1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,520 I'd like to start off by asking a question, Not something you 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,440 have to answer out loud, but something to think about. 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:11,000 If you took one thing away from your life, what would make you 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,280 feel like I don't know who I am anymore? 5 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,040 One thing that you would take away that would make you doubt 6 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:21,120 or make you unsure of who you are? 7 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:23,720 Maybe for you that would be your coffee. 8 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,200 I know at Junior Youth some of us leaders have joked that we 9 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,400 wouldn't know who we are without caffeine in our systems. 10 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,960 But on a more serious note, maybe it's your job, the 11 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,120 position that you hold at work. Maybe it's your hobbies, the 12 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,920 things that you are slightly better at than most others. 13 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,000 Maybe it would be your family, your parents, your kids. 14 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,240 These different areas of our life make up who we are. 15 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,400 Our work, our hobbies, our interests, our likes, our 16 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:52,920 dislikes, our family and friends. 17 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,720 They're all pieces of the puzzle that come together to form and 18 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:00,400 describe who we are. But what happens if one of those 19 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,680 pieces gets taken away? If you've ever tried to complete 20 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,040 a puzzle with and would have a missing piece, you'll know the 21 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,520 frustration of not being able to have a whole finished puzzle. 22 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:14,920 That feeling of incompleteness. You may even spend a significant 23 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,240 amount of time looking for that one missing piece just so that 24 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,400 you can complete the puzzle. For myself, I know if something 25 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,880 is lost, or at least if I can't find it, I'll spend hours 26 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:26,640 looking for it. Even if I don't need it at that 27 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,600 time, I have to know where it is. 28 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,760 I can't let it go. I have to find what I'm looking 29 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,840 for. And that's how I see our life 30 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,880 sometimes, as a combination of puzzle pieces that all come 31 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,760 together to form who we are. But the problem with that, and 32 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,360 at least for me, is that we begin to see ourselves as less 33 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,640 than and incomplete if we lose a piece. 34 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,560 If you were the athletic guy or girl and you can no longer 35 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,480 perform to the level that you were once able to, you may feel 36 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,400 like you're not completely you anymore. 37 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,320 If you were the hardest, toughest worker on the job site 38 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:05,240 and someone shows up and outworks you, you may feel like 39 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,960 you've lost a piece of you. Contrary to what Elsa sings 40 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,360 about in the movie Frozen, it's not that easy to just let it go. 41 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:15,800 Those these are real things in our life and they've probably 42 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,240 been there for a long time and letting go of them could be very 43 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,680 difficult. But as we look into Judges 44 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,480 chapter 17 and 18 this morning, we will see the danger of not 45 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,000 letting go. And when I speak of not letting 46 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,520 go or speak of letting go, I don't mean that we need to stop 47 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,160 having hobbies, quit our jobs, or stop loving our friends and 48 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,160 our family. What I mean is that we should 49 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,240 not use those things as replacement for God. 50 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:42,560 Through the passage, we will read today that seeking idols 51 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,840 leads to craving control, cascading consequences, and 52 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,520 compromised convictions, and we need to let go of the idols and 53 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,120 hold fast to God. Before we go to our Scripture 54 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,960 this morning, let's pray. Lord. 55 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,360 God, we thank you for this morning and for the singing that 56 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,000 has already taken place and for the conversations I trust were 57 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,720 helpful and edifying before the service. 58 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,400 Lord, it's a privilege to come together here as a body of 59 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,680 believers. And Lord, as we look deeper into 60 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,840 your word this morning to Judges chapter 1718, I pray for 61 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,160 understanding and honesty that we will rightly understand the 62 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,320 Scriptures and that we will be honest to examine ourselves and 63 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,160 to see if there are idols in our lives that we are seeking as 64 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,760 replacements for you. We ask in Jesus name, Amen. 65 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,320 So as I mentioned, we'll be reading Judges chapters 17 and 66 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,720 18. In the past couple weeks, we've 67 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,840 read the tragic stories of Samson and Jephtha. 68 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,120 They were two major judges of Israel and each one of them had 69 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,040 deep character flaws, but still God works through them not 70 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,360 because of who they were, but because of who God is in His 71 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,840 character. The Israelites have continued to 72 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,840 go through this cycle of rebellion against God, followed 73 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,000 by oppression from the outside enemies, and then finally 74 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,680 deliverance from God by the hands of a human judge. 75 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,720 When we pick up in Judges 17, there is no judge though, no 76 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,120 deliverer for the people. The previous chapter showed 77 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,360 flawed deliverers and today we will see a flawed people group. 78 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,320 In the previous chapters, the main threats against Israel came 79 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,160 from the outside, from external people groups, but in today's 80 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,079 passage, the threat against Israel comes from the inside, 81 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:24,960 from their own people. The Israelites are a group of 82 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,840 people that constantly turn to idol worship instead of 83 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:31,000 worshiping the God that brought them out of the land of Egypt. 84 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,320 Idolatry was frequent and it was a consistent sin for the 85 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,320 Israelites and today's reading is no different. 86 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,280 Through the passage today we will look at what seeking idols 87 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:42,800 can lead to. So with that, let's read Judges 88 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:48,160 chapter 17 verses one through 6. There was a man in the Hill 89 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,400 Country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. 