Introduction
Where does human depravity lead? This is the question to which the writer has been driving. Through the different times of the Judges, he was dealing with this question. In these last chapters, he is going to impress it with more force. By now we are familiar with the cycle: Israel sins, follows the gods of the heathens, God punishes by giving them over in the hands of those nations, they cry out for help and God raises up a judge who delivers them and brings a period of peace. Then it repeats. The judges were not and could not be the permanent solution.
Now the writer changes gears. In this last section he underpins why God handed them over their enemies. He takes a deep dive into some of these times where the nation fell back in sin. He does this to explain to what extremes they fell, and more importantly, to show what the depraved human heart is capable of.
He does this by telling two stories. Both involve the Levitical priesthood, and the seriousness escalates from the first to the second. Here we will concentrate on the first. In chapters 17-18 we learn not only had God’s people fallen into idolatry, but their acceptance of idols escalated into a pseudo-religion that replaced the true worship instituted by God. This is the end of our depravity he wants us to see:
Human depravity leads to a man-made religion.
Superstition, Idolatry, and counterfeit
In the first couple of verses of chapter 17 Judges introduces us to a mother who loves money. She uses every spiritual means to get back what was stolen – including calling down curses. Then there is the son. He stole mom’s money, but because of his superstition, returns it.
Let’s just pause here for a moment. In the Hebrew language he is initially called “Micayehu”, meaning “Who is like Yahweh?”. Already we get a sense that religion is not new to this family. Later he is called Micah and it will become clear why.
Micah returned his mother’s money out of fear for the curses. She even “spoke them in his ears” (verse 2). Mom’s reaction is totally opposite to what we would expect. Instead of “using” those curses or reprimanding him, she dedicates the stolen money returned by her superstitious boy, makes some idols and then gives them to him. This is a “dedication to the LORD”, i.e., Yahweh. This name speaks of God in his covenant relationship with His people.
Micah does not prevent her. One would think that someone with that name would know there is none like Yahweh. Quite the contrary! He takes the idols and puts them in his personal shrine. He goes further, though. Not only has he now created gods for himself and his family, but he makes an ephod. This was used by the priests to listen to God’s directions. Furthermore, he appoints his own son as priest.
This did not actually satisfy his needs, and lo and behold, along comes a Levite looking for a place to settle. Micah then fires his son whose priesthood was sub-standard compared to what he stumbled upon. Being an Israelite, he knew God ordained the Levites to serve in His Tabernacle. So, he employed the Levite. And with this you see his ultimate satisfaction in verse 13:
Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.
What started out with a mother’s love for money, ended in a full-blown private, man-made religion.
What starts as a private matter …
By the end of chapter 17 we have a man contempt with the religion he created for himself. He even believed God would prosper him because he is closer to the real thing. It is important to see Micah used the elements of true religion. We should not think that man-made religion contains all new components that are so weird and outlandish that we cannot recognise the roots. Quite the contrary. There are often more of the truth present in these systems and that makes it seem authentic. For this reason, we often see Christians pursuing thoughts and philosophies which are foreign to biblical Christianity. They appear similar to what we believe because of the truth they contain.
Micah’s religion shows he created a priesthood that mirrored the original. A Levite performed priestly duties. Micah made an ephod, so he could enquire about the will of his gods. Little household gods represented divination and healing – aspects we know God performed for his people. To top it off, there was a place to perform his religion. Instead of travelling distances to Shiloh where the Tabernacle was, one could pop in around the corner. So much easier and convenient!
A careful examination of God’s word reveals the utter corruptness of this human worship system. To begin with, God IS not like any other and nothing or no-one is like Him. Therefore, the idolatry alone should trigger many warning lights. The problem is we tend to think of idol worship as bowing before a physical object. Idols are fabricated in our hearts and minds and can exist regardless of a physical object.
A sure sign of a false belief system is the superstition. These chapters drip with it. Mother calling down curses; a son so scared of them, he is willing to lose the money he stole. Mica’s view on the employment of the Levite.
