Sermon

Losing Our Religion

April 13, 2024 Lakeside Bible Church Sermons

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There's so much that we discover in the narrative of Judges 17 and 18.
It's in this particular story, this record, that we read of the migration of the tribe of Dan
from its initial allotment of land, kind of in the central portion of Canaan,
to the northernmost tip of Canaan.
So if you've ever wondered, if you're reading through your Old Testament
and you hear sometimes there is a phrase used by the prophets or the people in the historical books,
they'll talk about Israel from Dan to Beersheba, right?
And what they mean by that, they're using that phrase to say all of Israel, all of God's people.
And the reason that's the phrase that they use is because Dan was at the very northern tip of the land of Canaan
and Beersheba was at the very southern tip of Canaan.
But if you go to Genesis and Joshua and you begin to sort through the allotments of land,
you'll find that Dan wasn't supposed to be in the north.
So how did they get there?
Well, this story tells us how they got there and how they ended up in that particular place.
We learn that here.
We also have this unique opportunity to peek into the life of the grandson
of one of Israel's most famous and essential leaders.
It becomes a lesson to us as we'll see that even the most faithful believers
cannot guarantee the faithfulness of their own children and grandchildren.
But those things aren't the primary point here.
The author's primary point in this section is to show the nature of Israel's spiritual decline
during the time of the judges.
In chapter 17, we see this on a individual level through this man named Micah.
In chapter 18, we see it on a corporate level through the tribe of Dan.
But influencing and enabling the apostasy in this text is a crooked spiritual leader.
A spiritual leader who has abandoned faithfulness to his call
in order that he might instead gain riches and power and prestige.
And all three of these dynamics are immediately relevant to the church as a whole.
Which often seems to be in the same kind of spiritual decline as Israel was in the book of Judges.
Now, my comparison of Israel in Judges to the modern church may seem like a bit of an overreaction.
But we need to understand that spiritual apostasy does not always look like total rejection of God.
In fact, often in our culture, it doesn't look like total rejection of God, at least on the surface.
Often it appears like true worship.
Only upon closer examination, we find some type of personal twist or shift in church culture
that changes it just enough so that the gospel is lost,
that the glory of God is diminished.
It's not always easy to see.
Such was the case in these two chapters.
All of the people in this narrative in chapter 17 and in 18
considered themselves to be genuine worshipers of Yahweh,
genuine worshipers of the God of Israel, the one true and living God.
That's what they thought they were.
But their religion was a personal fabrication
that ignored the revealed word of God.
Does that not sound like the condition of many churches today?
They're using the right language.
We're saying the right things and even often doing the right things.
But when you get in and you start to really examine what's happening there,
you find out that what they've done actually
is they've taken the name of Christ or the name of God
and they've ignored his revealed word in order to do what they want instead.
Here's what Dale Ralph Davis says about this in his commentary.
He says in this passage,
what is primarily condemned is not idolatry in the raw,
but syncretism in particular.
Syncretism being the merging of two religions together,
the merging of two religious ideas together.
He says it's not the worship of other gods,
but the worship of Yahweh in the wrong way.
That's where Israel's at right here.
And of course, they've got other gods too.
But the primary thing coming to the surface here
is that they're just,
they're trying to worship God in a way that God has not said
he is to be worshiped.
Now, what we have here
is an example of Israel losing its religion, so to speak.
But there's three ways you can lose your religion.
In one sense, you can really just forfeit it.
That is, to abandon it for something different.
And that's exactly what we see Micah
and a rogue Levite and the tribe of Dan doing in this story.
They forfeit the true worship of God.
They forfeit the authoritative word of God
for something different,
something else that they wanted instead.
Another way to, quote, lose your religion
is for it to just fail you.
To come to a point where you realize
that it's a lie that cannot actually save you.
And we find that in chapter 17 and 18.
The third way you could, quote, lose your religion
is ultimately just to be condemned by it
through the divine wrath of God.
That's what we find happening with the tribe of Dan.
And we're gonna cover all three of those things
as we work through the text today.
But what I wanna do this morning
is I wanna walk through the narrative
to show you and to point out the nature
and the cost of spiritual decline.
What contributes to it?
What are the things, the warning signs
that we should be looking for
that actually contribute to spiritual decline
and ultimately spiritual apostasy?
We want to see that in this text.
What are the costs of it?
Why is it such a big deal?
What happens at the end
if that's the path that I pursue?
We're gonna look at that too.
But then in the end, what we want to do
is we wanna ask ourselves,
is there a solution to the problem?
Is there a solution to the problem
for Israel in the passage?
Is there a solution to the problem
for our waywardness in our own lives
and in our church perhaps?
And I think all of those things can be answered.
Here's the first thing that I want you to notice.
This is the bulk of the passage.
I want you to see the nature of losing our religion.
The nature.
What does it look like?
What contributes to it?
And I think there's two components of this in the text.
The first is this.
Unbridled individualism.
Unrestrained individualism.
