Judges 17

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 99
• Hymn — The Lord God Reigns in Majesty (Psalm 99b)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Heidelberg Catechism — Lord's Day 13 (Questions 33–34)
• Hymn — My Song Is Love Unknown
• Pastoral Prayer
• Scripture Reading — Judges 17:1–13
• Sermon
• Hymn — This Day at Thy Creating Word (#154)
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Confused Religion, Blessing, and Success in the Days of the Judges

Scripture: Judges 17:1–13

I. A Confused Religion

A. Judges divides into three sections: chapters 1–2 (introduction), 3–16 (the judges), and 17–21 (final section)

1. Chapters 17–21 are purely descriptive — the narrator never explicitly approves or condemns the actions recorded
2. Four times the author provides the interpretive key: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25)

B. Micah's worship is syncretistic — mixing pagan elements with Yahweh worship

1. He sets up carved and metal images in a private shrine (literally "house of God")
2. He makes an ephod, which belonged exclusively to the Levitical high priest (originally Aaron)
3. The ephod contained the Urim and Thummim for discerning God's will; Micah's use likely amounts to divination, an abomination before God
4. The ephod's twelve stones represented the unity of the twelve tribes — worn by Micah's non-Levite son, it is a direct contradiction of that unity, especially in an era of rampant tribalism

C. Micah's worship is also formalistic and individualistic

1. He believes possessing the right materials and personnel (eventually a Levite) guarantees God's blessing
2. His worship is private and personal rather than corporate and representative
3. Micah ordains the Levite himself (Judges 17:12) — God never calls or ordains him

D. This ancient confusion maps onto problems in the church today

1. Syncretism: self-worship blended into corporate worship
2. Formalism: sacramentalism in high-church settings; "right elements = right standing" in low-church settings
3. Individualism: "I love Jesus but not his church" worship
4. Root cause in all cases: lack of authoritative structure — no king, no Word ruling
5. Remedy: worship ordered according to God's Word — 1 Corinthians 14:40: "All things should be done decently and in order"
6. This frees worshipers from emotionalism — God blesses worship done in accord with his Word, not worship contingent on feeling a certain way

II. A Confused Blessing

A. On the surface, Micah's confession and restoration of the silver appears positive

1. He returns the 1,100 pieces of silver; his mother blesses him in the Lord's name
2. Contrast with Zacchaeus in Luke 19:8–9: genuine repentance brought salvation; here the outcome is very different

B. The mother's blessing becomes a curse

1. She dedicates silver to the Lord, then uses 200 pieces to make a carved and metal image
2. The exact Hebrew pairing "carved image and metal image" appears in Deuteronomy 27:15 — the first and most prominent of twelve curses God pronounces upon Israel
3. The pattern mirrors the Ten Commandments: right worship (Deuteronomy 27:15) governs right social relationships (the curses that follow)
4. Judges 17–21 as a whole replays this Deuteronomy 27 pattern: disordered worship produces disordered social relationships throughout the remaining chapters

C. The root of the confusion: God is replaced by self

1. The mother's pride in her son overrides her obedience to God's Word — she has forgotten Deuteronomy 27:15
2. Rewarding Micah with a share of the silver he stole is tantamount to rewarding his sin
3. Luke 14:26: Jesus demands that love for him surpass love for family — paradoxically, this is the only way to truly love our loved ones
4. True love for others flows from the true worship of Christ as King; without the King there is no true love among the people of God

III. A Confused Success

A. Micah's acquisition of the wandering Levite appears providential and heartwarming

1. The Levite had no inheritance in the land and was looking for a place to stay
2. Micah hires him for ten pieces of silver per year, clothing, and room and board
3. The Levite becomes like a father figure to Micah; Micah concludes: "Now I know that the Lord will prosper me because I have a Levite as a priest" (Judges 17:13)

B. This apparent success rests under God's curse, not his blessing

1. It is possible to pursue religious faith and ministry that "exudes success in every respect and yet rest under the curse of God's judgment" (Dale Ralph Davis)
2. Matthew 7:22–23: "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name…?' And I will say to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'"

C. The prominence of money signals a corrupt motive throughout the passage

1. Silver appears repeatedly: the 1,100 pieces (v. 2), the dedication (v. 3), the 200 pieces for the image (v. 4), the ten pieces for the Levite (v. 10)
2. Worship is tied to materials and financial transaction rather than to grace received
3. Outward prosperity and worldly markers of success are being mistaken for divine approval

D. True success according to God is displayed at the cross

1. The suffering, crucified King cries, "It is finished" — that is God's definition of success
2. It is not enough to have a king; we must have the crucified King, and take up our own cross
3. Die to self and to others for Christ — live for the smile of God, not the smile of man