly aware of everyone else among them.

But the Danites’ words make it seem as if there might be some rogue person who could come unhinged at the words and actions of Micah and they needed to protect him from this unknown terror. The fact is that they all were in agreement and would have come down upon their pursuers like a pride of hungry lions.

²⁶ Then the children of Dan went their way.

vayelkhu b’ne dan l’darkam – “And walk, sons Dan, to their way.” It appears that after threatening Micah with this unknown but terrible person who might be among them, they simply turned around and started walking away. It leaves Micah in a difficult spot where he must now make his forcision…

^{26 (con’t)} And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

vayar mikhah ki khazaqim hemah mimenu vayiphen vayashav el beitho – “And sees, Micah, for stronger they from him. And turns, and returns unto his house.” Micah is perfectly aware of his limitations. Thus, he must decide upon the lesser of two perceived evils.

Knowing that continuing the pursuit would be disastrous, he considers his next move and decides life without his gods is better than death without them.

²⁷ So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him,

v’hemah laqhu eth asher asah mikhah v’eth ha’kohen asher hayah lo – “And they took which made Micah, and the priest who was to him.” The words “And they” are emphatic. Because Micah is the nearest antecedent, the previous words appear to be parenthetical –

“And says unto him, sons Dan, ‘Not let be heard your voice with us, lest impinges in you men bitter soul, and gathers your soul and soul your house.’ And walks, sons Dan, to their way. (And sees, Micah, for stronger they from him. And turns, and returns unto his house.) And they took which made Micah, and the priest who was to him.”

This appears likely because it simply says they “took which made Micah,” without specifying what they took. However, that was explained in verse 24 – “My gods which I made, taken.”

Thus, Micah could have made his decision while they were still talking to him, or it could be that they finished talking and turned to walk away at the same time Micah turned and headed back home.

Regardless of the exact timing, Dan’s actions are the main point of focus, with the idols and their priest as the key points of their actions. They have secured their new prized possessions…

^{27 (con’t)} and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

vayavou al layish al am shoqet uvoteakh vayaku otham l’pi kharev v’eth ha’ir sar’phu ba’esh – “And goes upon Laish, upon people reposing and trusting, and struck them to mouth sword, and the city burned in the fire.” It is the same words, “reposing and trusting” that were used in verse 7.

Although some scholars take this as an unjustified action, it is what Israel was told to do when they entered the land –

“But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive.” Deuteronomy 20:16

As these people dwelt within the original borders of the land of Canaan, they were required to be exterminated. However, nothing gave Dan the right to enter another tribe’s inheritance. This land is within the inheritance of Naphtali.

Despite this, Joshua 19:47 acknowledges that this occurred without any sort of rebuke included concerning the matter. There was no written command for burning the city, and yet the text highlights the matter, calling attention to it.

²⁸ There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone.

v’ein matsil ki rekhoqah hi mitsidon v’davar ein lahem im adam – “And no delivering, for far her from Sidon, and word no to them with man [adam].” The words of verse 7 are essentially repeated here, “And far they from Sidonians, and word no to them with man [adam].” The words are given to confirm how a small portion of a single tribe could take the city without any need for assistance.

Nobody came to the rescue of those in the city, and none from Naphtali were needed by Dan to complete the task as intended.

^{28 (con’t)} It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there.

v’hi ba’emeq asher l’beith rekhov vayivnu eth ha’ir vayeshvu vah – “And she in the valley which to Beth Rehob. And build the city and dwell in her.” The meaning is that this valley, which was in the tribal inheritance of Naphtali, was a valley that seems to have belonged to the Syrians of Beth Rehob noted in 2 Samuel 10 –

“When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians [aram] of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷ Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁸ Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians [v’aram] of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.” 2 Samuel 10:6-8

This would explain why some Greek texts say aram rather than adam in these words. It seems less likely, however, to say aram in verse 7 when the ownership of the valley is only stated at this point in the narrative. This is especially so when considering it is the Sidonians who are mentioned. They lived west of the location while the Syrians lived eastward.

As for the name, Beth Rehob comes from beith, house, and rekhov, to be or become large or wide. Thus, it means something like House of Wideness, House of Spaciousness, or something like that.

²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel.

vayiqru shem ha’ir dan b’shem dan avihem asher yulad l’Yisrael – “And call name the city Dan, in name Dan their father who born to Israel.” The reason for calling it Dan is because it was the name of their tribal father who was born to Israel. Thus, it was in honor of him.

However, it is probably a symbolic gesture as well. Even though they were at the furthest point north in the land and in Naphtali’s tribal inheritance, they remained of the tribe of Dan, whose inheritance was to the southwest.

Because of its location, the name became a part of the all-encompassing term for the land of Israel, “from Dan to Beersheba” (or Beersheba to Dan) that is noted nine times in Scripture, Beersheba being the southernmost point.

^{29 (con’t)} However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

v’ulam layish shem ha’ir larishonah – “and, however, Laish name the city to the first.” The name, as seen in verse 7, means Lion. However, that comes from lush, to knead, as in bread – which is how the word is always used. Kneading is possible. If it was a word originally spelled with two yods (our y), it would have the sense of I Have, To Me Possession, I Posses, etc.

³⁰ Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image;

vayaqimu lahem b’ne dan eth ha’pasel – “And stands, to them, sons Dan, the carved image.” The meaning is that these members of Dan stood in a state of apostasy from their inception. They arrived, subdued the land, built their city, and set up an image in order to worship or seek favor. Also…

^{30 (con’t)} and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan

The text has, without a doubt, been manipulated: vihonathan ben gershom ben m’nasheh hu u-banav hayu khohanim l’shevet ha’dani – “And Jonathan, son Gershom, son Manasseh, he and his sons, were priests to tribe the Danite.” The Levite’s name is Jonathan, Yah Has Given, Given of Yehovah, or something similar.

He is a Levite. Levites do not descend from Manasseh. Rather, Moses was of the tribe of Levi. His son Gershom would have been one of the Levites enumerated during the census. Thus, Jonathan and his sons descended from Gershom, who was born to Moses. The names are identical but with the addition of the letter nun –

משה
מנשה

Ellicott notes what is obvious, saying, “in what is called the Masoretic text—i.e., the text edited by the Jewish scribes—the נ is not boldly inserted, but is timidly and furtively suspended…and is called nun thaīûyah (n suspended). This was done to conceal from the uninitiated the painful fact.” As such, it looks like this, מ^נשה.

Some ancient manuscripts, as well as the Latin Vulgate, which is translated directly from the Hebrew, bear out the proper reading.

Gershom means Stranger There, Stranger is His Name, or Exile. Moses means He Who Draws Out.

^{30 (con’t)} until the day of the captivity of the land.

The words are almost completely misunderstood and almost universally mistranslated: ad yom g’loth ha’arets – “until day denuding the land.” Almost all scholars and translations say, “the captivity of the land” (NKJV), “removal of the people of the land” (Young’s), or something similar.

The word is galah, to denude. In this case, it is not speaking of the exile by the Assyrians or the Babylonians that happened hundreds of years later. Rather, it is speaking of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4-6. At that time, the land was stripped of its covering, the glory of God’s presence –

“Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed [galah] from Israel!’ because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² And she said, ‘The glory has departed [galah] from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.’” 1 Samuel 4:21, 22

It is believed that Samuel is the author of Judges. This verse certainly makes the case for him as the most likely candidate. The image of idolatry lasted until this period. Nothing is said afterwards concerning it and it is unknown what became of it.

*^31(fin) So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

These words confirm what was just said: vayasimu la’hem eth pesel mikhah asher asah kal y’me heyoth beith ha’elohim b’shiloh – “And set, to them, carved image Micah which made, all days is house the God in Shiloh.” The ark was taken from Shiloh into battle where it was lost to the Philistines –

“So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. … Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” 1 Samuel 4:4-11

In 1 Samuel 7, the ark returned to the land of Israel and was in Kirjath Jearim for twenty years. After that, Saul had it brought to him, and later, David had it brought to Jerusalem. Until the land was denuded of their covering, however, the image was set up within the tribe of Dan.

Shiloh means Tranquility.

How can you keep from being trapped
In a world of false religion and apostasy?
Where are the details mapped
That will keep you from heresy?

People go to churches everywhere
But how do they know if what is taught is right?
Does this bother you at all? Do you care?
Does it matter to you if you are pleasing in God’s sight?

He has given us a way to know
He has provided it so that our choices can be right
The Bible! That’s where to go
Let it daily be your guiding light

II. An Idol is Nothing in the World

Chapter 18 begins with the same thought presented in Judges 17:6, “In the days, the those, no king in Israel.” This is a true statement concerning the church age as well. Israel has no king during the church age, even if they have remained as a people.

Likewise, there is no king apart from Jesus in the church, which is included in the commonwealth of Israel, but He is not a king in the sense of active rulership over the churches that comprise His church. He is the King of Israel, but not currently the King in Israel.

Still in verse 1, it noted that the Danite was seeking an inheritance as he had not yet received one because it had not yet fallen to him. As this is west of the Jordan, it is after the time of Christ’s coming.

As the tribe of Dan will receive an inheritance, as seen in Joshua 19, this verse speaks of a group who has not yet been saved but who are going to attempt to obtain their own inheritance apart from Christ.

In sending five men, the number of grace, from among them (verse 2) they are looking to inherit grace through their own efforts. This is something that cannot be accomplished. These reflect people in the church who are not saved. The church has always been full of them.

This is reflected in the fact that they are from Zorah and Eshtaol, Affliction and Entreaty/Bride of God, both of which pictured the church. In going to the Mountains of Ephraim, the home of Micah (Who Is Like This), it means they have gone into the false church to lodge.

While there (verse 3), they recognize the voice of the Levite. In Chapter 17, he pictured someone who appeared to be like Jesus, having all His attributes, but who isn’t Jesus. They asked him about their journey, and he assured them the Lord was with them.

Verse 7 introduces Laish, Kneading (as in bread). The people there were safe and secure according to the manner of the Sidonians. Sidon means Fishery and pictures those who are fishers of men, as Jesus said.

They were quiet people living without insult or reproach, and they had no “word to them with man [adam].” They speak of a sound congregation that does not have any dealings with the carnal man.

The gender discord of verse 7 was noted. The word people is masculine, but the corresponding verb, dwelling, is feminine. Likewise, the words security, reposing, and trusting are each masculine.

Lange said, “the writer’s imagination identifies the people with the city in which they live, and so speaks of them as feminine.” That doesn’t answer the reason, but it is a start. The church is a feminine entity, but those in the church, the saints, are identified in the masculine.

In verse 8, the five Danites return to their brothers in the church (Zorah and Eshtaol), who have no inheritance yet. They tell them they have just the place to take over and that they need to not dawdle but get about taking it.

From there it specifically notes the number who wanted to get this inheritance, six hundred girded for war. It is a number derived from six and ten fallen man without Christ, and the entire round of the cycle is complete. In this case, it is the time of the church age.

First, these men went up to Kirjath Jearim in Judah. Kirjath Jearim means City of Forests or City of Honeycombs. However, as seen in a previous Joshua sermon, Abarim says –

“The verb יער (ya’ar) isn’t used in the Bible and it’s a complete mystery what it might have meant. Noun יער (ya’ar) is the common word for forest or thicket, and the identical noun יער (ya’ar) means honeycomb. It is, of course, perfectly possible that these two nouns are not two but one, describing something general like a thing that consists of many elements, which contain energetic nutrients (either fruits or honey) …” Abarim

Therefore, this is an explanation of the church, a group derived from many people, each filled with individual fruit of the Spirit. This is supportable by the comparison of Israel to a forest in Micah 7:14 –

“Tend Thy people with Thy staff, the flock of Thy heritage, That dwell solitarily, as a forest in the midst of the fruitful field; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old” (JPS Tanakh).