90 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,200 And he said to his mother, the 1100 pieces of silver that were 91 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,680 taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and also spoke 92 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,240 it in my ears, Behold, the silver is with me. 93 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,440 I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be 94 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,440 the son by the Lord. And he restored the 1100 pieces 95 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,200 of silver to his mother. And his mother said, I dedicate 96 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,000 the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son to make a carved 97 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,360 image and a metal image. Now, therefore I will restore it 98 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,440 to you. So when he restored the money to 99 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,120 his mother, his mother took the 200 pieces of silver and gave it 100 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,400 to the silversmith who made it into a carved image and a metal 101 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,240 image. And it was in the House of 102 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,680 Micah. And the man Micah had a shrine 103 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,880 and he made an ephod in household gods and ordained one 104 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:35,960 of his sons who became his priest. 105 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,960 In those days there was no king in Israel. 106 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,000 Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 107 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,280 Here in Judges 17 were introduced to a man named Micah. 108 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,040 This isn't the prophet Micah that will read that you can read 109 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:52,040 about later in the Bible, but a separate individual from the 110 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,920 Hill Country of Ephraim. And one thing that we can see 111 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,720 from the account of Micah is that seeking idols leads to 112 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,200 craving control. The story of Micah starts off 113 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,120 with him admitting to his mother that he was the one that stole 114 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,880 the 1100 pieces of silver. We don't know why he took it, 115 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,400 but we know that the mom was pretty upset over it. 116 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,440 Upset enough that it says she uttered a curse over it. 117 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,160 But then in a turn of events, the mother does not rebuke her 118 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,640 son for stealing, but rather she tells him that he is blessed. 119 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,600 She then uses the She then uses some of the silver to have a 120 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,000 carved image and a metal image made as idols. 121 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,360 What the mother is trying to do here is to control her family. 122 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,000 She should have disciplined her son for what he did, but instead 123 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,760 of confronting the sin, she glosses over it. 124 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:41,360 Instead of confronting, she comforts. 125 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,760 The Bible doesn't explain her reasoning, but I think it's safe 126 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:48,800 to say that she had an ideal for what her son should be and for 127 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,720 what her family should be. She doesn't want to be the 128 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,840 mother of a son who stole from her, and so she decides to 129 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:57,560 become the mother of a son who has done no wrong. 130 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,480 She couldn't control the actions of her son, so instead she 131 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,680 attempts to control the perception of it. 132 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,360 She ignores the sin that took place in her own home and 133 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:09,400 instead pretends that it didn't happen. 134 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,000 She even uses religious language as a cover and claims that she 135 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,800 will dedicate this money to the Lord. 136 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,680 But then she goes and has idols created for worship. 137 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,720 But the real idol for the mother is not the carved images, it's 138 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,600 her son. She will bend and break the laws 139 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,440 of God so that she can keep control of her son. 140 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,920 After all, if she scolds her son and disciplines him, he might 141 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,560 get angry and leave. Then she would have no control 142 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,720 of him. She sacrifices what is right to 143 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,080 keep the relationship she has with her son and Micah. 144 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:44,200 He also craves control of his family and after creating an 145 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,200 ephod in these household gods, he goes and ordains one of his 146 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,960 own sons to become his own personal priest. 147 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,720 Michael want Micah wants to keep his son close and for someone to 148 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,120 approve of his actions, and what better way than to give that 149 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,320 ability to his own son? Of course, his son was not 150 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,040 qualified to be a priest as he wasn't a descendant of Aaron or 151 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,840 even a Levite, but that didn't matter much to Micah. 152 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,400 Micah wanted control and he would do what was necessary to 153 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,880 have it. If we continue reading, we see 154 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,280 that seeking after idols also leads Micah to crave control of 155 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,280 his worship. Let's read verses 7 through 12. 156 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,280 Now there was a young man of Bethlehem and Judah of the 157 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,040 family of Judah, who was a Levite. 158 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,720 And he sojourned there. And the man departed from the 159 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,440 town of Bethlehem and Judah to sojourn where he could find a 160 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,159 place. And as he's, as he journeyed, he 161 00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:35,760 came to the Hill Country of Ephraim, to the House of Micah. 162 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:38,440 And Micah said to him, where do you come from? 163 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,320 And he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem and Judah. 164 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,080 I'm going to sojourn where I find where I may find a place. 165 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:48,440 Micah said to him, Stay with me and be to me a father and a 166 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,640 priest. Now we'll give you 10 pieces of 167 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,960 silver a year and a suit of clothes and a suit of clothes 168 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:56,200 and your living. And the Levite went in. 169 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,560 The Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man 170 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:01,400 became to him like one of his sons. 171 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:04,160 And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his 172 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:05,920 priest and was in the House of Micah. 173 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:09,280 So at first, this kind of seems like a solution to Micah's 174 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,200 problem. Micah finds a Levite who we 175 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:14,880 don't know much about yet, and he hires them as his own 176 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,880 personal priest. In one sense, this setup was 177 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,920 better because this man was actually a Levite, but Micah's 178 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,040 intention for hiring him are selfish. 