Our first introduction,
we read the first six verses a moment ago.
Our first introduction to Micah the Ephraimite
was not as a worshiper.
Our first introduction to him is as a thief.
He stole 1,100 pieces of silver from his own mom.
An enormous amount of money, to be honest.
He steals it from her, but then he returns it.
Not because he feels the guilt of what he's done,
but because he overheard his mom
declaring a curse on whoever it is
that took her money.
And he was afraid of the curse.
Another sign of his syncretism, really, already.
He's scared to death that just the proclamation
of a curse from his mother was going to damn him.
And so he brings the money back to her.
And of course, the mother's curse quickly turns
from a pronouncement of curse
to a pronouncement of blessing on her son.
Isn't that interesting?
It's not exactly what we expect.
If you've never read the story before,
maybe that was somewhat of a surprise to you.
Here he says, hey, the 1,100 pieces of silver
that someone stole from you,
and you were so mad that you wanted
whichever God you were praying to that day
to kill them.
It was me, mom.
Sorry.
We would at least expect a spanking, right?
Something.
Something for this son who has stolen all this money.
What does she do?
She doesn't do that.
She says, blessed be my son by Yahweh.
Now, how many of you parents have ever done that
with your kids before?
They did something stupid,
or they did something wrong against you,
and your first thought when they came
and admitted it was to say, God bless you.
That's not typically the way we react.
Well, that's exactly how she reacts.
And it's not so unusual.
It's not that strange for the mother to be so forgiving.
Parents that are here, you understand that.
You understand what it's like to forgive your children,
even that great sin against you.
But what is so bizarre is the steps that she took
to honor Micah's contrition.
Notice what she does.
She opted to, quote,
dedicate the silver that he stole to the Lord,
not by taking it to Shiloh,
where the tabernacle was,
and giving it to the priest there
in order that it may be used for the purposes of the Lord,
but she gave it to the silversmith,
who then took it and melted it down
and fashioned it into an idol.
This epitomizes, this action,
it epitomizes the spiritual decline
of the nation of Israel at the time.
They had been so canonized at that point
that they not only thought idolatry was excusable,
but they were deceived and deluded
into thinking that God would actually be pleased by it.
That's what she's doing here.
Her actions, they were meant to persuade God
to enact this blessing on Micah
as if the Lord was actually glad that she did it.
Look at her language in the passage itself.
Look at verse three.
His mother said,
I dedicate the silver to the Lord
from my hand for who?
For my son.
In other words, by doing this,
by fashioning this idol,
God will forgive my son,
and God will bless my son.
It's deluded.
Even still,
she had such a low view of God
that she didn't even use
the entire dedicated amount of silver
to have the idol made.
Only a small portion of it.
She dedicated 1,100 pieces,
but she only gave 200 pieces
to the silversmith.
I don't know if that's a good thing
or a bad thing.
At least it's a low view of God,
no matter how you look at it.
An errant view of God,
for certain.
But then we discover
that this metal image
was just one of many idols
that Micah had collected
in his house.
He was in the process
of developing his own cult religion
in the name of Yahweh.
Look at the verse.
It was in the house of Micah,
verse 5,
and the man Micah,
he had a shrine,
and he made an ephod,
and he had other household gods
as a part of this shrine,
and then he went even so far
as to anoint one of his sons
to become a priest
in the name of this new religion.
How could something like this
happen in Israel?
God was so clear to them.
He had made his will so evident.
He had proved himself
so miraculously on so many levels.
How is it possible
that someone in Israel
that at least is aware
of the true God
would worship him
in such a perverse way?
The author gives us
the answer in verse 6.
In those days,
there was no king in Israel.
Everyone did what was right
in his own eyes.
How could this happen?
The answer is
unbridled individualism.
Unbridled individualism.
This is what happens
when people want God
on their terms
rather than on his terms.
So in order to establish
his own brand
of Israelite religion,
Micah completely abandons
the scriptures.
Just in these first six verses,
he has violated
at least six
of the Ten Commandments.
He's ignored God's commands
for proper worship,
which was supposed to happen
in Shiloh,
where the tabernacle was,
where God had put
his own name
and told them
this is where to worship
and this is how to worship.
He's completely ignored that.
And he has taken
upon himself
a religious
and spiritual authority
that did not belong to him.
Rather than doing
what was right
in God's eyes,
Micah did his own thing
and expected God
to just be okay with it.
Because it was
in the name of God,
in the name of Yahweh,
God surely will accept it
and be fine with it.
It's not that bad.
It's still the same God, right?
You see, that's the thing.
It's not.
It's not.
Unless we worship God
in the way that he has
revealed himself
and in the way
that he has demanded us to,
we worship a God
of our own making.
The language may be the same,
the titles may be the same,
the name for God
may be the same,
but it's an idol.
It's an idol
of our imagination.
And that's what
Micah's doing here.
Since 1954,
Burger King
has tried to set itself up
against the
big dogs
of the fast food industry,
McDonald's,
by emphasizing
a particular
slogan, right?