Judah means praise. This group left one place reflecting the church. They now stop, naming the place Mahaneh Dan, and will then leave another.

It is the location where “the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon” Samson. It is a Spirit-filled place, but they move on. Next (verse 13), they went to Mount Ephraim. It is another picture of the church, a large but centralized gathering of people (Mount) from Jews and Gentiles who have been saved through faith in His substitutionary afflictions (Twice Fruitful/Ashes).

But where do they stop? Micah’s. Instead of joining the church of the redeemed, they go to the false church with their false Jesus, who greets them (verse 15). While there, they take Micah’s false modes of worship (verses 17-20). The words were very specific, showing that their actions were completely purposeful.

All of the falsities of the false church are accumulated together. It speaks of the ecumenical movement where everything is tolerated except the truth of Scripture and true believers. The Levite, the false Jesus, is thoroughly pleased and takes his place among them.

Micah (now anyone of the false church who doesn’t join the ecumenical movement) has had his idols stolen away and so he gathers neighbors to go after Dan. Their false religion was stolen away. They are faced with a forcision: do something about it or simply give up.

Actually, there is a third option not mentioned, They could have joined with Dan and gone with them. However, they will not try to join with the ecumenicalism of the great apostasy, and they will have no sway when all is said and done. They are left without any Jesus, even a false Jesus, to share with those in the false church.

This is true, for example, of the state of people like the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They are not accepted into the ecumenical movement, but they also have no true Jesus. Their own false worship is seen for what it is. It is the pitiful words of Micah echoing throughout time, “And what to me still?” They have nothing.

The sad state of Laish is spoken of in the final verses. It is a group of saved believers, but they are kneading – making their own bread. They are just doing their own thing, not in contact with others.

Without evangelism and outreach, little churches without a purpose beyond themselves are eventually overtaken by law observance (being struck with the mouth of the sword) and by those who put forth nothing but false worship.

Verse 28 noted that there was no deliverance for a church like this. A stagnant church will come to an end. That this was in the valley (emeq – depth) that belongs to Beth Rehob (House of Spaciousness). It speaks of the greatness in size of the ecumenical movement as it progresses throughout the church age.

Noting that they called the city Dan, Judge, means that where they reside – the ecumenical blob that has slowly taken over the church since its beginning – considers themselves the judge of doctrine and propriety.

In verse 29, noting that Dan was born to Israel (He Strives with God), tells us that this church is striving with, meaning against, God through their false worship. Repeating that it was formerly known as Laish reminds us that this was once a place where Bread was made (the kneading of bread), but no longer is.

Verse 30 noted that Jonathan (Yah Has Given), son of Gershom (Exile), son of Moses (He Draws Out), and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan. Everything speaks of Jesus, and yet it is a false Jesus being presented.

According to Scripture, the true church has one High Priest and needs no other priests. Finally, in verse 30, it noted, “until day denuding the land.” As this passage refers to the church age, then these words anticipate the rapture of the church followed by the tribulation.

It is the time when the glory of God’s presence in the church will be removed, and judgment will come upon the world. The final verse of the chapter noted that the Danites set up the carved image of Micah all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.

In other words, the apostate ecumenical church will remain throughout the rest of the church age. Their idolatry will only be ended after the church age comes to its conclusion.

Despite having the Bible available to us, this is the inevitable path of the church. God allows us to make our own choices. When we put our choice of church above God’s word, this will be the result. When we choose a particular denomination because it suits our social mores, this will be the result.

Studying the Bible is not fashionable to most. Adhering to it is even less so. It is so much easier to attend congregations where our friends attend, where the message may be appealing to us, or where we don’t have to think.

We can escape our problems for a short time each week with promises of blessing and prosperity, or we can face the fact that we live in a fallen world and bad times should be expected. I could go on, but the passage sufficiently presents the situation.

What we need is Jesus. The way we discover Him fully and intimately is through His word. When we neglect this word, or the application of it in our lives, we will inevitably weaken or be overthrown by that which is false.

With the world as it is, this is only increasing. Churches and denominations are either closing or going woke. Proper Christian thinking is quickly becoming a rare commodity. Let us not be a part of that trend. Instead, let us hold fast to Jesus and closely to His word. May it be so with each of us. Amen.

Closing Verse: “He uncovers [galah] deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.” Job 12:22

Next Week: Judges 19:1-21 A sad story to tell, ain’t no jive… (No King in Israel, Part V) (52^nd Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King in Israel, Part IV

Then they turned and departed without haw or hem
And put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods
———-in front of them

When they were a good way from the house of Micah
The men who were in the houses, yes every man
Near Micah’s house gathered together
And overtook the children of Dan

And they called out to the children of Dan
So they turned around and said to Micah, “What can this be?
“What ails you
That you have gathered such a company?

So he said, “You have taken away my gods,
Which I made, and the priest too
And you have gone away. Now what more do I have?
How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?

And the children of Dan said to him
“Do not let your voice be heard among us, we are telling you
Lest angry men fall upon you, and you lose your life
With the lives of your household too!

Then the children of Dan went their way
And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him
He turned and went back to his house
To him, things were lookin’ grim

So they took the things Micah had made
And the priest who had belonged to him whom they did procure
And went to Laish
To a people quiet and secure

And they struck them with the edge of the sword
And burned the city with fire, such a ruthless horde

There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon
And they had no ties with anyone, a fatal snare
It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob
So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there

And they called the name of the city Dan
After the name of Dan their father (Dan rhymes
———-with quiche)
Who was born to Israel
However, the name of the city formerly was Laish

Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image
And Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh
———-who were at hand
And his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan
Until the day of the captivity of the land

So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image, doncha know
Which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them. ²² When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house gathered together and overtook the children of Dan. ²³ And they called out to the children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah, “What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?”

²⁴ So he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?’”

²⁵ And the children of Dan said to him, “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!” ²⁶ Then the children of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

²⁷ So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. ²⁸ There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there. ²⁹ And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

³⁰ Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. ³¹ So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judges 18:1-20
No King in Israel, Part III

(Typed 10 June 2024) There are various approaches to translating the word. One is word-for-word literal. From there, one can swing all the way to the other end of the spectrum and have a paraphrase that conveys the sense of what is recorded in a way that even a poor reader can understand.

There is also what is known as dynamic equivalence. An idea is presented in an understandable way, carrying the same meaning as something that may be completely obscure to someone reading a literal translation.

For example, if I were to say to you, “Until when you leaping upon two the branches?” that wouldn’t make much sense to you. But that is a literal translation of 1 Kings 18:21. Translators will normally use dynamic equivalence and say something like, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” (NKJV).

That is fine to get the intent, but when doing a detailed analytical sermon on that passage, the most literal translation is necessary. This is why we consult the original text.

Text Verse: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle.” Psalm 144:1

Every Monday, when I sit down to type a sermon, I essentially repeat the words of this psalm. It is as if I am going into battle with the words of Scripture, trying to wrestle out what it is telling us. It isn’t always easy. Actually, it hardly ever is. It is a true battle as I struggle with the text.

In the first verse of the passage today, the KJV says, “… for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.” The italicized words “all their” are entirely wrong, and they give a completely false sense of what is being conveyed. If someone wanted to know what was being said, and then align it with any chronology or typology that was intended, it would be impossible to do so.

This narrative actually occurred long before, either during the time of Joshua or shortly after his death. That will be explained as we go through the verses, but understanding this tells us that the events recorded here are presented for a categorical reason, apart from the actual chronology.

This is why going through verses in a line-by-line (or verse-by-verse) manner is really the only way to be sure about what the text says. It is true that my translation could be wrong, or my conclusions could be completely off base, but that will certainly be the case without a competent literal translation.

Despite taking up more time and making things more confusing at the beginning, it will lead to a better understanding of what is being presented at the end. So, let’s get into another deep dive into what God has for us. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. God Has Given It Into Your Hands (verses 1-10)

In those days there was no king in Israel.

bayamim hahem ein melekh b’Yisrael – “In the days, the those, naught king in Israel.” It is a letter for letter copy of the words of the corresponding clause in Judges 17:6. There is not a unified leadership to direct the people. As seen in the previous sermon, this represents the time of the church age. Despite having the word, including the epistles, to direct us, churches are left to follow their own ideas of what is right and what is wrong.

Israel had the law, but there was not a unified leadership to unite the tribes and direct them accordingly. Thus, everyone was out doing whatever he thought was best, whether that included adherence to the word or not. As for the narrative, it next says…

^{1 (con’t)} And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in;

u-vayamim hahem shevet ha’dani m’baqesh lo nakhalah lasheveth – “And in the days, the those, tribe the Danite seeking, to him, inheritance to dwell.” Here the entire tribe of Dan is spoken of in the singular, the Danite. Note that in Joshua 19, the tribe of Dan is the last listed tribe to receive an inheritance. Only after Dan’s inheritance is listed is Joshua’s portion detailed.

This is why I concluded that the events now being detailed could actually go back as far as the time of Joshua. While they are waiting for their allotted inheritance, some of the tribe became restless…

^{1 (con’t)} for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.

The word “their” in the NKJV or “all their” in the KJV are italicized, meaning they are inserted for supposed clarity. However, if this is at the time of Joshua, their presupposition damages the readers’ ability to grasp what is actually occurring: ki lo naphlah lo ad hayom hahu b’thokh shivte Yisrael b’nakhalah – “For not fallen to him until the day, the it, in midst tribes Israel in inheritance.”

Without any presuppositional insertions, the text tells us that this falls before the assignment of the seventh and final tribal allotment detailed in Joshua 19:40-48. Notice the differences:

“for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel” (KJV). This implies some of their inheritance had been attained, but some had not. This removes the narrative completely out of the time of Joshua and moves it to any point in time afterward.

“for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them” (NKJV). The understanding depends on what “inheritance” means. Does it mean the lot had not yet been cast, or does it mean that the tribe has simply not gone in and acquired what had been previously allotted to them?

“For not fallen to him until the day, the it, in midst tribes Israel in inheritance” (CG). The falling of the lot has not yet taken place. Thus, the Danite has no allotted inheritance as of yet.

The word “fallen” could mean taking of the land after the inheritance (as with the NKJV), but that could also be explained in other ways. Thus, it appears that this occurs during the time of Joshua and it could very well explain these words of Joshua –

“Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” Joshua 24:23

Already, even before Joshua’s death, idolatry had entered into the lives of the people. However, this account in Judges 18 is provided to give us categorical rather than chronological information, thus providing a basis for future typology.

Dan means Judge. Israel means He Strives with God.

² So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory,

Again, the translation is poor and thus probably gives a false sense of what is being conveyed: vayishl’khu b’ne dan mimishpakhtam khamishah anashim miqtsotham – “And send, sons Dan, from their family, five men from their extremities.” Rather than “their territory,” it says miqtsotham, “their extremities.” The NKJV assumes this means the extremities of their territory. However, the word is speaking of their people, as it is used elsewhere, such as –

“So they feared the Lord, and from every class [miqtsotham] they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.” 2 Kings 17:32

Five is the number of grace.

^{2 (con’t)} men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it.

anashim b’ne khayil mitsr’ah u-meeshtaol l’ragel eth ha’arets ul’khaqrah – “men sons valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol to foot the land and to search her.” The word khayil, valor, gives the sense of being strong and substantial in power, authority, riches, honor, virtue, etc. In this case, they would be strong, brave men who would be able to carry out the necessary task of footing the land, meaning walking throughout to determine a suitable location to meet the intended purpose.

The words here cause scholars to say that Dan had, in fact, received its allotted inheritance already. These men are in the area of Zorah and Eshtaol. These were given to Dan in Joshua 19:41. Thus, it must mean that they have received their allotment.