179 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,280 Again, Micah wants to control how he worships. 180 00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:30,080 To this point, Micah has created a shrine and ephod and household 181 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,840 gods and has now hired his own personal priest to have control 182 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,760 of how he worships. In other words, idolatry led him 183 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:41,480 to the led him to create the place where he worships, led him 184 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,720 to create the items of his worship, all while being 185 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,880 supported by the person he put in charge of the worship. 186 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,800 Kind of like a build-a-bear workshop of worship. 187 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,200 And it wasn't like that was his only option. 188 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,760 The Tabernacle was in Shiloh and it was accessible for him to go 189 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,320 worship there as he was supposed to do. 190 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,920 But instead he creates his own place to worship how he sees 191 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,760 fit. He creates an ephod, a sacred 192 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,040 garment that was only to be worn by the priests and the ephod by 193 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:10,440 itself. It was a good thing, it was 194 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,880 ordained by God. But like the ephod that Gideon 195 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,960 created in few chapters prior, it became an idol. 196 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,360 He then hires this priest and again there was priests in 197 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:24,160 Shiloh, but he hires this Levite in attempt to buy the blessing 198 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,680 from God. Verse 13 then it shows the end 199 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:32,000 of Micah's craving for control. Seeking after idols leads Micah 200 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,600 to craving control of God himself. 201 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,040 Verse 13 says Then Micah said, Now I know that the Lord will 202 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,440 prosper me because I have a Levite as a priest. 203 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,400 Micah believes that because he now has this Levite as a priest 204 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:50,040 that God will bless him. Micah is trying to control how 205 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:52,520 God works. I'm sure if you could go back 206 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,960 and ask Micah, he wouldn't say that he's trying to control God, 207 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,160 but his actions tell a different story. 208 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,400 Micah was not content with the true worship that God had 209 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,920 instructed, and he tried to create his own rules, but at the 210 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:08,200 same time, he still wants God's blessing for how he goes about 211 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,200 it. Craving control is a dangerous 212 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,400 mentality. It focuses everything on me and 213 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:16,600 it leaves no room for anything else. 214 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,600 It prevents you from seeing reality and instead it replaces 215 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:22,720 what is real with what is imagined. 216 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:28,320 There's a story of a new boss who wants to clean shop and get 217 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,320 rid of workers who aren't productive. 218 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:33,840 One day he sees a young man leaning on the wall not doing 219 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:35,640 anything and he asked him, what are you doing? 220 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,120 Just waiting to get paid, Is the answer that comes from the young 221 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,480 man. The boss asks, how much money do 222 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,920 you make? About $250, says the worker. 223 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:49,120 The boss pulls out a lot of cash and quickly counts off $1000 224 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,240 bills. Here's 4 weeks pay, the boss 225 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:54,160 says. Now get out of here, I don't 226 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,120 want to see you again. Feeling quite emboldened, the 227 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:00,520 boss turns to his employees and the surrounding area and he asks 228 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:03,160 them, Can anyone tell me what just happened here? 229 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:05,520 And a voice pops up from the back. 230 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:07,600 You just tipped the pizza delivery guy. 231 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,400 The boss's idol in this case was power. 232 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:16,320 He wanted everyone to feel like he was the head honcho, and 233 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,560 seeking that idol of power caused him to crave control of 234 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:23,000 his people, which ultimately made him look like a fool and do 235 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,440 something he probably would never would have done elsewise. 236 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,640 Micah and his mother not might not have started trying to 237 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:32,080 crave, might not have started trying to control God, but 238 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,720 seeking after idols LED both Micah and his mother to reject 239 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,360 God and crave control of their family, of their worship, and 240 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,760 ultimately of God. Micah and his mother use some of 241 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,440 the right language and they have parts of what is real in their 242 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,160 worship, but they combine it with things that are forbidden 243 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,400 by God. We see examples in the Bible 244 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,760 where something is created for good, but it gets corrupted by 245 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,560 evil and judges. We see the example of the Ephod 246 00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:59,320 being used as something to worship in First Samuel. 247 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,040 We see the Ark of the covenant being used as a good luck charm. 248 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,200 And then in Second Kings we see the bronze serpent, the one that 249 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,000 God told Moses to build for the sick people to look at and be 250 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,000 healed. We see it being torn down 251 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,000 because the people of Israel started to make offerings to it. 252 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:17,080 Those are all examples of religious confusion and improper 253 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,920 worship of people trying to maneuver their way to God. 254 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,520 Like Micah, they want the approval of God without the 255 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,400 rules of God. And doesn't that sound like a 256 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:29,800 pretty common situation in our time, too? 257 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,240 Yeah, I'll come to church on Sunday, so long as I don't have 258 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,840 to wake up too early. And I had better have a good 259 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,320 parking spot. And the coffee better tastes 260 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,120 good. And they better sing the songs I 261 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:43,120 like. Sure, we might say we want to 262 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,280 worship God, but so long as it's on our terms. 263 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:50,000 I want the blessings of God, but don't expect me to follow any of 264 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,200 His rules. That as we will see, it didn't 265 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,040 work out for Micah and it doesn't work out for us either. 266 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,400 Our family, our friends, the church building, and the various 267 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,720 things that are in the church are good things. 