Do you know what it is?
Have it your way.
How many of you
are singing the jingle
in your head now?
Hold the pickle,
hold the lettuce.
Special orders
don't upset us.
At BK,
have it your way.
Do you remember
what's next?
You rule.
At one time,
this is what they had
printed on their cups.
Quote,
you have the right
to have what you want
exactly the way
you want it.
Because on the menu
of life,
you are today special.
And tomorrow's.
And the day after that.
And, well,
you get the drift.
Yes, that's right.
We may be the king,
but you, my friend,
are the almighty
ruler.
Now, that may be okay
for a burger joint.
I like to go
to the drive-thru
and order it
the way that I want it.
That's not good
when it comes
to your worship.
But there's a lot
of professing Christians
that are treating God
exactly like Burger King.
He may be the king.
He's the one
with the power
to actually accomplish
things that I want
in my life,
but I'm the ruler.
I'm the one
who decides
what I'm going to do
with my life.
I'm the one
who decides
when and how
and where I worship.
I'm the one
who decides
the way I'm going
to do things
because he's the king
but I'm the ruler.
Many professing Christians,
they don't want
a Christianity
over which Christ rules.
but one over which
they rule
and God just goes
along with it.
Here's the problem.
Unbridled individualism,
it lies about God.
It's a lie.
It lies about God
and it reduces worship
to a matter of preference
and convenience.
Can we just think
about that
for just a moment?
This type of contribution
to spiritual apostasy,
it lies about God.
It says something
of him
that is not true.
It treats
the worship of God
as merely
a matter of preference.
This is what I want
in a church.
This is what I want
in a worship service.
This is what I want
in a small group.
This is what I want.
It's all a matter
of preference
and or convenience.
Well, we won't
concern ourselves
too much
with what the scripture
says about
when we are to gather
and what's to be included
in that gathering.
We're going to do it
based on
what's most convenient
to our busy schedules.
It's a lie.
It creates
a form of
Christianity
without the Bible.
Worship
without doctrine.
Salvation
without repentance.
A church body
without a covenant
amongst its people.
Love
without discipline.
And prosperity
without persecution.
In other words,
it's a lie.
Instead of looking
to the scriptures
to know God,
people build
their thoughts
of God
based on how
they feel
he should be
and based on
the ways that
they think
he should act.
And then they want
to argue
against the scriptures
because they could,
they would say
there's no way
God would do
something like that.
That can't be
who God is
because in my mind,
God is very different
than that.
It's all based
on their feeling.
It's based on
what they want
God to be
rather than
what God
has revealed
himself to be.
And what is that?
Idolatry.
Unbridled individualism,
it reveals itself
in statements like,
I don't have to go
to church
to be a Christian.
or I sense
God more in nature
than under the sound
of preaching
of the word.
Or God only cares
about the sincerity
of my heart.
It's unbridled
individualism.
It trades God's truth
for man's lies
and it produces
a counterfeit religion
that knows nothing
of the Christ
that it claims
to know and serve.
That's what it does.
Verse 7.
Now there was a young man
of Bethlehem in Judah
of the family of Judah
who was a Levite
and he sojourned there.
And the man departed
from the town
of Bethlehem in Judah
to sojourn
where he could find a place.
And as he journeyed,
he came to the hill country
of Ephraim
to the house of Micah.
And Micah said to him,
where do you come from?
And he said to him,
I'm a Levite
of Bethlehem in Judah
and I am going to sojourn
where I may find a place.
And Micah said to him,
stay with me
and be to me
a father
and a priest
and I will give you
ten pieces of silver
a year
and a suit of clothes
and your living.
And the Levite went in.
And the Levite was
content
to dwell with the man.
And the young man
became to him
like one of his sons.
And Micah ordained
the Levite
and the young man
became his priest
and was in the house
of Micah.
Then Micah said,
now I know
that the Lord
will prosper me
because I have
a Levite
as a priest.
Now there are
several problems
with this sojourning
Levite.
But the most glaring
of the problems
is seen in his response
to Micah's idolatry.
What he should have done
was declare that
Micah's idolatry
was sinful.
That's what he should have done.
He should have called him
to repent.
He should have told him
you got to destroy
these idols
and turn back
to the true worship
of God.
That was his job.
That was his call.
That was his responsibility
this Levite.
He should have read
the scriptures
to Micah.
He should have corrected
his errant view
of God.
But instead
he accepted
Micah's handsome offer
and became a willing
participant
in Micah's
counterfeit
religion.
The pastor
said,
okay
we'll go with it
your way.
You just keep
the silver coming
and the new clothes
coming.
You keep providing
the living
that I need
and I'll do
whatever you want
Micah.
Writing to Timothy
in the New Testament
Paul said that
churches will sometimes
do exactly
as Micah did.
Micah wasn't
looking for a priest
who would teach him
the truth of God.
He wanted someone
who would go along
with his personal
version of worship.