However, that dismisses the words of Joshua 15:33 where these two cities were located within the allotment of Judah. As was seen during the Joshua sermons, Judah’s land was too big for them, and Simeon’s inheritance was placed within Judah’s tribal allotment.

Other cities, such as Zorah and Eshtaol eventually were placed within the allotment of other tribes. As Dan was already dwelling there, it would make complete sense to give them that land when their allotment came up in Joshua 19. As seen previously, Zorah means Affliction, and Eshtaol means both Entreaty and Bride of God.

^{2 (con’t)} They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.

The words explain the introduction of Micah and the surrounding narrative in the preceding chapter: vayomru alehem l’khu khiqru eth ha’arets vayavou har ephrayim ad beith mikhah vayalinu sham – “And say to them, ‘Go, search the land.’ And go mount Ephraim until house Micah. And lodge there.” As they footed the land, they passed by the area where Micah dwelt. It is customary for travelers to be welcomed in. Thus, they stayed with him.

Ephraim means Twice Fruitful and Ashes. Micah, as it is spelled here, means Who is Like This.

³ While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite.

hemah im beith mikhah v’hemah hikiru eth qol hanaar ha’levi – “They with house Micah. And they scrutinized voice the servant, the Levite.” The word nakar means to scrutinize, as in looking intently at, hence with recognition implied. Therefore it can be translated as recognize, discern, be acquainted with, and so forth.

Because of this, one of numerous possibilities arises. It could be that they heard the Levite’s voice and recognized it, having known him before. It could be that his accent caught their attention, knowing it was from their area. Some suppose that they heard sounds from him praying or ministering, such as wearing bells on his garments as the high priest at the temple would.

The simplest reading is that they heard his voice and recognized it. However, to make any option possible, I went with scrutinized. It is something that would be done no matter which option is correct. They heard a voice (or sound), thought about it, made a connection to it, and then…

^{3 (con’t)} They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”

vayasuru sham vayomru lo mi heviakha halom umah atah oseh bazeh umah l’kha phoh – “And they turned aside there. And say, to him, ‘Who brought you hither, and what you doing in this? And what to you here?’” Something alerted them to the fact that he was not from there and that he was now there. Further, what would a Levite be doing there at a private residence?

And more, being a Levite, how was he able to support himself? The whole thing seemed odd to them. Regardless of how they scrutinized his voice, a simple evaluation of it told them that something was peculiar. Therefore…

⁴ He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

vayomer alehem kazoh v’khazeh asah li mikhah vayisk’reni vaehi lo l’khohen – “And says, unto them, according to this and according to this done to me, Micah. And hires me to be to him priest.” A short explanation of his situation followed, notably ending with the idea of him, a Levite, being a personal priest.

If this is truly the grandson of Moses, as the text later implies, it is a truly abominable situation that he should have known better than to accept, much less brag about openly.

⁵ So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”

The words contain a cohortative: vayomru lo sh’al na belohim v’nedah hathatsliakh darkenu asher anakhnu holkhim aleha – “And say to him, ‘Ask, we pray, in God. And we will know surges our journey which we walking upon her.” Like women priests or pastors in the church today, the matter here really is an “in Your face” situation toward God.

The Danites, join in with the delusions of the Levite by asking him to be their mediator to God (or gods), seeking Him (or them) concerning their expedition. The word elohim can mean the true God, a false god, or many gods. We aren’t standing there with the Danites, so we can only speculate about their intent.

As for the word tsalakh, it means to rush upon or surge. It is the same word used when the Spirit came upon Samson. In this case, they want to know if their way will prosper.

One can think of starting out and wondering if you will hit a wall or have a breakthrough in success. We get the same sense when prosperity preachers speak of a breakthrough in finances. They are promising a surge of money from the cosmic ATM in the sky. These Danites want to know if they will likewise prosper…

⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.”

vayomer lahem hakohen l’khu l’shalom nokhakh Yehovah dark’khem asher telkhu bah – “And says, to them, the priest, ‘Walk to peace. Fronted, Yehovah, your way which walking in her.’” The Levite, here acknowledged as “the priest,” tells them not to worry (walk to peace). This is because Yehovah would be with them.

Regardless of what they were asking (God, god, or gods), the Levite acknowledges the name of the Lord. This, however, does not necessarily mean anything more than what might be said by a false preacher in the world today when referring to the Lord or Jesus. And more, it is the only time Yehovah is seen in the passage.

As for his words, “Fronted, Yehovah, your way…”, like going to a palm reader, that can actually mean whatever someone wants it to mean. The word nokakh means in front of, opposite to, or over against. It is a true statement, no matter what is said.

The Lord is always opposite all people at all times. However, because of the words “Walk to peace,” they would certainly assume this meant that He would be watching over them in a positive manner as they went…

⁷ So the five men departed and went to Laish.

vayelkhu khamesheth ha’anashim vayavou laysha – “And walks, five the men, and goes Laish-ward.” This is the first note of Laish in the Bible, and yet it is stated as if it is the obvious destination, thus telling us that this is where they will wind up. The name is identical to layish, a word for lion used three times in the Bible. Thus, it is called Lion.

However, that comes from lush, to knead, as in bread – which is how the word is always used. Thus one gets the sense of a lion’s paws delivering blows. Or one can think of a cat kneading his paws on your tummy as felines are known to do. Thus, Kneading is possible.

If it is derived from a similar word originally spelled with two yods (our y), Sergio notes it would have the sense of I Have, To Me Possession, I Possess, etc. It is not uncommon for a letter to drop out in such cases. Thus, this is a possible secondary meaning. This location was called Leshem in Joshua 19:47 –

“And the border of the children of Dan went beyond these, because the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it; and they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it, and dwelt in it. They called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.”

It will be renamed in the verses ahead, and it will become the northernmost settlement in the land. John Lange assumes the root of Leshem is lesha, to break through (as in water boiling up). Thus, this is where the waters from Mount Hermon break through and form the beginning of the Jordan.

It is the same root for the name Lesha, which is found in Genesis 10:19, where the springs of the Dead Sea come forth. Laish, Lion, is explained by Lange to be used as a symbol of flowing stream sources. Thus, this would explain why the name may have been used in this manner. This might explain Moses’ prophecy over Dan in Deuteronomy 33, even though a different word for lion is used there –

“And of Dan he said:
‘Dan is a lion’s whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan.’” Deuteronomy 33:22

Of this area and for the Danites, upon arriving…

^{7 (con’t)} They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure.

There are a couple of peculiarities in the words: vayiru eth ha’am asher b’qirbah yosheveth lavetakh k’mishpat tsidonim shoqet u-voteakh – “And see the people who in her midst, dwelling to security, according to judgment Sidonians – reposing and trusting.” The first peculiarity is that there is a gender discord. The word people is masculine, but the corresponding verb, dwelling, is feminine. Likewise, the words security, reposing, and trusting are each masculine.

Available commentaries fail to give any suitable explanation for the discord. For example, Lange says, “the writer’s imagination identifies the people with the city in which they live, and so speaks of them as feminine.”

Also, the noun security is from the same root as the verb trusting. Ellicott sees this as a tautology, (something said more than once, a repetition, reiteration, redundancy, superfluity, iteration, duplication, periphrasis, prolixity, etc.). But why? Rather, it seems the verbs are simply describing the state of security.

^{7 (con’t)} There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything.

Everyone agrees the words are complicated. Translations vary widely, and the usual suspects cry out that the text is corrupt: v’ein makhlim davar ba’arets yoresh etser – “And naught wounding word in the land – possessing restraint.” The word kalam comes from a primitive root and means to wound. It is always used in a figurative manner, such as humiliate, insult, reproach, etc.

The noun etser is found only here and it is assumed to come from the verb atsar, to hold back or restrain. With a literal translation as I have given, the words appear to be saying that the people were not only reposing and trusting, but there was no internal strife where people would argue or insult one another. And more…

^{7 (con’t)} They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.

urkhoqim hemah mitsidonim v’davar ein lahem im adam – “And far they from Sidonians, and word no to them with man [adam].” It is taken from these words that these people were related to the Sidonians but had settled in this area. However, it is estimated that they were a full day’s journey from Sidon.

Therefore, they would have no one nearby to come to their rescue if attacked. And more, they held no regular communication with anyone. Therefore, their disappearance would go unnoticed by anyone.

The last word, adam, is rendered by some Greek texts as aram, meaning Syria. The two letters are almost indistinguishable when not very clearly written out ר (resh) and ד (daleth). It would then mean they had no relations with the Syrians to the east. The name Sidon means Fishery. If Aram is correct, which seems unlikely, it means Elevated or Highland.

⁸ Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”

The verse is short and to the point. The final portion lacks any verb at all: vayavou el akhehem tsarah v’estaol vayomru lahem akhehem mah atem – “And go unto their brothers, Zorah and Eshtaol. And say to them, their brothers, ‘What you?’” The five return to their starting point and are greeted with the simple words, “What you?” The words are so basic that the meaning could be one of several things. However, the five perfectly understood that it meant to give a report of their survey…

⁹ So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. 

vayomru qumah v’naaleh alehem ki rainu eth ha’arets v’hineh tovah meod – “And say, ‘Arise! And we will go upon them. For have seen the land, and behold! Good, very.” It is certain that more is left out of the report than is provided. Their brothers can’t know what land they are referring to unless they are told. And they can’t know who “them” is referring to unless it is explained to them.

The narrative is excitedly giving just enough for the reader to follow along without being at all specific. That continues in the next words…

^{9 (con’t)} Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land.

v’atem makhshim al teatslu lalekheth lavo laresheth eth ha’arets – “And you, hushed? Not dawdling to walk to enter to possess the land!’” A new word is brought in, khashah. It comes from a primitive root meaning to hush. The sense is probably something like, “Get up and raise a war cry!” With that, another word seen only here is used, atsel. It comes from a primitive root meaning to lean idly.

One can imagine the folks simply leaning up against the doorposts, shuffling their feet. Instead of strapping on their swords, they are just dawdling around, waiting for someone else to make the first move, and so more prompting is needed…

¹⁰ When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land.

k’voakhem tavou el am boteakh v’ha’arets rakhavath yadayim – “According to your going, coming unto people trusting, and the land roomy hands.” The description is enticing. The people are trusting. Keil says, “careless security.” They figured that they were doing their own thing and nobody cared at all about them or where they were.

Also, the words rakhavath yadayim, roomy hands, give the sense of the men spreading out their hands with their fingers splayed and then reaching out in both directions. Their fingers symbolically claim everything in eyesight as being a part of the possession…

^{10 (con’t)} For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

ki n’tanah elohim b’yedkhem maqom asher ein sham makhsor kal davar asher ba’arets – “For given, God, in your hands place where no there lack all word which in the land.” They had asked the Levite to inquire of God for them. The Levite told them that the Lord would be with them on their way.

Now, upon their return, they default back to elohim (God, god, or gods) again. Chances are they are referring to God in general, but they have not used the name of the Lord as might be expected.

As for their statement about the location, the word davar, word, is used in the sense of a matter, issue, or thing. There was nothing lacking there. Everything necessary to live out life in their own possession was available to them.

What does it mean to be faithful in life
When all around there is only faithlessness
It is a world of enmity and strife
Man has certainly caused quite a mess

But in this wicked world we can prevail
And do what God would ask us to do
Any loss now will in heaven pale
Compared to the rewards He offers you

So be a faithful soul all your days
And live for the Lord with this life you’ve been given
Take time and give Him all your praise
Someday we’ll move on to what is really livin’

Until then, remember the Lord Jesus
And consider all the things He has done for us

II. Consider What You Should Do (Verses 11-20)

¹¹ And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

vayisu misham mimishpakhath ha’dani mitsarah u-meeshtaol shesh meoth ish khagur k’le milkhamah – “And pull up from there, from family the Danite, from Zorah and from Eshtaol – six hundreds man girded implements war.” This does not mean that the entire tribe of Dan went up from this area.