268 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,720 But when we hold on to those things and we make idols out of 269 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,840 those things by prioritizing them over God, we are in danger 270 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:13,560 of of craving control of God. The next danger we see in 271 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:17,040 seeking idols is that seeking idols leads to cascading 272 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,000 consequences. Cascading means something 273 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,360 happens in a way that it follows or spread step by step, where 274 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,120 one thing leads to another, like a chain reaction. 275 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,600 You can think of it like dominoes lined up. 276 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,600 When you push one domino over, it knocks over the next one, 277 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,480 which knocks over the next one, and so on and so on. 278 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,600 One action causes many others, and that's really what the whole 279 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,400 book of Judges is. But specifically we'll see that 280 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:47,400 here in Judges Chapter 18, chapter 18, verse one, it reads, 281 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,960 in those days there was no king in Israel. 282 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:53,240 And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking 283 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:55,320 for itself an inheritance to dwell in. 284 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:59,080 For until then, no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had 285 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,840 fallen to them. The first step or the first 286 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:04,960 domino to fall was that the Danites were ran from 287 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,680 responsibility. The Danites were a tribe of 288 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,280 Israel stabbing from Dan, one of Jacob's sons. 289 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:12,520 And last week we heard the account of Samson. 290 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:14,400 Samson was from the tribe of Dan. 291 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,760 He too was a Danite. And the Danites and the Danites, 292 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:22,000 along with the rest of the tribes of the, along with the 293 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,520 rest of the tribes of Israel, except for the Levites, had been 294 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,480 allotted a portion of the land of Canaan, the land that would 295 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,320 become Israel. But they didn't take that land 296 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,320 that was originally allotted to them back in Joshua 19. 297 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,520 If we remember back to Judges chapter one, it says the 298 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:40,080 Amorites press the people of Dan back into the Hill Country for 299 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,520 they did not allow them to come down to the plain. 300 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,200 The Danites did not dare to go against the iron Chariots of the 301 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,520 Canaanites. And so they were forced back 302 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:52,280 into the Hill Country and were not able to, or more accurately 303 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,600 chose not to take possession of the entire land that they were 304 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,160 given. The previous sin of not trusting 305 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:01,760 God to give them victory came back to have consequences. 306 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,680 The domino cannot be knocked over without knocking over 307 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,240 others as well. And that's true of all sin. 308 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,720 It comes with consequences. When the Danites chose to run 309 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,320 from their responsibility to reject God's plan and hold on to 310 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:17,280 that idol of safety and security, they didn't 311 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,560 immediately feel the consequences, but the 312 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:23,680 consequences still came. Paul writing to the Galatians in 313 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,200 chapter 6, verse seven and eight, he puts it this way. 314 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,480 He says do not be deceived, God is not locked. 315 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,480 For whatever one sows that will he also reap. 316 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,600 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap 317 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,680 corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the 318 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:43,400 Spirit reap eternal life. There's no such thing as casual 319 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,920 sin. Sin will always lead to more 320 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:48,400 sin, as was the case with the Danites. 321 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,920 Their lack of trust and rebellion LED them to not take 322 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,120 the land, which would then lead them down to further sin. 323 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,160 The next domino to fall was that the Danites sought direction 324 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,640 from God without having devotion to God. 325 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:06,560 Let's read verses two to six. So the people of Dan sent 5 able 326 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,359 men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zora and from 327 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,440 Ishtaol to spy out the land and to explore it. 328 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,040 And they said to them, Go and explore the land. 329 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:17,480 And they came to the Hill Country of Ephraim, to the House 330 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,280 of Micah, and lodged there. When they were that by the House 331 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,800 of Micah they recognized the voice of the young Levite. 332 00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:25,800 And they turned aside and said to him, Who brought you here? 333 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:27,440 What are you doing in this place? 334 00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:30,680 What is your business here? And he said to them, This is how 335 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:34,400 Micah dealt with me, he has hired me, and I have become his 336 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,880 priest. And they said to him, Inquire of 337 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:40,080 God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we 338 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:43,360 are setting out will succeed. And the priest said to them, Go 339 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,800 in peace. The journey on which you go is 340 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,920 under the eye of the Lord. The Danites, they, they send 341 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:53,280 spies out to the Hill Country of Ephraim where Micah was, and 342 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,480 they find this Levite there and they question him. 343 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,520 The Levite explains the situation and the setup he has 344 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:00,840 with Micah. And then the Danites asked the 345 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:03,200 Levite to inquire of God for them. 346 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:06,240 The Danites were Israelites. They would have known that this 347 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:09,240 arrangement that Micah had formed with this Levite priest 348 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,640 was improper, but they show no hesitation to it. 349 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,440 In fact, they welcome it. The Danites too. 350 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,160 They had access to go to Shiloh and to seek directions from the 351 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,640 priest there, but they chose not to do that. 352 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,080 They were already on their way to go spy out the land when they 353 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:26,040 happened to come across this Levite. 