He didn't want
somebody to preach
the Bible.
He wanted somebody
who would do nothing
but pronounce blessing
on him.
who would encourage
him and enable
his idolatry.
Here's what Paul says
for the time is coming
when people will not
endure sound teaching
but having itching ears
they will accumulate
for themselves
teachers
to suit
their own
passions
and they will
turn away
from listening
to the truth
and wander
off
into myths.
What are the myths?
Is that not what
Micah is now
subscribed to?
A myth
a lie
it's not real
but they'll
wander off there
why?
Because they'll
find some pastors
who will let them
contributing
to the
unbridled
individualism
that is so rampant
among
professing Christians
is this wave
of pastors
that compromise
the truth of God
make a mockery
of true worship
in order that
they might build
a crowd
or gain some
type of power
in their
religious affiliations
or of course
to pad their
bank accounts.
A hundred years ago
B.B. Warfield
wrote this
it is not a matter
of small importance
for the servant
of Christ
to begin to seek
to please men
in the gospel.
Doing so
he ceases
to be Christ's
servant
performing Christ's
will
and he becomes
the slave
of men
and in so doing
he's no longer
the teacher
of the truth
to men
but the learner
of falsehood
from men.
Spiritual apostasy
is the inevitable
result
of individuals
who want to
have it your way
type of Christianity
being led
by men
and women
who are more
than happy
to go along
with it.
Loved ones
a version
of Christianity
that bends
to your preference
will not
save you.
It cannot
save you.
It cannot
help you.
It will not
bring you
closer to God
no matter
how it makes
you feel.
It will
condemn you.
It will
condemn you
to hell.
To think
of God
simply
in your
own terms
is to fashion
another idol
made in your
own imagination.
salvation.
What we need
is the Bible.
We need the Bible
at the center
of everything.
God's word
is inerrant
infallible
authoritative
word
that's what we
need.
It has to be
at the center
of our worship.
It needs to be
at the center
of our devotion.
It needs to be
at the center
of our counsel.
It needs to be
at the center
of everything
that we do.
what we must
do is submit
to him
as he has
revealed himself
in his own
word.
What a privilege
it is
that our God
wants to be
known
and that in
wanting to be
known
he gives us
a book that
tells us
exactly who
he is
and what
he wants
and what
he desires
from us
and how
he loves
us in
Christ
and how
he has
paid the
price for
sin.
What a
blessing
it is
to have
that.
Why would
we neglect
such a
treasure?
But it's
not just
unbridled
individualism
here.
The second
thing we
see in
chapter 18
is what
we might
call
corporate
pragmatism.
Corporate
pragmatism.
So the
narrative
it adds
this
corporate
layer
to the
individualism
in chapter
17.
It turns
our attention
from one
man
Micah
to an
entire
tribe
Dan.
So that
the nature
of spiritual
decline
on a
corporate
scale
looks like
this
pragmatism
which in
this case
what I
mean by
pragmatism
is not
simply
what works
pragmatism
is not
a problem
if it's
submitted
to the
scriptures.
So we're
not talking
about pragmatism
in general
what we're
talking about
is the
idea of
doing what
is easy
or convenient
or apparently
successful
instead of
doing what
we know
to be
right
and true.
That's what's
happening here
on a
corporate
scale.
Let's read
the first
ten verses
of chapter
18.
In those
days there
was no
king in
Israel
and in
those days
the tribe
of the
people of
Dan
was seeking
for itself
an inheritance
to dwell
in
for until
then no
inheritance
among the
tribes of
Israel had
fallen to
them.