Rather, it means that a small portion of the tribe went up, as is clearly seen in the words “from family the Danite.” The rest of the tribe was still in the general area and was given its inheritance according to Joshua 19 –

“The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. ⁴¹ And the territory of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Jethlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, ⁴⁶ Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the region near Joppa. ⁴⁷ And the border of the children of Dan went beyond these, because the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it; and they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it, and dwelt in it. They called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. ⁴⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.” Joshua 19:40-48

However, their actions fulfill the prophecy of Moses from Deuteronomy 33 exactingly.

As for the number six hundred, it is derived from six and ten. Bullinger defines six, saying, “…it has to do with man; it is the number of imperfection; the human number; the number of MAN as destitute of God, without God, without Christ.” Simply stated, it speaks of fallen man.

As for the number ten, Bullinger says, “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

¹² Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah.

vayaalu vayakhanu b’qiryath y’arim bihudah – “And ascend, and camp in Kirjath Jearim in Judah.” The trek from where they were to where they encamped is an ascent. For whatever reason, they stopped and camped at Kirjath Jearim, which means City of Forests or City of Honeycombs. Judah means Praise. Next, it says…

^{12 (con’t)} (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.)

al ken qaru lamaqom ha’hu makhaneh dan ad hayom hazeh hineh akhare qiryath y’arim – “Upon thus called to the place, the it, Mahaneh Dan, until the day, the this. Behold, behind Kirjath Jearim.” It says they camped in Kirjath Jearim and then it says that the location is behind Kirjath Jearim. So is it these are referring to the same place or not?

If not, then Mahaneh Dan would be where they initially started from. However, that is not the nearest antecedent in the narrative and confuses things. Because of this, it is hard to know what is going on. Judges 13:25 says –

“And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.”

Some say that these are referring to the same place and some disagree. If it is the same place, it means that these events, without any doubt at all, precede the life of Samson. This makes sense either way, but it would make it explicit.

If they are not the same place, then there are two Mahaneh Dans. Either way, the names are stated with all certainty for the sake of typology. Therefore, we can go with the narrative without actually knowing which option is historically correct.

Mahaneh Dan means Camp of Dan and, thus, Camp of the Judge.

¹³ And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

vayaavru misham har ephrayim vayavou ad beith mikhah – “And pass over from there Mount Ephraim. And come until house Micah.” Leaving Kirjath Jearim, their direction of travel heads northward into the mountainous area of Ephraim, collectively called Mount Ephraim. It is the area where Micah lives. The Danites followed the known route coming as far as his house.

In Scripture, a har, mountain, is a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Upon arriving, the original trekkers have some news to share…

¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered

vayaanu khamesheth ha’anashim ha’holkhim l’ragel eth ha’arets layish – “And answered, five the men, the walkers to foot the land Laish.” The Bible is filled with this terminology where the first speaker is said to answer.

Without saying a word, one can see them walking along and coming to the settlement of houses where Micah is. Rather than wait for a question or simply pass by without referring to the place, these men initiate what would normally be a response to a question.

^{14 (con’t)} and said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image?

vayomru el akhehem haydatem ki yesh babatim ha’eleh ephod utraphim u-phesel u-masekhah – “and say unto their brothers, ‘Known that is in the houses, the these, ephod, and teraphim, and carved image, and molten image?’”

The others didn’t know. Rather, they are being told this. We do this all the time. For example, “Did you know that he’s a movie star?” It’s a way of stating something emphatically but with a subtle hint of something behind the question. In this case, the subtle hint concerning named items is that they could be beneficial to the tribe. Without saying what it is, they simply continue with…

^{14 (con’t)} Now therefore, consider what you should do.”

The verb is imperative: v’atah d’u mah taasu – “And now, know what you will do.” In other words, “You know what to do, so go do it.” They have plans for the stuff that belongs to Micah.

¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him.

vayasuru shamah vayavou el beith hanaar halevi beith mikhah vayishalu lo l’shalom – “And turn there-ward, and come unto house the servant, the Levite – House Micah – and ask to him to peace.” The words appear to indicate that the settlement is called Beith Micah, House Micah. When the five men arrived, they went to the individual house belonging to the Levite and greeted him.

¹⁶ The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

v’shesh meoth ish khagurim k’le milkhamtam nitsavim pethakh hashaar asher mibne dan – “And six hundreds man, girding implements their war, stood entrance the gate – who from sons Dan.” The reason for these words may be to show a united decision on the part of all of the warriors.

They probably broke off from the main caravan, which included women and children and any older folks who continued along. Noting the girding of their weapons is intended to show that they were willing to use force if necessary to obtain what they wanted.

Also, by the narrative stating the disassociated but obvious words that they were from the sons of Dan again ensures that it is known that their actions were intentional, that it was Dan alone who was involved, and that the narrator wants it to be known as such.

¹⁷ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image.

The aspect of the verb changes in the middle of the sentence from imperfect to perfect: vayaalu khamasheth ha’anashim ha’holkhim l’ragel eth ha’arets bau shamah laqhu eth ha’pesel v’eth ha’ephod v’eth ha’traphim v’eth ha’masekhah – “And ascend, five the men, the walkers to foot the land: entered there-ward, took the carved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.”

The change in aspect gives the narrative an almost haunting tone. It is as if the narrator is telling us to read each word as if it is a singular crime being committed. It’s not just Micah’s household doing wrong. Rather, an entire portion of the tribe of Dan has succumbed to the same fatal idolatry. Meanwhile…

^{17 (con’t)} The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

v’ha’kohen nitsav patakh ha’shaar v’shesh meoth ha’ish he’khagur k’le ha’milkhamah – “And the priest stood entrance the gate, and six hundreds the man, the girding implements the war.” The priest went out to the gate when the men arrived. They were probably just talking when the five walked around him and went into the house to take the items. As they went in, he probably got curious as to what was going on…

¹⁸ When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image,

v’eleh bau beith mikhah v’yiqkhu eth pesel ha’ephod v’eth ha’traphim v’eth ha’masekhah – “And these entered house Micah, and take carved image the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.” The words essentially repeat what was said, but the aspect goes from the perfect to the imperfect. Put side by side, you can see the difference –

17. “And ascend, five the men, the walkers to foot the land: entered there-ward, took the carved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.”
18. “And these entered house Micah, and take carved image the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.”

And more, in these words, it appears that the carved image belongs to the ephod. Only the JPS Tanakh translates the words this way, but the terminology appears specific –

“And when these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the graven image of the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them: ‘What do ye?’” JPS Tanakh

Even though they are two separate things, it appears that they serve a united purpose. When the priest wanted to consult the carved image, he would wear the ephod.

^{18 (con’t)} the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

vayomer alehem ha’kohen mah atem osim – “And says unto them, the priest, ‘What you doing?’” In seeing what the five were doing, he must have felt either suspicious or betrayed, depending on how he perceived what was going on. Thus, it was natural to ask what they thought they were doing with the objects of his priesthood.

¹⁹ And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us.

Several verbs are imperative: vayomru lo hakharesh sim yad’kha al pikha v’lekh imanu veyeh lanu l’av ulkhohen – “And say, to him, ‘Keep silent! Put your hand upon your mouth, and walk with us, and be to us to father and to priest.’” In essence, “You need to do these things. Otherwise, it won’t go well with you.”

Telling him to put his hand upon his mouth is a way of saying, “Shut your trap!” They are being firm but are willing to give him a new opportunity if he is willing to take it. To get him to think it through…

^{19 (con’t)} 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?”

ha’tov heyothkha khohen l’veith ish ekhad o heyothkha khohen l’shevet u-l’mishpakhah b’yisrael – “The good you being priest to house man one, or you being priest to tribe and to family in Israel?” “Listen, is it better to be priest to just one guy, or would it be better for you to be priest to our entire clan?” The answer should be obvious whether he agreed with the way things were done or not.

It notes both a tribe and a family. The tribe of Dan descended from a single son of Dan. Therefore, if he was a priest to even part of the tribe and family of Dan, he was a priest to all of it. They are tempting him with a great offer.

*^{20 (fin)} So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

vayitav lev hakohen vayiqakh eth ha’ephod v’eth hatraphim v’eth ha’pasel vayavo b’qerev ha’am – “And pleased heart the priest, and takes the ephod, and the teraphim, and the carved image, and goes in midst the people.” One can see that his allegiance to Micah was completely based on the money and clothing he received.

It would explain the odd statement in verse 10 where he was given an offer by Micah, and then it said, “And walks, the Levite.” After he got the offer, he continued walking while considering the proposition and maybe looking for a better opportunity elsewhere. However, he eventually accepted the offer.

Now, a better offer has come along, and he is immediately elated about it. So he took charge of the priestly things and joined the people. Saying that he went into their midst is a way of saying that he joined them wholeheartedly, probably enjoying lots of pats on the back and compliments for being their official priest.

With that, we are finished for the day. If you care at all about proper worship of the Lord, treating your fellow man with due respect, or having concern for those to whom you owe allegiance, the narrative is both disappointing and disheartening.

However, it is generally what can be expected in the world in which we live. And this doesn’t just mean the secular world. It is becoming rarer by the day to find decent seminaries, denominations, churches, pastors, and Christians who will do what is expected of them from a biblical perspective.

What we need to do is press on in doing right and be the faithful souls we are called to be. Life is short, and we have choices to make. Work out your life, your allegiances, and your friendships with decency, honesty, and integrity. This is key to happy living and a warm and friendly welcome when you stand before the Lord.

First and foremost, however, you need to be right with the Lord. There is only one way that can happen, so be sure to get it right. Have faith in what God has done in Christ. Let me tell you that simple good news before we finish…

Closing Verse: “If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.” Proverbs 30:32

Next Week: Judges 18:21-31 Another great story to tell, and that is for shor… (No King in Israel, Part IV) (51^st Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King in Israel, Part III

In those days there was no king in Israel.
And in those days the tribe of the Danites (descendants of Shem)
Was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in
For until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel
———-had not fallen to them

So the children of Dan sent five men of their family
From their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol
To spy out the land and search it
They said to them, “Go, search the land, not a part but the whole

So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, that is where
To the house of Micah, and lodged there

While they were at the house of Micah
They recognized the voice of the young Levite
They turned aside and said to him
“Who brought you here, to this site?

What are you doing in this place?
What do you have here, from greatest to least?
He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me
He has hired me, and I have become his priest

So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, yes for us
That we may know whether the journey on which we go
———-will be prosperous

And the priest said to them, “Go in peace, yes, I say
The presence of the LORD be with you on your way

So the five men departed and went to Laish
They saw the people who were there
How they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians
Quiet and secure, with nota care

There were no rulers in the land
Who might put them to shame for anything
They were far from the Sidonians
And they had no ties with anyone, not even by a shoestring

Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol
And their brethren said to them, “What is your report?
———-Tell us the whole

So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them
For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good
Would you do nothing?
Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. Understood?

When you go, you will come to a secure people
And a large land with no dearth
For God has given it into your hands
A place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth

And six hundred men
Of the family of the Danites went from there
From Zorah and Eshtaol
Armed with weapons of war, Laish had best beware

Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah
(Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day
There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim
That’s how the name got to be this way

And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim
And came to the house of Micah with a little scheme

Then the five men who had gone
To spy out the country of Laish
Answered and said to their brethren
(First, did you know that Laish rhymes with quiche?)

“Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod
Household idols, a carved image too
Also a molded image
Now therefore, consider what you should do

So they turned aside there
And came to the house of the young Levite man
To the house of Micah
And greeted him as a part of their plan

The six hundred men
Armed with their weapons of war, lookin’ great
Who were of the children of Dan
Stood by the entrance of the gate

Then the five men who had gone
To spy out the land went up, so they did do
Entering there, they took the carved image and the ephod
The household idols, and the molded image too

The priest stood at the entrance of the gate, so was the score
With the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war

When these went into Micah’s house
And took the carved image, the ephod (bad things were brewing)
The household idols, and the molded image
The priest said to them, “What are you doing?

And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth
And come with us; be a father and a priest to us – they did tell
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?

So the priest’s heart was glad
And he took the ephod with the household idols too
And the carved image
And took his place among the people, this he did do

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. ² So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. ³ While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”

⁴ He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

⁵ So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”

⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.”

⁷ So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.

⁸ Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”

⁹ So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. ¹⁰ When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

¹¹ And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. ¹² Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.) ¹³ And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “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.” ¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him. ¹⁶ The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

¹⁸ When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and 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?” ²⁰ So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 17:7-13
No King In Israel, Part II

(Typed 3 June 2024) The contents of the passage today, as they point to Christ, were as difficult for me to think through as any in recent memory. Analyzing and explaining the content of the verses only took until about 9:30 in the morning.

Once that was done, I needed to sort out what we are being told. At 10:54, I sent a message to Sergio, “I have no idea what Judges 17 is telling us.” After sitting, rereading time and again, and praying the entire time, I sent another message at 2:31, “I think I got it. Had to pray to the Lord for over 3 hours.”

What seems obvious now wasn’t easy to come by. But a few moral lessons did show up along the way. Matthew Henry provides these words concerning the verses in this passage –

“Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.”

It is a correct analysis and it fits well with a news headline on the same day this was typed. A U.S. House of Representatives member informed the public that she has pancreatic cancer. In her statement, like bookends, she said, “My adult life has been defined by my faith in God… By God’s grace, I will be back at full strength soon.”

For a person who has spent her entire political career doing anything but honoring God, she suddenly has a need to invoke his name. Providence, indeed, brought her many opportunities. And she has taken every one of them to further her work in the evil decisions she has made, all the while thinking that God must be pleased with her.

She is just one example of innumerable people throughout the ages who have treated God as a secondary weapon in their arsenal of iniquity. They will utter His name if it is convenient and beneficial to them, but He is far from their hearts.

Text Verse: “Has a nation changed its gods,
Which are not gods?
But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.” Jeremiah 2:11

Judges 17 is well reflected in the words of Jeremiah, even if Jeremiah is dealing with an individual and not the entire nation. The name of the Lord is mentioned twice by Micah’s mother and only once by Micah in this passage. And his selfish proclamation is only found in the last verse.

So how does this story point to Jesus? It seems hard to make any comparisons. And yet, Abarim insightfully did so –

“To give a hint to the literary complexity of this story: the Levite from Judah who was forced to hire himself to a wealthy Ephraimite is obviously a manifestation of the Suffering Servant of which Jesus is the most familiar. Then note how the Book of the formally unrelated prophet Micah deals with the same themes and even how Matthew weaves these into the gospel of Immanuel.” Abarim

Even if this priest is brought into the picture in order to do inappropriate things, things entirely unlike Jesus, the overall premise that Abarim speaks of is exactly right.

The whole story speaks of total apostasy mingled with nothing more than lip service to the Lord. And yet we can find Jesus in it. It begs us to each consider our own situation. Are we proclaiming Jesus outwardly and yet living as if He is only an afterthought? Or are we truly living with Him on our minds at all times?

Let us not be like the faithless representative from Texas who has spent her years enriching and exalting herself while paying mere lip service to the Lord. Now, while facing her time of crisis, who does she piously return to with the general word “God?”

It is the God who will not be mocked. We all have choices to make and will all stand before Him someday and give an account for our actions. This is a lesson that is on prominent display in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Levite, a Servant, a Father, a Son, and a Priest (vss. 7-13)

The narrative of Micah and his mother, as detailed in Judges 17:1-6 ended with the words, “In the days, the those, no king in Israel, man the straight in his eyes does” (CG). It is a time of lawlessness. Those words provide an explanation for the coming words…

⁷ Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah,

vayhi naar mibeith lekhem y’hudah – “And is, servant, from Bethlehem Judah.” The word translated as servant, naar, comes from the verb naar, to shake. That, in turn, is identical to naar, to growl. Thus, one can think of the rustling of a lion’s mane as he growls, shaking his head.

Typically, naar signifies young men as they are often restless or active. However, at times it plainly indicates a person in a position of service –

“And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant [naar], and said to him, ‘I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.’ Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.” 2 Samuel 9:9, 10

If Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants, he wasn’t a young man. Thus, the term is clearly being used in a technical sense as a servant. This would be like the Greek word deacon. It comes from diá, thoroughly, and konis, dust. He is one who thoroughly raises the dust as he scurries about.

It is of note that the root naar is used in relation to the dust in Isaiah 52 –

“Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Shall no longer come to you.
² Shake [naar] yourself from the dust, arise;
Sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion!” Isaiah 52:1, 2

The deacon raises the dust through activity and the servant shakes, as if removing the dust that might be raised during his time of activity.

A detailed explanation is given because of the complicated nature in the words of the next clause. He is from Bethlehem Judah. This is stated to distinguish it from another Bethlehem located in Zebulun as noted in Joshua 19:15.

Bethlehem means House of Bread (lekhem), but without the vowel pointing it is identical to the verb meaning war (lakham). Thus, it has a secondary meaning of House of War (Battle). The connection between the two terms is that in battle, those being killed are consumed like food.

Judah means Praise. Of him, it next says…

^{7 (con’t)} of the family of Judah; he was a Levite,

The words are debated, difficult to explain, and initiate some interesting thoughts that will be more fully looked into elsewhere: mimishpakhath y’hudah v’hu levi – “from family Judah. And he, Levite.”

The words “from family Judah” cause complications. He cannot be a Levite if he is from the family of Judah, not Levi, unless the word Levite is being applied in a technical sense. The tribe of Levi and those who descend from it had a job to perform which then became associated with the name.

So if someone else performed the Levitical duties, he could claim to be a Levite. This would be like saying, “he is a plumber,” even though he is not from the Plumber family. This explanation doesn’t seem likely though, especially because we will be told more about him later.

Some look to the words as a further explanation, “He came from Bethlehem Judah … which is of the family of Judah.” Why this repetition of Judah would somehow be necessary is hard to explain.

One possibility is that his mother was of the family of Judah, so he settled in Bethlehem because of his relationship to her, even though tribal ancestry (being a Levite) comes through the line of the father.

Another view is that his family settled in Bethlehem and he was then considered a member of the family in regard to civil matters.

As usual, there are those who claim the text is wrong and that the words are spurious. However, it is hard to see how such words could be erroneously entered into the text and not weeded out immediately. Thus, the words are original. They are specifically stated to give typology, regardless of which explanation just given (or another) is the correct one. Of him…

^{7 (con’t)} and was staying there.

v’hu gar sham – “and he sojourning there.” He is a servant from Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah (whatever that actually means), a Levite, and he was staying in Judah.

Here we have a person introduced who is believed to be the same person noted in Judges 18:30, Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh (Moses). This will be more carefully evaluated when we get there, but the words now, v’hu gar sham, “and he sojourning there,” are the same words that the name Gershom is derived from.

The name comes from gur, to sojourn, and sham, there. Thus, the name means Stranger There, Exile, Expelled. There is more to that name as we will see later. There is a connection being made between this verse and his name as recorded in verse 18:30. For now…

⁸ The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place.

vayelekh ha’ish meha’ir mibeith lekhem y’hudah lagur baasher yimtsa – “And walks, the man, from the city, from Bethlehem Judah, to sojourn in which finding.” He is looking for a place to live and work.

Here the word ish, man, is used. However Judges 18 will again speak of the naar, servant, as just used in verse 17:7. Because of this, Cambridge says that these cannot be the same person. They conclude, therefore, that this is not the same young man just mentioned in the previous verse. The ongoing narrative does not bear this out.

Rather, the term naar is being used in the sense of a servant, which may help explain the unusual wording of the previous verse. Thus, the words of verse 7 probably contain a parenthesis which then explains his technical relation to Judah –

“And is, servant (from Bethlehem Judah) from family Judah. And he, Levite.” As a Levite, he ministered to the family of Judah. This is a suitable resolution to the otherwise complicated words.

As the previous sermon ended with the thought that there was no king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, this would include a neglect of the Levites. Such was the case at other times as well –

“I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field.” Nehemiah 13:10

The Levites were not given a tribal land inheritance in Israel. They were attached to tribes, given cities to dwell in, and they were to minister to the people of the tribes of Israel. This young Levite might have been neglected in Judah, and he decided to find some other place where he could live and minister. And so he walked…

^{8 (con’t)} Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

vayavo har ephrayim ad beith mikhah laasoth darko – “And comes Mount Ephraim until house Micah, to make his way.” Here is the uniting of the previous narrative with the account of the Levite. This Levite, looking for a new place to do his shaking, came to Mount Ephraim and eventually wound up at Micah’s house.

⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”
So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

vayomer lo mikhah meayin tavo vayomer elav levi anokhi mibeith lekhem y’hudah v’anokhi holekh lagur baasher emtsa – “And says to him, Micah, ‘From whence come.’ And says unto him, Levite, ‘I from Bethlehem Judah, and I walking to sojourn in which find.’”

Nothing is said about how the Levite wound up here. Micah appears to live on a main road. As will be evidenced later. The Levite may have simply stopped there as he traveled.

Or, he may have heard that Micah had a house with a shrine. Therefore, he went there in hopes of employment. If the latter, it would perfectly explain the next words…

¹⁰ Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me,

vayomer lo mikhah sh’vah imadi vehyeh li l’av u-l’khohen – “And says to him, Micah, ‘Dwell with me and be to me to father and to priest.’” Here we have the word av, father, being used as an honorific title and in an ecclesiastical sense, just as it is used today. Some denominations use the term father when referring to their priest. This is seen several times elsewhere for spiritual leaders –

“Then it shall be in that day,
That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
²¹ I will clothe him with your robe
And strengthen him with your belt;
I will commit your responsibility into his hand.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And to the house of Judah.” Isaiah 22:20, 21

Micah is saying that the Levite will be the spiritual head of the house. He will be the one to seek out God’s will, favor, mediation, and atonement as needed…

^{10 (con’t)} and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.”

v’anokhi eten l’kha asereth keseph layamim v’erekh b’gadim u-mikhyathekha – “and I give to you ten silver to the days, and arrangement garments, and your sustenance.” It is not a lot of money but would equate to only a few dollars “to the days,” meaning in a year of days. However, with an arrangement of clothing, and his food and lodging, it would be what a Levite might expect, having no land inheritance of his own.

^{10 (con’t)} So the Levite went in.

Rather: vayelekh ha’levi – “And walks, the Levite.” What this seems to imply is that the Levite continued on, considering the proposition while looking for a better opportunity elsewhere. However, he eventually accepts the offer…

¹¹ Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man;

vayoel ha’levi lasheveth eth ha’ish – “And determines, the Levite, to dwell with the man.” The word is yaal, to yield, be willing, etc. He considered his options and determined that this was the best avenue open to him. Therefore, he dwelt with Micah. Ironically, it next says…

^{11 (con’t)} and the young man became like one of his sons to him.

vayhi ha’naar lo k’akhad mibanav – “And is, the servant, to him according to one from his sons.” In verse 5, Micah had ordained one of his sons to be his priest. In verse 10, Micah promised the Levite he would be a father to him. Now, as his father, the Levite is like one of his sons –

5. The man Micah … consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
10. Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me.
11. Then the Levite … became like one of his sons to him.