354 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,160 It seems like they had already decided what they wanted to do, 355 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:32,280 but now that they had the opportunity, they also wanted 356 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,160 God's blessing. Like Micah in the previous 357 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,960 chapter, they had not devoted themselves to following God's 358 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:41,160 command and instructions, but they still want the blessings 359 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,280 from Him. The idol they are seeking here 360 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,280 is themselves a common theme for the Danites. 361 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,600 As it turns out, Samson, as mentioned, who is also a Danite 362 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,000 and though instructed by God, consistently chose to follow His 363 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,400 own desires rather than the guidelines laid out by God. 364 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,480 Self idolatry is spread all throughout the history of the 365 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,000 Danites and it always led to greater sin. 366 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,920 The priest ends up telling them go in peace, but the wording 367 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,160 leaves some uncertainty. He says the journey on which you 368 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,880 go is under the eye of the Lord. He does not say that it is 369 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:15,360 approved by God, but rather that God sees it. 370 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,360 But the Danites having no objection to this corrupted 371 00:19:18,360 --> 00:19:21,880 priest, they continue on their journey taking yet more steps in 372 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,320 their sin. The next step that we will see 373 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,440 from the Danites is that they chose comfort over obedience. 374 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:31,600 In verses 7 to 10, the spies go to Laish and they find people in 375 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,040 wealth and security. Let's read those verses 7 to 10. 376 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,760 Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people 377 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,680 who were there, how they lived in security after the manner of 378 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,240 the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing, 379 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,920 that is in the earth, and possessing wealth, and how they 380 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,720 were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 381 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,720 And when they came to their brothers at Zora and Ishtaol, 382 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:55,960 their brother said to them, What do you report? 383 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,680 They said, arise and let us go up against them, for we have 384 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,000 seen the land and behold, it is very good. 385 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,360 And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go to enter in 386 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:08,080 and possess the land. As soon as you go you will come 387 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,680 to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God 388 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,880 has given it into your hands a place where there is no lack of 389 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,800 anything that is in the earth. So the Dayanites in the cowardly 390 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,680 move, they see the land of Laish, and they see that it is 391 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,560 lacking nothing and filled with unsuspecting people. 392 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,440 They see that this land will be easy for them to take as 393 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,040 compared to the land that they were originally allotted. 394 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,320 They assume, probably because of what the Levi priest said, that 395 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,720 God wants them to have it. And God had instructed many 396 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:40,680 years prior that the Israelites were supposed to drive out all 397 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,360 inhabitants of the land of Canaan, but the Israelites had 398 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:45,960 failed to do so. But now when it's comfortable 399 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:48,880 and when it's convenient to them, they decide that God must 400 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,480 be with them in an agreement with their choices. 401 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,600 We see again that idolatry on display here. 402 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,640 They reject God and they replace him when they don't want to 403 00:20:57,640 --> 00:20:59,440 listen. But when it favors them, they 404 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,600 use the name of God to condone what they want. 405 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:07,160 Around the 1820s, Thomas Jefferson, who's a former 406 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:11,120 president of the US, he famously took a razor blade to the Bible 407 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,240 and he literally cut out sections that he didn't agree 408 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:16,280 with. He cut out every miracle, the 409 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,720 virgin birth, the resurrection, and any reference to Jesus 410 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,160 deity. He kept in Jesus ethical 411 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,240 teachings, the parables and moral instructions like loving 412 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:29,040 your enemies. So Thomas Jefferson liked Jesus, 413 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:31,840 just not the parts that didn't fit into his worldview. 414 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,640 So he made a virgin that felt reasonable to him. 415 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:38,680 Many of those who professed Christ in today's age will do 416 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,320 something similar. They want the parts of the Bible 417 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,640 that aligned to their worldview, that condone their actions, but 418 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,720 they want nothing to do with the Bible that calls for repentance. 419 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,040 They want the grace without the judgement. 420 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,160 They want the love without the holiness, the comfort without 421 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:56,280 the obedience. They in fact don't want Jesus as 422 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,440 God. They want themselves as God and 423 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,160 for Jesus to submit to them. It's why culturally it's 424 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,520 acceptable to say things like I love God as well as while still 425 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,880 living as if his rules don't apply to you. 426 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,840 This is so prevalent today and I'm sure you see this online, at 427 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:14,720 work, or even in your friends and family. 428 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:17,400 When they don't like what God says, they don't usually 429 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,760 abandoned the idea of God, but they just change him. 430 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:24,800 They take a metaphorical razor blade, razor blade to the parts 431 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,720 of the Bible that call out their sin and create a God for 432 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,600 themselves that is OK with everything they are doing. 433 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:34,160 But it's not just those people out there that are doing this. 434 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,440 We too do this. When we seek after idols as 435 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,520 replacements for God, we're doing the same thing. 436 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,920 Jerry Bridges in his book The Pursuit of Holiness, writes God 437 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,360 does not require a perfect sinless life to have fellowship 438 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:50,960 with him. But he does require that we be 439 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,000 serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our lives 440 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,040 instead of justifying it, and that we earnestly pursue 441 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,840 holiness as a way of life. And that's what we see missing 442 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:03,280 here in the story of the Danites. 