So the
people of
Dan sent
five able
men from
the whole
number of
their tribe
from Zorah
from Eshtiol
to spy out
the land
and to
explore it
and they
said to
them go
and explore
the land
and they
came to
the hill
country of
Ephraim
to the
house of
Micah
and lodged
there and
when they
were by the
house of
Micah they
recognized
the voice
of the
young
Levite
and they
turned aside
and said
to him
who brought
you here
what are
you doing
in this
place
what's
your
business
here
and he
said to
them
this is
how Micah
dealt with
me
he's hired
me and I
have become
his priest
and they
said to him
inquire of
God please
that we may
know whether
the journey
on which we
are setting
out will
succeed
and the
priest said
to them
go in
peace
the journey
on which
you go
is under
the eye
of the
Lord
then the
five men
departed
and came
to
Laish
they saw
the people
who were
there
how they
lived in
security
after the
manner of
the
Sidonians
quiet
unsuspecting
lacking
nothing
that's in
the earth
possessing
wealth
and how
they were
far from
the
Sidonians
and had
no dealings
with anyone
and when
they came
to their
brothers
at Zorah
and Eshtael
their brothers
said to
them
what do
you report
and they
said
arise
let us
go up
against
them
for we
have
seen
the land
and behold
it's
very good
and will
you do
nothing
do not
be slow
to go
to enter
in and
possess
the land
as soon
as you
go
you will
come to
an
unsuspecting
people
the land
is spacious
for God
has given
it into
your hands
a place
where there
is no
lack
of anything
that is
in the
earth
it's
crucial
to acknowledge
the opening
statement
here in
verse 1
as the
author is
using it
here
to guide
our
interpretation
in those
days there
was no
king in
Israel
he's
reminding
us
that
Dan's
actions
in this
story
result
from having
no
righteous
king
to prevent
those
actions
okay
just as
Micah
did what
was right
in his
own eyes
so did
the
tribe
of Dan
as they
looked for
a place
to settle
long term
now the
problem
for Dan's
settlement
it's not
that God
didn't give
them an
allotment
of land
he did
the problem
is they
didn't obey
God
by driving
out the
Canaanites
there
they did
not trust
him
to deliver
the Canaanites
into their
hands
so that
they could
receive
the land
that he
promised
them
that's
what
happened
and we
read that
all the way
back in
Judges

Judges 1 chapter mention
chapter 1
and verse
34
where it
says
the
Ammonites
Amorites
excuse me
press the
people of
Dan
back into
the hill
country
for they
did not
allow them
to come
down
to the
plain
God
had graciously
provided
for them
they just
did not
receive the
blessing
they didn't
trust him
enough to
do it
they were
afraid
they didn't
fight against
them
they tried
to compromise
with the
people of
the land
and so
they did
not inherit
the land
that they
wanted
and later
on when
they got
unsettled
and discontent
with it
instead of
resuming
what God
had commanded
them to do
they decided
just to
completely
abandon
what God
had planned
for them
so that
rather than
doing what
was right
according to
God's word
the tribe
of Dan
decided to
find an
easier
path
to
settlement
doing
what's
easy
rather than
what's
right
and they
appoint five
men
they go
and they
spy out
the northern
portion
of Canaan
to see if
there was
some place
that they
could migrate
and as
these spies
journeyed
north
they happened
upon Micah's
house
and recognized
the Levite
whom Micah
had hired
and upon
further
inspection
they discovered
that this
Levite
was now
happily
serving
as Micah's
private
priest
so in
chapter 17
it was the
responsibility
of the
Levite
to correct
Micah's
idolatry
and call him
to repentance
in chapter 18
the situation
changes
the Levite
is now
sucked into
the idolatry
and it was
the responsibility
of the tribe
of Dan
to correct
the Levite
and to call
him to
repentance
what they
should have
done was
confront him
with the
scriptures
they should
have followed
God's processes
and procedures
in the law
for how to
deal with
wayward
Levites
for people
who committed
this kind
of spiritual
adultery
but instead
they went
along with it
they went
along with
his false
teaching
they sought
for him
to pronounce
a blessing
from God
on their
efforts
sinful
efforts
mind you
do you
see the
delusion
look again
in verse
four
the Levite
said to them
this is how
Micah dealt
with me
he's hired
me
I've become
his priest
that's when
the tribe
of Dan
who shouldn't
have been
there to
begin with
but let's
say that
they were
supposed to
be there
that's when
they should
have said
wait a minute
how could
you do
this
this is
wrong
you must
repent
of this
that's not
what they
do
what did
they do
hey would
you mind
asking God
for a blessing
to ensure
that our
sin will
be rewarded
it's amazing
delusion
of course the
Levite was all
too willing
to pretend
to speak
to God
on their
behalf
we aren't
to take
this
verse number
six
as God
actually
speaking
through the
Levite
why would
he speak
through
someone
who he
had not
actually
appointed
that doesn't
make sense
they're just
caught up
in their
delusion
verse 11
600 of
the men
of the tribe
of Dan
armed with
weapons of
war set
out from
Zorah
and Eshtayol
and went
up and
encamped
at Kiriath
Jerim
in Judah
on this
account
that place
is called
Mahanedan
to this
day
behold it's
west of
Kiriath
Jerim
and they
passed on
from there
to the hill
country of
Ephraim
and came to
the house
of Micah
so now
it's not
just the
five spies
they got
600 men
they're gonna
go make
this thing
happen
they're going
after
Laish
who this
false
pastor
essentially
has told
them they need
that God
has blessed
them to do
then the
five men
who had
gone
to scout
out
the
country
of
Laish
said
to
their
brothers
do
you
know
that
in
these
houses
there
are
an
ephod
household
gods
carved
image
metal
image
what do
you think
we should
do
about
that
and
they
turned
aside
there
and
came
to
the
house
of
the
young
Levite
at
the
home
of
Micah
and
asked
him
about
his
welfare
now
the
600
men
of the
Danites
armed
with
their
weapons
of
war
stood
by
the
entrance
of
the
gate
that's
an
intimidating
picture
there
right
you're
this
Levite
the
spies
come
to
your
door
they're
like
hey
we