Even though he is a servant, an attendant, he is also like a son in the family of Micah…

¹² So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah.

vaymale mikhah eth yad ha’levi vayhi lo ha’naar l’khohen vayhi b’vieth mikhah – “And fills, Micah, hand the Levite. And is to him, the servant, to priest. And is in house Micah.” To fill the hand signifies to consecrate. This was explained in verse 5. Upon his consecration, he attends in Micah’s house as a priest.

Because of the events that have now come to pass…

*^{13 (fin)} Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

vayomer mikhah atah yadati ki yetiv Yehovah li ki hayah li ha’levi l’khohen – “And says, Micah, ‘Now I knew that Yehovah does good to me, for have to me the Levite to priest.’” Being fully ignorant of the law, including all of his violations of it in the thirteen verses of this chapter, he assumes that having a Levite will bring him blessing and prosperity.

However, this is an additional violation of the law. Levites were not to perform the duties of a priest. An exception to this, due to the surrounding situation, is noted in 2 Chronicles 29:34 –

“But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brethren the Levites helped them until the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more diligent in sanctifying themselves than the priests.”

In fact, this is exactly the type of situation that brought about the wrath of the Lord against Korah while in the wilderness –

“Then Moses said to Korah, ‘Hear now, you sons of Levi: ⁹ Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; ¹⁰ and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?’” Numbers 16:8-11

The entire passage has been wrought with apostasy.

Now I know that the Lord will be good to me
Because I have all of these things:
I have idols, garments, and a priest, you see
I shall see what each of these things brings 

This idol thingy is like the Lord, whoo hoo!
And so is this one, can’t you see
This thingy is like the Lord too
Good things for sure will be coming to me

And this is what it is all about
It’s about how the Lord will be good to me
We can be certain of this, no doubt
I have idols, and garments, and a priest, you see

II. Keep Yourselves From Idols

Judges 17 was about as hard to decipher as a super-enigma machine. A lot of contemplation was needed, but a lot of prayer was needed even more. This is because there are times when pictures of Christ don’t seem possible.

The corruption of the people and the troubling events that take place make it difficult to see the glory of who Jesus is and what He has done. But sometimes a contrast reveals more than a direct comparison. This is how it is in this passage.

The narrative is in Canaan, and thus, it refers typologically to events after the coming of Christ. As was noted, the events occur chronologically early in the narrative of Judges, even though they are recorded towards the end of the book.

Verse 1 noted that the story is in Mount Ephraim. The mount has consistently been seen as synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Ephraim has consistently pictured the work of Christ, Twice Fruitful, signifying His work as effective for saving both Jews and Gentiles. Its second meaning, Ashes, speaks of His afflictions that have made salvation possible.

The man’s name is first given in verses 1 & 4 as Micayehu, Who is Like Yehovah. It refers to the church, those who bear the image of the Lord as in Colossians 3 –

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹ where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 3:9-11

In verse 2, the narrative focuses on the eleven hundred of silver that was taken from his mother. Silver signifies redemption. Eleven hundred points to an entire period of a completed cycle (10) marked by disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration (11).

It is a good description of the church age. Even if its people are perfected in Christ and redeemed, they are still a completely imperfect group of people that form a body that could easily be thought of as a basket case.

The son admits taking the silver and his mother pronounces a blessing of the Lord on him. In verse 3, he is said to return the silver to his mother. She then says that she dedicated the silver to the Lord for her son to make a carved image and a molded image, meaning idols.

At that declaration, he says, “And now, I return it to you.” Verse 4 confirms that he returned it. Upon receiving it, she took two hundred of silver and had it fashioned into her idols. Two hundred is the number of insufficiency.

Despite silver signifying redemption, its weight and purpose mean that it is insufficient to do what it is intended to do. Also in verse 4, it said that the smelting guy made the images. Then they were put in the house of Micayehu, Who is Like Yehovah.

Immediately after that, in verse 5, the man’s name is changed from Micayehu to Micah. It no longer refers to Who is like Yehovah, but Who is Like This. Even if the person, represented by Micah, is supposedly in the church of the Lord, he is not like the Lord. As Jeremiah says –

“Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
¹⁵ They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
¹⁶ The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The Lord of hosts is His name.” Jeremiah 10:14-16

Micah made a house of gods, an ephod and teraphim. It is a marvelous depiction of the Roman Catholic Church and many other sects and denominations. They may claim they serve in the House of God, but it is really a house of gods.

The note about consecrating one of Micah’s sons to be his priest fits perfectly with the thought of the Roman Catholic Church because they have priests who supposedly mediate to God for them. Other large (un)orthodox denominations have similar structures.

Verse 6 noted that there was no king in Israel in those days. This is a true statement. Israel has no king during the church age, even if they have remained as a people. Likewise, there is no king apart from Jesus in the church, which is a part of the commonwealth of Israel, but He is not a king in the sense of active rulership over the churches that comprise His church. He is the King of Israel, but not currently the King in Israel.

Instead, each church essentially does what is right in its own eyes. If they follow the word, this is great. If not, it isn’t, but it is up to the people to do what they want, attend where they want, and so forth. There is no mandated structure that is meticulously ruled over by a single authoritative king.

Verse 7 introduces the naar, the servant, from Bethlehem Judah. What we have here is a picture of Jesus Christ in every sense, even if it is not necessarily a picture of Him to those who welcome Him in. In other words, the apostate church naturally proclaims to be a church under Christ.

No matter how many idols clutter up the house of God, the church falls under the broad category of belonging to Jesus. Even Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses supposedly confess Jesus. Hence, they fall under the broad category of being Christian.

The word naar is never directly equated to Jesus in a notable comparison in any Old Testament passage, but at least two times it is used when referring to Him in prophecy –

“For before the Child [ha’naar] shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.” Isaiah 7:16

“When Israel was a child [naar], I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son. Hosea 11:1

Matthew 1 cites both Isaiah 7:14 and the second half of Hosea 11:1. As those refer to Jesus, then these Old Testament references do also.

Being from Bethlehem (House of Bread) in Judah (Praise) is a reference to Jesus. Being of the family of Judah is a reference to Jesus. And, as was seen in many previous passages concerning the Levites (Attached), they anticipate Jesus as the Firstborn because they replaced the firstborn males of Israel. It is He who is Attached to God as the Firstborn of God.

Verse 8 says that the Levite departed from Bethlehem in Judah. It is fitting of Jesus who is from heaven. This Levite who is so much like Jesus in every way came to Mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah (Who is Like This).

In verse 9, the man was queried by Micah, and he provided the details of who he was, where he was from, and what he was looking for. Micah (Who is Like This) asked him in verse 10 to dwell with him and be a father and a priest to him. It is what any apostate church that claims to be a Christian church would do.

Micah offered silver, clothes, and sustenance to the Levite. What does Jesus do? He offers us redemption, garments of righteousness, and sustenance – exactly the opposite of what occurs here. Jesus does the offering to His people, not the other way around.

To understand this, think of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Or better, the Church of Christ. They say you must be baptized and it must be in one of their churches. Instead of Jesus offering salvation to the flock, they offer their (supposed) salvation to Jesus. It is essentially what the Roman Catholic Church does as well.

After that, the Levite walks, a strange set of words that seem to make no sense. The Levite considers whether he will accept. In verse 11, the Levite determined to dwell with Micah, and he became like one of his sons to him.

If Micah already had a son who was his priest, then it means that this Levite is just another priest to him, even if he is in a different category. This typifies churches where Jesus is just another way of getting through to God.

In verse 12, Micah consecrated the Levite and the servant became his priest, “And is in house Micah.” Who is Like This has a representation of Jesus in his church, even if it isn’t the Jesus he really needs. With that feeling of satisfaction, the narrative ended with, “Now I knew that Yehovah does good to me, for have to me the Levite to priest.”

Micah is hoping to get good out of the Lord because he has his supposed priest along with his idols and vestments. But he, and the churches he reflects, will find out that what he wants and what he will get are not the same thing.

When I typed about the congresswoman I mentioned as we opened, I could only feel pity for her. Hideko has gone through cancer. Regardless of how you treat it, there is no simple way to get through it.

There is a difference though. Hideko has faithfully trusted Jesus each step of the way and has taken this as a part of what He has allowed in her life. And it has been a life of faithfully following Jesus for many years.

However, since I originally typed this, the congresswoman died. She now will face the Lord on whatever her relationship was with Him. As far as I know, she never committed her life to Him. And if not, her end will not be a good one.

Regardless of her, the God people suddenly reach out to in their distress is often forgotten in their victory over the affliction. This can even be to the point where they double down in their sin, thinking they have been so blessed in order to continue the wayward life they were previously leading, as if this was God’s way of demonstrating this to them.

Each of us needs to consider how we are appealing to Him and in what circumstances we are doing so. And so, let us do so every day. Think about your relationship with Him and how you can honor Him more each day.

Talk to Him like you would talk to any friend you are walking with. Think of Him as you think of your sweetest friendship, and be sure that your conversations are not just lip service in hopes of getting something out of Him. Instead, let your words return good things to Him.

Our God is great and deserving of all our praise, glory, and adoration. Be sure to give it to Him in whopping doses every day.

Closing Verse: “But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
⁴ Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
⁵ They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
⁶ They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
⁷ They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
⁸ Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.” Psalm 115:3-8

Next Week: Judges 18:1-20 Dan is looking for an inheritance – so I tell and so you will see… (No King In Israel, Part III) (50^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King In Israel, Part II

Now there was a young man
From Bethlehem in Judah, that is where
Of the family of Judah; he was a Levite
And was staying there

The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah
To stay wherever he could find a place
Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim
To the house of Micah, as he journeyed, coming to Micah’s space

And Micah said to him
“Where do you come from, I pray?
So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah
And I am on my way to find a place to stay

Micah said to him, “Dwell with me
And be a father and a priest to me (when can you begin?)
And I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes
And your sustenance.” So the Levite went in

Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man
And the young man became like one of his sons to him
———-(but later we’ll see he is a louse)
So Micah consecrated the Levite
And the young man became his priest, and lived in Micah’s house

Then Micah said
“Now I know that the LORD will be good to me
Since I have a Levite as priest!”
Not a clear thinker, as you can see

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

⁷ Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there. ⁸ The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. ⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”

So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

¹⁰ Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. ¹¹ Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. ¹² So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. ¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 17:1-6
No King In Israel, Part I

(Typed 27 May 2024 – Memorial Day and miserably sick) Without checking Exodus 20, I bet you can already spot several violations of the Big Ten in our passage today. In just five verses, Micah and his mother not only broke several of the Ten Commandments, but they broke other laws that further explain those ten or that define other aspects of the religious laws of Israel.

If you have followed the sermons on the books of Moses for the past few years, you must almost want to cringe at what is recorded here. You might even ask yourself, “How can anyone be so stupid?”

But if you think it through, it is nothing uncommon or unusual. The people are living in a time without TV, internet, cars, and so forth. There weren’t even local synagogues to walk to.

Today, we have churches on every street corner, the Bible in print in our homes, TV with Christian (well…) stations, and the internet to search for information on anything we want to know about our relationship with the Lord.

We can’t defend the actions of the people in today’s verses, but if we condemn them, we are really condemning ourselves. We have laws in the land and the Bible expects us to live by them in order to live in harmony with the government set over us.

And yet, I will bet that many of us got here today by breaking a law or two in the process. I don’t mean, “Well, cops won’t pull you over in a 40 zone if you are doing 45.” I mean that a 40mph speed zone is a 40 zone. If the police don’t enforce the law, it doesn’t mean that the law doesn’t exist. It probably means they are enjoying their donuts and can’t be bothered.

Text Verse: “And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. ¹³ So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.” Deuteronomy 4:12, 13

After saying this to the people, Moses again forbid the idolatry of making images, even if they were to worship Yehovah, because the people have no idea what He looks like. And more, it would be taking something that He had made and forming into something to represent Him.