443 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,120 There was no grief over their sin. 444 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:08,400 They just continued to justify it and continue to seek after 445 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,480 idols regardless of the consequences that come from it. 446 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,280 So we've seen that seeking after idols can lead to craving, 447 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,840 control, and cascading consequences. 448 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,840 Finally, we'll see that seeking after idols can lead to 449 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,200 compromise convictions. A conviction, when used in this 450 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,760 way, means an unwavering certainty in one's beliefs. 451 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,560 When we seek after idols, those idols will compromise or weaken 452 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:35,000 our beliefs, and when we are weaken our beliefs, we are more 453 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,280 susceptible to the temptations of the evil. 1 as we pick up the 454 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,440 story after the five spies report that the land of Laish is 455 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:46,080 ripe for the picking, 600 armed men set out for the from the 456 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,000 Hill Country with their sights on overtaking Laish. 457 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,040 On their way, they stop at Michael's Micah's place in. 458 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,200 The five spies tell the rest of the men, but the household gods 459 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,080 that he has there, they decide that they're going to take these 460 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,360 idols for themselves. And as a 600 men stand watch the 461 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:03,480 five spies go and take these idols. 462 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,800 Let's pick up at verses 18, verse 18. 463 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:10,280 And when these and when these went into Micah's house and took 464 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,000 the carved image, the ephod and the household gods and the metal 465 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,760 image, the priest said to him, what are you doing? 466 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,920 And they said to him, keep quiet, put your hand on your 467 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,480 mouth, and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. 468 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,720 Is it better for you to be a priest to the House of one man 469 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,840 or to be a priest to a tribe and clan in Israel? 470 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,920 And the priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod in the 471 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:36,120 household gods in the carved image, and he went along with 472 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:39,400 the people. The priest here is an example of 473 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,480 how seeking idols can lead to compromise convictions. 474 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,560 When our convictions become compromised, we'll hurt 475 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,680 ourselves in the process. The men of Dan decide that they 476 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,840 need these household gods, and when the Levite tries to object, 477 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,320 they threaten him and then they entice him. 478 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,680 They tell him to keep quiet, and in the same sentence they offer 479 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:01,560 him a job to come with them. They tempt him using power and 480 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:03,920 money. This is actually prophesied in 481 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,360 Genesis. When Jacob is blessing his sons 482 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:10,560 in Genesis 49, he says Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a Viper 483 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,960 by the path that bites the horse's heels, so that this 484 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:18,680 rider falls backwards like the servant serpent tempted Eve in 485 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,760 the Garden of Eden. The tribe of Dan is used here to 486 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,160 tempt this priest, and it says in verse 20 that the priest's 487 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,560 heart was glad he had compromised so much on his 488 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,280 convictions already by being a priest to an individual man, by 489 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,800 condoning idol worship, that when this temptation came, he 490 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,320 didn't even put up a fight. As Christians today, we must be 491 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:43,280 aware of this tactic too, the tactic of using fear and control 492 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,440 and then ultimately enticing to get cooperation and compliance. 493 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,920 When we are fearful, it's good to question where is this fear 494 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,640 coming from? Is it real, and what should I do 495 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:56,800 as a response to it? Giving into that fear may feel 496 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:00,920 right, but it can lead to a slow compromise of your convictions. 497 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:04,120 Compromise convictions. They also hurt others. 498 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,000 In verses 21 to 26, the men of Dan leave and the people from 499 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:09,560 Micah's group. They chase after them, an 500 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:13,040 attempt to rescue their gods. Doesn't that sound backwards 501 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,240 that they rescue? They try to rescue their gods. 502 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,560 I read a humorous commentary at a humorous note in a commentary 503 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,240 that said one should never have a God that needs protection. 504 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:27,280 Clearly these were no gods at all, but nevertheless, Micah and 505 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,440 his fellows. They want them back, but when 506 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,920 they see that they are overpowered, they tuck tail and 507 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,600 turn around. Then picking up in verse 27, we 508 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,480 see how the compromise of idolatry, it hurts others. 509 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,200 But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest 510 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,080 who belonged with him, belonged to him. 511 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:47,720 And they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, 512 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,400 and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city 513 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,560 with fire. And there was no deliverer 514 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,400 because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with 515 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,800 anyone. It was in the valley that 516 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,440 belongs to Bethroub. Then they rebuilt the city and 517 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,200 lived in it. These people on Sidon were part 518 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,360 of a group of people that God had commanded generations prior 519 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:10,120 to drive out. But the way this is count is 520 00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:14,240 told in the progressing evil of the book of Judges, it makes it 521 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,000 makes you wonder, were the Israelites acting more like the 522 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,280 Canaanites than the Canaanites actually were? 523 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,440 The Dananites weren't keeping the Danites weren't keeping the 524 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:25,920 covenant that God had made with Israel, but instead they were 525 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,800 doing whatever they thought was right and their compromise, it 526 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:31,840 led to hurt generations after them. 527 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:35,920 As is the case with unrepentant sin and compromise, it can 528 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:39,000 trickle down and leave a legacy of hurt and sorrow. 529 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,080 Verse 29 says that they name the name the city Dan after the 530 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,360 after the name of Dan, their ancestor. 