want
to
talk
to
you
by
the
way
check
out
the
600
men
with
a
bunch
of
weapons
right
behind
me
make
sure
you
listen
to
what
I
have
to
say
it's
pretty
intimidating
isn't
it
verse
17
and
the
five
armed
with
weapons
of
war
and
when
these
went
into
Micah's
house
and
took
the
carved
image
the
ephod
the
household
gods
in
the
meadow
image
the
priest
said
to
them
what
are
you
doing
and
they
said
just
be
quiet
put
your
hand
on
your
mouth
and
come
with
us
be
to
us
a
father
and
a
priest
is
it
better
for
you
to
be
a
priest
to
the
house
of
one
man
or
to
be
a
priest
to
an
entire
tribe
and
clan
of
Israel
and
the
priest
heart
was
glad
and
he
took
the
ephod
and
the
household
gods
and
the
carved
image
and
went
along
with
the
people
it
only
really
takes
a
handful
of
people
to
lead
an
entire
group
astray
doesn't
it
the
spies
convinced
the
people
that
it
was
right
for
them
to
take
Laish
which
there's
to
do
and
they
went
with
600
soldiers
to
sack
the
city
but
first
they
stopped
by
Micah's
house
where
the
spies
persuaded
the
others
to
steal
the
idols
to
recruit
the
priest
and
to
adopt
Micah's
religion
as
their
own
they
don't
want
Micah
they
just
want
his
religion
and
again
the
Levite
was
motivated
by
money
and
prestige
in
chapter
17
we're
told
that
he
was
content
to
live
with
Micah
but
in
chapter
18
we're
told
that
his
heart
was
glad
to
go
with
the
tribe
of
Dan
what
is
that
all
about
well
they
said
it
wouldn't
you
enjoy
being
the
chief
priest
of
a
tribe
rather
than
just
of
a
single
man's
house
and
the
guy
starts
thinking
about
that
and
he
starts
thinking
yeah
that
sounds
real
nice
big
promotion
I
think
I'll
go
with
you
!
But we
have to
ask the
question
it's
one thing
for
an
individual
to fall
into this
kind of
spiritual
decline
we see
that
all the
time
don't
we
how
does
it
happen
with
an
entire
tribe
or
for
our
purposes
how
does
it
happen
to
a
church
and
I
think
the
message
here
is
pretty
simple
it
starts
by
opting
for
what's
easy
and
convenient
rather
than
what
is
right
it
was
easier
to
conquer
the
isolated
defenseless
city
of
Laish
than
it
was
to
trust
God
to
conquer
the
Ammonites
Amorites
on their
behalf
in the
same
way
it's
far
easier
for
churches
to
compromise
doctrine
and
faithful
ministry
practices
than
it
is
to
obey
God
and
trust
him
to
be
fruitful
through
our
obedience
it's
just
easier
to
go
along
with
what
the
culture
wants
us
to
do
isn't
it
it's
easier
not
to
pick
the
fights
with
people
it's
easier
not
to
have
to
take
a
strong
convictional
stand
against
sin
or
delusion
in
the
church
it's
just
easier
not
to
and
it
often
seems
more
fruitful
not
to
at
least
at
first
it
was
easier
to
hire
a
Levite
whom
they
could
manipulate
than
to
follow
someone
who
would
be
committed
to
holding
them
accountable
to
God's
word
it's
ostensibly
more
successful
to
establish
leaders
you can
control
who
will
lead
on
consensus
based
on what
the
people
want
generally
than
what
God
says
to
do
just
as
Micah
wanted
things
his
own
way
so
did
Dan
in
the
end
the
individual
apostasy
and
church
apostasy
is
really
not
very
different
it's
just
about
doing
things
your
way
and
ignoring
God's
way
that's
how
this
happens
all
right
and that
was the
long
point
two
quick
ones
second
thing
what's
the
cost
of
losing
our
religion
what does
this
cost
us
what's
really
the
big
deal
about
this
things
seem
to
be
turning
out
okay
for
them
it's
not
as
good
as
you
think
verse
21
so
they
turned
and
departed
putting
the
little
ones
and
the
livestock
and
the
goods
in front
of
them
when
they
had
gone
a
distance
from
the
home
of
Micah
the
men
who
were
in
the
houses
near
Micah's
house
were
called
out
and
they
overtook
the
people
of
Dan
and
they
shouted
to
the
people
of
Dan
who
turned
around
and
said
to
Micah
NING
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
what
the gods that I made and the priest and you ask me or excuse me and go away and what have I left
how then do you ask me what's the matter with you and the people of Dan said to him
don't let your voice be heard among us lest angry fellows fall upon you and you lose your life with
the lives of your household they know the religion's false don't they is that not why they say
is is this whole ordeal with the idol and this fake priest is this really enough to lose your life
over Micah they know there's nothing of substance here and of course Micah realizes it at this point
too the people of Dan went their way when Micah saw that they were too strong for him he turned and
went back to his home now wouldn't you think that if he was confident in his God and what he was doing
to worship this God he could trust that God to deliver him from the tribe of Dan but he he knows
there's nothing real here so he goes home but the people of Dan took what Micah had made and the
priest who belonged to him and they came to Laish to people quiet and unsuspecting they struck them
with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire and there was no deliverer because it was far
from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone it was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rahab
then they rebuilt the city and lived in it and they named the city Dan after the name of Dan their
ancestor who was born to Israel but the name of the city was Laisheth the first and the people of Dan
set up the carved in bridge for them for themselves now get this and Jonathan the son of Gershom
the son of Moses and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity
of the land wow
up until this point we've seen Micah and the tribe of Dan lose their religion by turning away from the
true worship of God to something different that they wanted more okay that's the context of the phrase
at least up to this point in the story's conclusion here we see the loss that comes from such apostasy
here they quote lose their religion not by forfeiture but first by its inerrant failure
and then through God's divine judgment so let's just work through the characters here
for Micah the episode ends in devastating loss
notice what he says in the exchange with Dan's leaders in verse 24 you take my gods that I made