The process itself is illogical when thought through. Isaiah speaks of the illogical nature of idolatry in several key passages. John warns against idolatry as he closes out his first epistle. Anything that diverts our attention away from the Lord can easily become an idol.

Once He is out of the picture, we are prone to fill up our existence with other things that simply replace Him. Thank God for Jesus who actually helps resolve this for us. When we read the gospels about Jesus, our minds form a picture of the Man.

Some of us may be a bit more precise in how we perceive Him, but the notion of Him as a man comes through. When my great-grandfather left China after his years as a medical missionary, the Chinese people he tended to gave him some paintings that they had made from the gospels.

The depictions of Jesus and those with Him were of Chinese men. I have passed churches where Jesus is depicted as black. This is true in any place where Jesus has been proclaimed. People form a picture in their minds of Jesus based on their own culture and experience. No, this is not idolatry. It is the human connection of God in Christ that we form.

Jesus is our way of understanding what God has done. We don’t have any paintings of the true Jesus. Therefore, God has allowed us to consider Him in our own way. He is the Christ of the nations.

Even though we know that Jesus was from the Mideast and we have an idea of what people there look like, there are millions of Mideast people and none of them look just like Jesus. Again, thank God for Jesus. He is our connection to the unseen God. Because of His human nature fulfilling the Law of Moses, we can be free from the burdens that so heavily weigh us down.

This is a truth that is to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Sanctifying, I Sanctified, the Silver (verses 1-3)

With the narrative of Samson complete, the narrative of individual judges is also complete. Rather than focus on a judge, the book will now focus on events that occurred during the time of the judges, before any king reigned.

As Saul will be the first king, these events occur before his reign. That will be seen in verse 6. As for the events themselves, two specific stories are given. The first will comprise chapters 17 and 18. The second will finish the book in chapters 19-21.

These stories are not to be considered chronologically. For example, a grandson of Moses will be noted in Judges 18:30 and Phineas will be noted as the high priest in Judges 20:28. These place both stories very early in the time of the Judges.

Thus, these stories are selected out of this period to tell us things we need to know in the greater story of redemption. They are stories like Ruth, even if they are contained within the book of Judges itself. As for the first of these accounts, it begins with…

Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim,

vayhi ish mehar ephrayim – “And is man from mount Ephraim.” The narrative begins within the tribe of Ephraim. The tribe is north of Judah, Benjamin, and Dan and stretches from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.

What is interesting is that the same words, with some local information added, are used to begin the narrative of Samuel, “And is man…from mount Ephraim.” The apostacy of Israel is highlighted in this early narrative in of the time of the judges which necessitated the calling forth of a judge. That continues through the life of Samuel, Israel’s last judge, and eventually leads to Israel calling for a king.

The name Ephraim means Twice Fruitful and also Ashes.

In Scripture, a har, mountain, is a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people.

^{1 (con’t)} whose name was Micah.

ushmo mikhay’hu – “and his name Micayehu.” The name Micayehu is given here, but it will take another form soon. This secondary form will continue throughout the narrative. The name, as it now stands, means Who is Like Yehovah.

² And he said to his mother, “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.”

The Hebrew is complicated: vayomer l’imo eleph umeah ha’keseph asher luqakh lakh v’athi alith v’gam amart b’aznay hineh ha’keseph iti ani l’qakhtiv – “And says, to his mother, ‘Thousand and hundred the silver which taken to you, and you adjured, and also said in my ears – behold the silver with me. I, I took it.”

The l (ל – lamed) prefix indicates motion toward something. The most literal rendering is to simply say “to” each time it is used, but then the context must be determined. At times, it can signify “for,” “from,” etc. In this case, it probably means “from.” As such, “which was taken from you.”

The Greek translation conveys the sense of “for” or “of” rather than “from,” saying, “And he said to his mother, ‘The eleven hundred pieces of silver which thou tookest of thyself.’”

In other words, they place the theft on the part of the mother. However, “from” seems more likely based on the rest of the narrative. The mother had eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken. When she realized it was stolen, she pronounced an alah, or curse.

This is the first time the word is used in Scripture. It comes from a primitive root and signifies to adjure. For example, and usually in a bad sense, to pronounce an imprecation.

The mother found the money missing, and so in front of her son, she pronounced an imprecation. In hearing it, he was frightened. This is because of the spirit of the words of Leviticus 5 –

“If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.” Leviticus 5:1

The context of Leviticus is a bit different, but the sense is still obtained. He has stolen from his mother, he hears her curse, and he then acts to correct his conduct by admitting he is the one who took it. The fact that she said it right in his hearing may be an indication that she suspected him all along.

If so, then rather than “curse,” she may have simply adjured him to tell the truth. If he lied, then he would be accountable to the Lord. Either way, he feels convicted and comes clean.

Of the number eleven hundred, it is a multiple of 10 and 11. Of ten, Bullinger says, “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

Eleven is the number that marks “disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration.”

It is probably significant that this amount of silver is the same as that promised to Delilah by each of the rulers of the Philistines. That was in the previous chapter, but it is like a set of bookends in Judges from a chronological perspective. This is early in the history of the book, and that came towards the end of the time of the judges.

As for silver, it signifies redemption.

^{2 (con’t)} And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!”

vatomer imo barukh beni l’Yehovah – “And said, his mother, ‘Blessed, my son, to Yehovah.” Rather than leaving a curse upon her son, she accepts his confession and pronounces a blessing upon him. With that, the family goes from one sin to another…

³ So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother,

The words “So when” simply read “and”: vayashev eth eleph u-meah ha’keseph l’imo – “And returns thousand and hundred the silver to his mother.” The son heard the adjuration or the curse and, being guilt stricken, admitted his wrongdoing. After that, he returns the entire sum to his mother. During this process of giving her the money, which will actually take place in the next verse…

^{3 (con’t)} his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son,

vatomer imo haqdesh hiqdashti eth ha’kespeh l’Yehovah miyadi livni – “And says, his mother, ‘Sanctifying, I sanctified, the silver to Yehovah from my hand to my son.’” There are two ways to read this. The first is in the past perfect, as if it was in the past, anticipating the future – “I had sanctified it.” The other is that she is now making a vow to sanctify it – “I have now sanctified it.”

If the words are past perfect, then there are again two possibilities. She had the money and had decided at some point in the past that she would sanctify it to the Lord for a particular purpose. Or it could be that when the money was stolen, she promised that she would sanctify it to the Lord if it was recovered.

If the words are simply a reflection of her joy at getting the money back, then she decided to sanctify it to the Lord after her son confessed and returned it. No matter which of the three options, she has emphatically vowed (sanctifying, I sanctified) that it was to be dedicated to the Lord…

^{3 (con’t)} to make a carved image and a molded image;

laasoth pesel u-masekhah – “to make carved image and molten image.” The words here are debated. Does this mean a carved image that is then covered with a layer of metal, or a carved image along with a molten image? It must be the latter based on what is said in the next chapter –

“Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “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.” ¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him. ¹⁶ The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.” Judges 18:14-17

By placing the ephod and the household idols in the narrative between the carved image and the molded image, it specifies that two images were made.

The pesel is a carved image, coming from pasal, to hew. The masekhah, or molten image, comes from nasak, to pour out. Thus, it is an image that is poured out. It can signify the covering of a hewn image, but that is not the case here. Because of her words, we read the next words which are probably the son speaking…

^{3 (con’t)} now therefore, I will return it to you.”

v’atah ashivenu lakh – “And now, I return it to you.” Contextually, it seems that these words are the son speaking to the mother, not the mother speaking to the son, although it could be either.

After hearing his mother’s words, he excitedly says that he is returning it so that she can whip up some household gods. Before that, a brief poetic interlude…

No other gods before Me, that is one
How many more can you blow today
Do not steal, but this you have done
You are not following the proper way

 No carved images… whoops, that makes three
How hard your head is for sure
No coveting! Yet, your heart I can see
You blew it again, but I have the cure

How about if I do it all for you
And then you just trust in Me
That is all you need to do
And yet you turn it down! How can it be?

II. A Shrine, Images, Idols, Etc. (verses 4-6)

⁴ Thus he returned the silver to his mother.

This is a confirmation that he is now handing it back to his mother: vayashev eth ha’keseph l’imo – “And returns the silver to his mother.” Verse 3 says he returned the money to her. This repetition explains that so that the coming words logically follow. It is she, not he, who takes the action with the silver.

There is confusion because many translations say something like, “from my hand for my son to make a carved image and a molten image.” But that is probably not what is said.

Rather, it more likely says, “from my hand, to my son, to make carved image and molten image.” The sanctification vow was for her, not him, to make these images. The images would then be given to her son as the leader of the household.

This is why determining the meaning of l (ל – lamed) isn’t always easy. The context has to be considered. For example, various psalms begin with l’David. Does that mean “to David” as if the song were written to him? Does it mean “of David” as it is written about him? Or does it mean “from David” (which “of” often also means), as if it is written by him?

The context indicates that David is writing the psalms, especially when he refers to himself in many of them and speaks of things that are recorded elsewhere in Scripture that he did or participated in.

However, rabbis who disagree that David wrote a psalm for one reason or another will argue that the psalm is written “to David.” That takes care of theological boxes about Christian beliefs that they don’t want to be stuck in.

Here in Judges, Micah is the man of the house now. Thus, it is likely his father has died. Naming him mikhay’hu, Who is Like Yehovah, showed that his father was probably a sound worshipper of Yehovah, or at least he had the Lord on his mind.

His mother determined that this money would be dedicated to the Lord to make these images in order to serve the Lord, and she is doing it with the thought that Micah will be the one who was to oversee the worship rites. Therefore…

^4 (con’t) Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith,

Rather than a noun, it is a masculine verb: vatiqakh imo matayim keseph vatitnehu latsoreph – “And takes, his mother, two hundred silver, and gives it to the smelting [guy].” The mother is the one who dedicated the silver and is having the silver fulfill its vowed purpose.

Of the number two hundred, Bullinger says that it is tenfold of twenty. Twenty is the number of expectancy. Ten indicates that the whole cycle is complete. As such, it is as if the expectancy is never realized and thus, he says –

“The significance of this number is suggested by John 6:7, where we read, ‘Two hundred pennyworth of bread is NOT SUFFICIENT for them.’ And so we find this number stamping various things with insufficiency.”

Thus, in short, it signifies insufficiency.

^4 (con’t) and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

vayaasehu pesel u-masekhah vayhi b’veith mikhay’hu – “And he makes it carved image and molten image. And is in house Micayehu.” The smelting guy made the images. The amount is curious because the mother dedicated the entire sum to Yehovah, but it says she only gave two hundred to the silversmith.

Various suggestions have been made as to why. Some seem reasonable. But the words are focused on the number, and thus insufficiency. That is what is being tied into the narrative concerning these images.

Another issue arises in Judges 18. Despite both the carved image and the molten image having been carried away by the Danites, it will later say –

“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.” Judges 18:30

Because only the carved image is set up, this begs the question: Where is the molten image? Some scholars think they are one unit where the molten image is the base of the carved image. But because the carved image is always mentioned first, noting it was set up could simply be a note that everything else was set up with it.

Regardless, at this time, it says…

⁵ The man Micah had a shrine,

v’ha’ish mikhah lo beith elohim – “And the man, Micah, to him house gods.” Of verse 5, Keil interestingly says the following –

His mother did this, because her son Micah had a house of God, and had had an ephod and teraphim made for himself, and one of his sons consecrated to officiate there as a priest. מיכה האישׁ (the man Micah) is therefore placed at the head absolutely, and is connected with what follows by לו: ‘As for the man Micah, there was to him (he had) a house of God.’ The whole verse is a circumstantial clause explanatory of what precedes, and the following verbs … are simply a continuation of the first clause, and therefore to be rendered as pluperfects.”