531 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:49,520 This would be the same city that years later Jeroboam would build 532 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:51,600 a golden calf for the Israelites to worship. 533 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,760 An attempt for the an attempt to keep the people from leaving and 534 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,600 fleeing to the South. They changed the name of the 535 00:27:57,600 --> 00:27:59,600 city, but they didn't change the culture. 536 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,520 They continued to worship idols instead of God. 537 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,560 And then finishing this chapter, verses 30 to 31 read and the 538 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,320 people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves. 539 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:14,000 And Jonathan the son of Gersham, son of Moses and his sons were 540 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,440 priests, the tribe of the Danites until the day of 541 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,480 captivity of the land. So they set up Micah's carved 542 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,680 image that he made as long as the House of God was at Shiloh. 543 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:26,520 So it's not until the end of this chapter that we find out 544 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,920 who this Levite is. It says, it says his name was 545 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:33,960 Jonathan, and he was the great grandson of Moses, the same 546 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,840 Moses that led Israelites out of Egypt, out of bondage and 547 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,720 slavery, who tore down the golden calf in the desert, and 548 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,320 he told the people to turn away from idols. 549 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:46,200 His grandson is the one approving of and facilitating 550 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,000 this idol worship. We don't know what happened to 551 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,200 make him become OK with idol worship, but I think we can 552 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:55,680 safely assume it started with small compromises of his 553 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,920 convictions. And as we see, the carved image 554 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,160 stayed in the new city of Dan until the exile from Israel. 555 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,960 The compromise convictions of this priest in this case led to 556 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,000 hurting himself by approving something he knew was wrong. 557 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,800 It hurt others by leading others to believe what they were doing 558 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:15,920 was right. And finally, it left a legacy of 559 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:20,680 sin for generations to come. But for us today, compromising 560 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:23,520 on our convictions can seem like it's no big deal. 561 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,600 Especially when we look at stories like the 1 today, it can 562 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,680 be tempting to think, well, that was a different time. 563 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:32,680 That doesn't apply to us today. But while we may not worship at 564 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,120 the feet of a carved image, we do worship the very same idol 565 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:38,160 that the people of Israel did back then. 566 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:42,200 The idol of me. In fact, I think self idolatry 567 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:45,040 is the sin from which most other sins flow. 568 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,720 Self idolatry twist the proper order of worship and it puts 569 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,480 self ahead of everything, including God. 570 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,960 And when we start to become aware of this sin, we will see 571 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,400 it everywhere. We hear phrases like my body, my 572 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:02,120 choice, do whatever makes you happy and follow your heart. 573 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:05,880 But these are all forms of self idolatry and scripture does not 574 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,800 teach them. The world says my body my 575 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,000 choice, but the Bible says you belong to God. 576 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,400 First Corinthians 619 to 20 says Or do you not know that your 577 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,680 body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have 578 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,040 from God? You are not your own, for you 579 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,760 were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 580 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:29,280 The world says do whatever makes you happy, but the Bible says Do 581 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:33,040 whatever makes you holy. First Peter 114 to 16 As 582 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,200 obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of 583 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,920 your former ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also 584 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:44,080 be holy in your conduct, since it is written you shall be holy, 585 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,800 for I am holy. The world says follow your 586 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:51,040 heart, but the Bible says follow Christ. 587 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,200 Jeremiah 17/9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and 588 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,760 desperately sick. Who can understand it? 589 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:02,840 And then Luke 923 Jesus says, if anyone would come after me, let 590 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:06,600 him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. 591 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,960 These phrases from the world seem harmless, but they're 592 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:14,120 rooted in sin. They make you the main object of 593 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,280 focus and attention, and the only way to combat them is to be 594 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:21,120 rooted in Scripture. As Christians, then, we need to 595 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,040 let go of the idol of selfishness and worldly 596 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:28,480 attraction and pursue Christ, holy Christ, not the world. 597 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,560 And the more we understand Jesus, the more we will become 598 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,240 like Him. And instead of compromising on 599 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,640 our convictions, we will be strengthened in them. 600 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,680 If you've been around me long enough in the past few months, 601 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,520 you've probably heard me talk about the story of the Edmund 602 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,280 Fitzgerald. And my wife might be rolling her 603 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:48,440 eyes somewhere right now because she's heard this a lot. 604 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,840 I'm not a huge history buff, but this, this story fascinates me. 605 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,920 The Edmund Fitzgerald was a large American freight ship, and 606 00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,920 at the time when it launched in the 1950s, it was the largest 607 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:04,120 ship on the Great Lakes, measuring 729 feet long. 608 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:08,560 It was used to carry 27,000 tons of iron ore from Wisconsin to 609 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,760 Detroit. A massive ship like this was 610 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,440 used to move materials cheaply and efficiently, and they made a 611 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,880 lot of money doing so. But like most ships back then, 612 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:22,000 they didn't make money if they weren't moving and so as you can 613 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,640 imagine, this caused many captains to be fearless in the 614 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,840 fit in the midst of storms. But on November 10th, 1975, the 615 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:32,520 Edmund Fitzgerald with its 29 crew on board set sail for what 616 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:34,400 was supposed to be a routine trip. 617 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,120 It was the last trip of the nine month season and the final trip 618 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:41,040 for his for this captain before his retirement. 