you take the priests and you go away and what's that next phrase what have I left
you took everything from me this man who was probably actually quite wealthy he lives on a compound
with all these people who serve him and his purposes and his family
he's got enough power and prestige that he can recruit the people that live around him to form
a band of soldiers to actually go against the tribe of Dan or at least posture as if they would
he's got wealth he's got power he's got prestige and yet when they take his religion from him
when he realizes it's great failure he feels like he's lost everything he feels like he has nothing left
why because his entire identity was wrapped up in his idolatry all of it
this is what it looks like to be confronted with the fact that your personal brand of religion
is fruitless that it's a lie to actually come to terms with reality it says there's nothing here
and what did it do to Micah it crushed him I have nothing left
nothing left which wasn't true but to him it felt like it was true
this is common among modern deconstructionists
when we enter into Christianity through some false form or dynamic that just isn't quite right
it hurts people there are people who come into churches who lay out their statement of faith with
tremendous accuracy but the way that they live out that faith is not consistent with what they say they
believe instead of acknowledging Christ as Lord of his church they put a man on a pedestal and they
just basically let him do whatever he wants to do they introduce legalism in ways that are incredibly
harmful and then when that one man that these people come in and they trust and they love so much when he
turns out to be a phony or he falls into great sin what happens to the people that have made their whole
religion about this man and what he can do for them they're crushed why because it was never really
about Christ it was about this man that they loved it was man worship
we could go on and on down the line and see this perhaps some of you experienced this before
where there was a point in your in your in your faith where it had all the right language but really
in your heart you weren't really concerned with Christ as much as you were some other peripheral
thing and when that thing proved to be a lie and you were confronted with the reality of it
the temptation was to throw all of it away that's what this deconstructionism actually does
it hurts people that's what's happening with Mikey what's the cost of this apostasy
it's crushing he spent all that time curating his collection of gods seeking for God's blessing
through his syncretism only to discover that none of it could actually help him he lost his new
religion through its inherent failure to bring him life and peace and blessing let's move on to Dan though
for Dan there's no immediate problem everything works out exactly as they wanted
their collective apostasy it seems successful doesn't it they continue to exist presumably they flourish
in this new home for actually hundreds of years but a later editor comes in and lets us know
that divine judgment eventually fell on Dan as it does every church that turns away from the truth look at
verse 31 or verse 30 excuse me the people of Dan they set up this carved image they continued in their
spiritual decline they have Jonathan and his sons were their priest and they had that until the day of the
captivity you know sometimes success is God's judgment not God's blessing
their hearts were hardened even further because God let them buy with what they did only to later pour
out his judgment in the captivity of the Assyrians in 722 BC
Micah loses his religion through its inherent failure Dan loses their religion through God's divine wrath
let's move on to the Levite this is interesting isn't it a twist in the story
we don't really know the end for the Levite we know that his sons became perpetual priest
for the tribe of Dan but there's a sober warning here isn't there
in the end the Levite's identity is revealed as Jonathan the grandson of Moses
it's another picture of just how bad things were in Israel at the time they had spiraled so far into
idolatry that even Moses his own grandson had forsaken the Lord to do what was right in his own eyes
that's how bad things were
but the most significant loss of unbridled individualism and corporate pragmatism
is the loss of the gospel that's the most significant loss here
Micah adopted this sacramentalism believing that religious objects and forms of worship could bring
blessing look again at chapter 17 in verse 13 after he gets the priest and he's got his shrine set up
then Micah said now that I have a priest the Lord will prosper me now that I've done all of these things
now that I've done my best and tried my hardest now that I've got this worship set up in my house
now God will bless me because I've done this God will now reward me with this it's an anti-gospel
it's an anti-gospel blessing does not come and salvation does not come by what we do
it comes on the basis of God's steadfast love and mercy and grace towards us you can't bribe God
you can't earn anything from him he offers it to it on the basis of our faith and love for him
and it's all based on his own kindness but this individualism it distorts that it loses the gospel
Dan on the other hand they adopt the gospel of apparent success believing that truth is determined
by what works rather than what is right oh we see this in churches all the time don't we
they compromise on doctrine they compromise on faithful practices of worship and then they succeed
and what's their argument how could this be a problem look at all of these people that are now coming
look at the buildings we're able to build look at the amount that's given in the offering look at our
reach globally it's all about what works rather than what's right it loses the gospel
it's a significant loss in the end everyone involved abandoned the thing that taught them the truth of
eternal salvation god's word what they needed was the bible and they abandoned it and they faced the