In other words, he is placing this verse after verse 1 and saying all the rest of what we have analyzed fills in the blanks –

“And is man from Mount Ephraim, and his name Micayehu. … The man Micah had a shrine.”

This is an interesting take on the narrative and it is not without precedent in Judges. We have seen two narratives overlap and later meet up to continue on as one narrative. However, I think there is a problem with that in this story which is seen in the name of the man.

His name changes permanently here: v’ha’ish mikhah lo beith elohim – “And the man, Micah, to him house gods.” The name in verses 1 & 4 was mikhay’hu and here it is mikhah. It is hard to imagine that the name change would happen chronologically before the narrative aligns as Keil suggests.

Here is what his suggestion looks like chronologically –

1. And is man from Mount Ephraim, and his name Micayehu.
5. And the man, Micah, to him house gods [already filled with gods].
4. And he makes it carved image and molten image. And is in house Micayehu.

As his name is changed, information is being assigned to that name. The assignment of the information isn’t contingent on chronology, but it appears that the change of information assigns chronology. Micah comes from the word mi, who, and the [כה] kah at the end becomes debatable.

The letters correspond to the word koh, a demonstrative adverb indicating manner, place, or time. It specifically means “like this.” The name could then read Who’s Like This, Who is Thus, Who’s Here, Who Now, etc. Less likely, but still possible, the כה could also be from one of a couple of similar roots which would lead to possibilities such as Who is Disheartened, Who is a Coward, Who is Afraid, etc.

The name mikhay’hu was used twice. This new name, mikhah, will be used seven times in this chapter and twelve in the next. He has built a house of gods for his images. It is not uncommon to read commentaries that say it should read House of God, as if the images were to worship only the true God, Yehovah.

If that was the case, one might assume that it would be called Beith Yehovah, House of Yehovah rather than house of gods. And more, if there is more than one image, that option could in no way be considered as such. There is one Yehovah.

If someone incorrectly had a single god and associated it with Yehovah, he might get away with that as Aaron tried to do with the golden calf. But there is no way two or more idols could be equated to the sole worship of Yehovah.

Adam Clarke thinks that Micah’s shrine is a replica of the tabernacle and he has set up a little ark with a mercy seat and all the other tabernacle furniture. There is nothing to suggest this.

As for the money, if the two hundred of silver was for the two images, then it is possible that the rest may have gone into the things mentioned here, such as the shrine and what follows…

^{5 (con’t)} and made an ephod and household idols;

vayaas ephod utraphim – “And makes ephod and teraphim.” An ephod is a priestly garment set apart for ministering to the gods of the house.

This is comparable to what is seen in the Roman Catholic Church with their supposed priestly garments that are used when ministering to the ten thousand images and idols they have set up. One might say that is the House of God, but it is a house of gods.

As for the teraphim, it is unknown what they are. It is a plural word and the singular is never used. They were first seen in Genesis 31:19 where Rachel stole her father’s teraphim. In verse 31:30, Laban specifically calls them his gods.

In 1 Samuel 15, the word is used in a truly negative sense –

“So Samuel said:
‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry [teraphim].
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.’” 1 Samuel 15:22, 23

There are fifteen uses of teraphim in the Old Testament but none of them clearly define what they are. Whatever they are, they can in no way be considered in the proper worship of the Lord. It is no wonder that the name of Micah changes in this verse.

He has gone from Who is Like Yehovah to Who is Like This. We could pick up one of his little gods and toss it on the ground where it would shatter into the nothingness that it always was.

^{5 (con’t)} and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

vaymale eth yad akhad mibanav vayhi lo l’khohen – “And fills hand one from his sons. And is, to him, to priest.” To fill the hand signifies to consecrate. In the case of Aaron and his sons, that was done with the sacrificial offerings –

“Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), ²³ one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; ²⁴ and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. ²⁵ You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.” Exodus 29:22-25

The mother sanctified the silver to be used for this purpose. She followed through for her son to receive charge of the ministry to these images. He now delegates the actual service of these things to a son whom he has consecrated to be his priest for this purpose.

During these four verses, there has been an explicit violation of at least half of the Ten Commandments –

You shall have no other gods before Me. Fail.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image. Fail.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Possible fail.
Honor your father and your mother. Fail.
You shall not steal. Fail.
You shall not covet. Fail.

There are also violations of other parts of the Mosaic Code as well. This is one house out of the innumerable homes in Israel at the time. It is a time of lawlessness despite being under the law. The sad state of affairs leads the author to implicitly state what he feels is the remedy for this situation.

Unfortunately, what is stated will simply lead to other problems. That point begins with the words…

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel;

bayamim ha’hem ein melekh b’Yisrael – “In the days, the those, naught king in Israel.” These words tell us that the narrative was either written or compiled and edited during the time of the kings. Until there was a king, there was no king. To write that this was in the days when there was no king acknowledges that there was a king when the narrative is being presented.

The words imply that a king would rectify the situation. And this is just what the author (compiler or editor) next presents…

*^{6 (fin)} everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

ish ha’yashar b’enav yaaseh – “Man the straight in his eyes does.” As there was no king in Israel, everyone saw his own path as the straight or right one and then took it.

We are being reintroduced to a thought that was already presented in Genesis. From those first events in Genesis, a dispensational model developed within the pages of Scripture. But here we find a set of dispensations within the dispensation of the law.

It began in Exodus, but these words show us that this is what has been going on.

What is straight to one person won’t be straight to another. And what is straight to most people is not what the Lord sees as straight. If a king is appointed over these people, what would be the result?

This is what these words are asking us to consider. The answer would logically be, “Whatever is straight in the king’s eyes.” This will be borne out in the coming books, from 1 Samuel to 2 Chronicles, along with the prophets which fill in detail concerning the time of the kings.

And another point, if Jesus is the King of Israel, and this is typologically anticipating something else, then what is this time with no king anticipating? This will be fleshed out as we continue through these final chapters of Judges.

The covenant was cut and the law was set
“Do these things and you will live.”
Be sure that My word, you don’t forget
And the blessings of heaven I will give

But when you fail in this, that is sin
And with that, My law is broken
Without mercy, you would be done in
But mercy I give as a faithful token

And on the day when the law is done
You no longer need to follow that path
All is accomplished in the giving of My Son
It’s either Jesus or all those laws, you do the math

III. Right In His Own Eyes

In Genesis, God gave a law to Adam. Adam did what was straight to him, regardless of what the Lord said. He thought it was a blast. And because of what he did, out of the garden he was cast.

Without any further instruction from God, but simply living under the law of conscience, fallen man did what was straight in his own eyes as if spiritually asleep. That lasted till the year 1656 Anno Mundi and then down came the rains and up broke the fountains of the great deep.

From there, God set up the nations under various governments of peoples through the manipulation of their speech. This was based on his words to Noah in Genesis 9, but it was most fully realized when the nations were divided in Genesis 11, in humanity came the language breach.

People had minimal instruction on what the Lord expected, and they were structured to set up their own laws and live within governments and territories that were carefully monitored by the Lord, as can be inferred from Daniel –

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
²¹ And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21, 22

This same thought is expressed elsewhere in various ways. The Lord is guiding human history. But during that time of government, which continues today, He called out a group of people to preserve a proper understanding of Him through a set and detailed worship of Him, showing them His way.

He gave them His law, just as He had done for Adam. It was a bit more detailed than Adam’s, but it was nonetheless a law that He expected to be obeyed, even if He knew they would not obey it.

From there, mini-dispensations have been introduced. Like Adam, the Israelites immediately failed at Sinai by rejecting Him and His law, even while Moses was on the mountain receiving more of it.

There was the time of Moses’ stewardship of the law, which was a time of disaster as well, both by the people’s failing to adhere to it and Moses failing to do as he was told at one key point. There was the transition to Joshua where there were setbacks, such as with Aachan. But things went reasonably well.

However, at the end of the final chapter of Joshua, we saw these words –

“Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” Joshua 24:31

By reading that verse, one can tell that trouble is just the turn of a page away.

And sure enough, after that, there was the time of the Judges. They were localized in their rule and they met with some degree of success, but there was no overall king to guide the nation. And so, everyone did what was straight for them, ignoring the fact that God had already set forth His commandments for them to live by.

Israel found itself in a time not unlike that of conscience that preceded the flood. They did have the law, but there was no mechanism to enforce it. Without that, the law was essentially forgotten.

The last story in Judges, even if it chronologically dates to early in the time of the Judges, shows us that it was a time of rule where the majority made the decisions while at least consulting the Lord. And even when a judge was appointed, there was very little to enforce any meaningful rule he may have determined.

When the kings are introduced, the nation will be expected to abide by the laws of the king who reigns at that time. Governments were even set up under the king to ensure it would be so. But the problem is that it was up to each king to determine if he would follow the Lord or not.

And more, when the nation divided, there were even more complications in ruling the people of God. But each story within the time of the law and each situation in which the people found themselves was, supposedly, to help prepare them for the coming Messiah.

If a Messiah was coming, however, what was the point of all of the failed history? Why didn’t God just send the Messiah at the beginning and be done with it? It is the same reason why the dispensation in Eden failed.

Human beings cannot appreciate what they have not experienced. Without a minute record of the failings, we could not know that the better way given by God is truly the best way.

This is what makes law observance by people in the world today so maddening to consider. Man has already gone that route. And not just once under ideal circumstances as in Eden. It has been repeatedly brought forth in one situation or another since then. These accounts are showing us that law is not what man needs.

The words of the final verse today say, “In the days, the those, no king in Israel. Man the straight in his eyes does.” This is not God telling us that a king will resolve the situation. It is Him telling us that another attempt at fixing the problem of man under law is forthcoming but which will be no remedy at all. Well, at least in relation to a king who is not the Lord.

If you have read those books, you already know this. If you haven’t, pick up your Bible and read it. Things do not go well for the people under the kings. A good king with a proper-running and God-honoring society is a rare thing. And as soon as he is gone, things will normally devolve in the turn of a single page.

After the time of the kings, Israel will be ruled by foreign governments. That era of Israel’s history didn’t pan out well either. What man needs is something entirely different, something not initiated or maintained by himself.

What we need is grace. Grace comes from outside ourselves as God is the One who lavishes it upon us. But we are so prone to law, even if it means going under it so that we can break it, that is the path that most choose. It is hard to set self aside and simply yield to God, but that is what He asks us to do.

Jesus came and took care of the law problem. Now, He offers us God’s grace. Are you ready to accept the grace and give up on self? If so, God has a place for you in His kingdom. Receive His gift by faith and it will be yours forever.

Closing Verse: “I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1

Next Week: Judges 17:7-13 Things are not looking swell. Yes, it’s true… (No King In Israel, Part II) (49^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King in Israel, Part I

Now there was a man
From the mountains of Ephraim
Whose name was Micah
This guy was a bit extreme

And he said to his mother
“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. Sad but true

And his mother said in her state of stun
“May you be blessed by the LORD, my son!

So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver
To his mother, his mother said about what was done
“I had wholly dedicated the silver
From my hand to the LORD for my son

To make a carved image and a molded image, yes, it’s true
Now therefore, I will return it to you

Thus he returned the silver to his mother
Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver
———-(amazing but true)
And gave them to the silversmith
And he made it into a carved image and a molded image too

And they were in the house of Micah
Idolatry all day, zippedeedoodah

The man Micah had a shrine
And made an ephod and household idols, an idolatry feast
And he consecrated one of his sons
Who became his priest

In those days there was no king in Israel
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes
———-a sad story to tell

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. ² And he said to his mother, “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.”

And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” ³ So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.” ⁴ Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

⁵ The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. ⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.