619 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,680 But it turned out to be anything but routine. 620 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,080 This large ship ended up getting stuck in a storm with hurricane 621 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:49,280 light winds and Blizzard conditions. 622 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:51,680 There were waves of 30 feet high. 623 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:55,040 It was a storm that made many sailors religious. 624 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,480 Was one quote from a captain who had headed out and shortly after 625 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,280 turned back. But at about 3:30 in the 626 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,240 afternoon, the captain of this, Edmund Fitzgerald, called to a 627 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:08,480 nearby ship to notify that it had taken significant damage, 628 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,240 but they were still moving. Throughout the afternoon and 629 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,040 early evening, the safety railings, the navigation, the 630 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:17,240 lights, and all other equipment would proceed to stop working. 631 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,680 The storm and the waves were so big that the ship was lost off 632 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:24,120 the radar as well. At about 7:00 PM, the nearby 633 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,160 ship captain radioed in and asked, How are you making out 634 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,080 with your problems? The response from the captain of 635 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:33,120 the Fitzgerald came. We are holding our own. 636 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,160 I suspect the captain might have known at that point that the 637 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,280 inevitable, the inevitable future of the boat and of his 638 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,520 men. And I also suspect that he knew 639 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,600 that there was nothing that could be done for them at that 640 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,400 point. That short sentence we are 641 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,720 holding our own was the last thing that was ever heard from 642 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:52,680 the Edmund Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald never made it to 643 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:56,200 safer waters. It sank about 27 kilometers away 644 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:59,960 from Whitefish Bay and it took down all 29 people on board. 645 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,320 For the captain and crew of that ship, there was nothing humanly 646 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,560 speaking, that could be done for them at that point. 647 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:08,080 But where this strikes a chord for me, and where I think it 648 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:12,239 ties into this passage in Judges, is because I think we 649 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:15,679 often find ourselves in situations where we feel like we 650 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:19,440 are holding our own. The 30 foot waves of depression, 651 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:21,960 addiction and suffering come crashing over us. 652 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,960 The human made safety railings break and there's no longer 653 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:28,239 anything separating the deep waters from the safe landing. 654 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,120 The bright shining and glimmer from the things that we used to 655 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:34,480 seek and desire begin to grow dim and they fade. 656 00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:37,280 Our own navigation is broken and disoriented. 657 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:39,840 When life turns out different than we had imagined. 658 00:34:40,199 --> 00:34:43,520 We isolate ourselves and we take ourselves off the radar from 659 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:45,360 those willing and wanting to help. 660 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:49,639 And then we walk into church on Sunday morning and someone asks 661 00:34:49,639 --> 00:34:52,120 how are you? And we reply, I'm good, I'm 662 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,320 holding my own. I don't think we're capable of 663 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:57,720 holding our own, and I don't think we were created to be. 664 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:01,000 Sure, we can go through life seeking idols and using those as 665 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:04,080 temporary replacements for God, and there's many people that 666 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:05,520 will do that for their whole life. 667 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,480 But that's not holding our own. That's outsourcing our happiness 668 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:11,920 and contentment to whatever the next thing is. 669 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,600 When we seek and hold on to idols in our life, we'll at some 670 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:18,840 point find ourselves realizing that idols don't satisfy. 671 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:21,720 And that's not profound. We know this. 672 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,480 We know that it can lead to craving control, We know it 673 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:27,680 leads to costly consequences, and we know that it will lead to 674 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:31,120 compromise convictions. But yet that temptation, it's 675 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:34,960 real and it's strong. The invitation to let go of the 676 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:38,760 idols and hold fast to God is not to remove joy and happiness, 677 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,640 but to provide a safe boundary for those to grow and thrive in 678 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,960 a relationship with God. And I would say true joy and 679 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,560 peace can only come from knowing Christ. 680 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:52,680 But Jesus isn't just another puzzle piece to add to our life 681 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:56,680 in hopes of making it whole. Without Jesus, we have no life 682 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,560 by ourselves. We are hopeless and dead in our 683 00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:03,240 sins, enslaved by the idols that hold us captive. 684 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:07,040 But in Jesus there is life that no idol can give. 685 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:11,760 Psalm 41 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present 686 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:15,040 help and trouble. Jesus came to the world to save 687 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,680 us from our sins, but he doesn't leave us to fight by ourselves. 688 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:22,520 As Christians, He has given us his Spirit to guide us and to 689 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:26,200 convict us when we do wrong. Our response then should be to 690 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,760 let go of the things that we are trying to hold onto, to all the 691 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:33,640 things that promised us life, but ultimately bring death and 692 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:38,240 instead, as it is written, be still and know that I am God. 693 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:44,520 Let's pray. God, You are our refuge and our 694 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,120 strength, a very present help and trouble. 695 00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:49,560 Apart from You, Lord, we have nothing. 696 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,840 As we read today, there are many sorrows for those that seek 697 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:54,840 after idols instead of seeking after you. 698 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,080 Lord, I pray that we are not those people, but rather that we 699 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,720 will be a people that seek You at all times. 700 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,280 That we can say with the psalmist, I have set the Lord 701 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,560 before me because he is at my right hand. 702 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:10,800 I shall not be shaken. May that be true of us, that we 703 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,800 will not compromise on our convictions, but rather hold 704 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:16,800 fast to Your word. It's in Your name that we pray. 705 00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:17,800 Amen.