consequences thirdly and finally we're finished what's the solution to losing our religion what's the
solution we've seen the nature of it we've seen its costs the solution is implicit in the verses that
the author uses to state the cause first chapter 17 verse 6 in those days there was no king in israel
everyone did what was right in his own eyes next chapter 18 verse 1 in those days there was no king in israel
thirdly chapter 18 verse 31 they set up micah's carved image that he made and here's the contrast
as long as the house of god was at shiloh that's a contrasting statement it's meant to to depict two
ends there's a faithful end and there's an unfaithful end okay and through these three verses the author
really never gives explicit judgment does he he never gives us a point in these two chapters where he
says now here's the problem we were able to do to deduce it though he gives us these hints and these
breadcrumbs in these three verses which really brings us back to the primary theme of the whole book
which is that israel needed a king they needed a king
but we need to understand that the right way it's not that they needed monarchy that's not what they
needed and it would prove with every king they ever had that monarchy itself kingship itself could not
save them it could not help them it was not the solution they needed the right kind of king they
needed a king who would rule over them in perfect righteousness they needed a king who would lead based
on god's word they needed a king who would deliver them from all of their enemies even themselves
their spiritual enemies their spiritual enemies death and sin they needed a king who would ensure
true and faithful worship amongst his people and that king is none other than jesus christ
jesus who perfectly fulfilled god's law he did not break it ever why because he's god he's the son of god
he died on the cross for our sins delivering us from our greatest enemy sin and death and hell
he rose in order to assure us of eternal life and he sovereignly rules over his church and its worship
the only solution for unbridled individualism and corporate pragmatism is to repent and to repent
by believing the true gospel by submitting to the authority of the bible and by following christ plan
for worship christ plan for spiritual authority
the only solution for losing your religion ironically is to lose your religion
that's what paul says in philippians chapter 3 whatever gain i had i counted as loss for the sake of christ

Philippians 3 chapter mention
indeed i count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing christ jesus my lord
for his sake i've suffered the loss of all things and i count them as rubbish as trash in order that i might
gain christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own making that comes from the law
but that which comes through faith in christ the righteousness from god that depends on faith what's
paul saying he's saying look if you want real religion if you want the true god if you want true salvation
you got to lose the rest of it you got to lose the rest of it turn away from it count it as loss because
that's exactly what it is count it as loss in order that you may be found in christ
jesus said in matthew he gave two parables he said listen this is what salvation is all about
this is the nature of the true kingdom and the true king he said it's like a man
who's walking through a field and he find a treasure of immeasurable value and what does the man do he
takes everything else he owns and he gets rid of it in order that he can come and have that treasure
and then jesus said and it's also like a merchant a pearl salesman a jeweler with great will
who finds one pearl of such great price that he sells his whole business just so he can have the
one pearl and jesus is saying i am that treasure jesus says i am that pearl forsake your personal
versions of religion forsake your corporate pragmatism turn to me i'm better and paul agrees
and so do the other apostles and so do christians for thousands of years why tinker with it tinkering
with what god has said and what god has given us will do nothing but condemn us
turn from those things abandon them and come to christ he is the king that we need he sets up the
guardrails that prevents this kind of apostasy if we will just listen to him and he's so faithful isn't he
he's the great shepherd and what does he do he blesses the church with these under shepherds
and he says you lead the people in the way that i tell you to lead the people
and he tells the church he says you make sure that you find elders and pastors who will not just do
what you want them to do but who will teach you the truth of god's word who will do what christ has
said to do who will preach the word who will follow faithfully the practices of true worship and of true
ministry he's so gracious to do that isn't he that's how he rules over his church through his word and
through his people and every once in a while
a wolf in sheep's clothing pops its head up one like jonathan the son of moses the grandson of moses
isn't it and what is our responsibility to do our responsibility is not to be like dan and just go
along with it and hope that things turn out okay the responsibility of the collective church
is to correct and discipline and even dismiss the man who has turned away from the truth
you say jared you telling us that if you turn away from the truth you want us to fire you
if you don't you're going to be just like dan
i don't have any intentions of doing that but that's your responsibility church
it's not just about the men who lead we have a responsibility to you and you have a responsibility
to us don't forsake that because the moment that you forsake that you'll start the steps of micah and
dan which will end in tremendous loss and you'll lose the gospel ultimately and you'll be condemned
and you'll realize eventually through devastating loss
that it was all a lie don't do that stay faithful stay faithful to the word always do what's right
not what's easy and the lord will bless us