Some modern-day examples reveal our own superstitious tendencies. Opening the Bible at random passages and then attribute that to God. So called breadcrumbs. We cannot out give God! Words have power to heal! Your best life now! Empty your mind so God can fill you with His truth! What about prayer chains? Sounds familiar?
In our “civilised” spiritual culture, we need to be extra cautious before adopting anything that looks or sounds beautiful. Idolatry and superstition are snares that very quickly escalates into something so corrupt it cannot be called biblical anymore.
… cannot be contained
Micah’s worship service escalated. First in a personal sense and second on a grander scale. We read this in chapter 18. The Danites were looking for more ground. They believed they were not given enough. Consequently, they started scouting for more. On their way up north, they happened to stumble upon Micah, his Levite, and their Worship Center. They requested the Levite to enquire of God if they should go explore for more land. Well now, that was a silly request as they were already busy with. They should’ve done that before setting out in the first place. He only confirmed what they were already doing with a vague answer:
The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD (verse 6).
They eventually came to a town called Laish, where a group of Sidonians settled. They decided they will take this place. They returned home, and eventually moved out to take Laish. On their way there, they stopped at Micah’s Worship Center. This time they were not so friendly. They stole his worship artifacts and gods and convinced the Levite to join them as their priest. This created a sense of ownership in this young man. The idea of being wanted darkened the sin he was committing even more. A young, wandering priest was transformed into a proud and arrogant idol-serving heathen.
Micah’s response shows how far his religion escalated in his own mind. It gave him a sense of entitlement. He confronts the Danites with these words:
You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left?
In his mind he owned God. When you get to the point where you complain about losing the gods you made and the religion you have built, you have huge problems. No wonder he felt a deep sense of loss: “What have I left?” What a sorry state to be in. To be so empty of the truth that the loss of the lie leaves you void!
The Danites moved from here to Laish and conquered the town. They renamed the place Dan and set up their own mega church. Dan was later used by Jeroboam to set up a larger version of this false religion. Later in the Bible we learn that the tribe of Dan was not mentioned anymore as one of the 12 tribes of Israel. They were completely assimilated into the cultures and religions of their surrounding neighbours.
What started as a private worship center escalated into a full-blown counterfeit faith and eventually blotted out the tribe of Dan from the people of God.
False, man-made religion cannot be contained. What starts small has the potential to swallow up many others. Who would have thought that the superstition of a mother and her son would later cause the removal of one of their tribes! The heart of man is corrupt above all things and an idol factory from the start.
The verdict
The writer gives his verdict on why the depravity of man spirals out of control. He does not say that all men show the full extent of depravity. But we do learn from him that all are 100% corrupt and it can easily erupt like a volcano.
In chapter 17:6 he writes:
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Note the strategic placement of this verse. It is right between setting up his shrine and priesthood and appointing the Levite to own a better priesthood. The Book of Judges is clear. Man-made religion is following your own mind and the result of no higher authority than yourself.
There is a second instance of the same thought. Chapter 18:1:
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.
The same formula, and the second part substituted for the actions of the Danites as a clan. In the first the individual (everyone) did as they wished, while in the last, the Danites (collectively) did as they wished.
Everything boils down to the first, namely “no king in Israel”. The role of the king would be to govern, to control, to punish evil behaviour, to grant mercy where needed. In short, the king was the pivotal figure that curbed social, political, and moral decay. We discover something of this in the lives of the Judges. When they came on the scene, things became better, although they themselves messed up.
Although there was no earthly king in Israel, they also rejected God as their ruler. He was always on the throne, but they were not willing to turn to Him as their ultimate authority.
Conclusion
Back to our initial question: Where does human depravity lead? The Book of Judges answers this. It leads to the rejection of the true King and lives that spiral out of control on all levels. The writer is deliberate in showing this. He wants us to see what we are capable of when we reject God’s rule and do as we please. And he wants us to ask for the solution. Although he does not answer the question in a positive manner, the resolution is right there. You are corrupt because you do not acknowledge Him as your king.
Uncontrolled, unbridled depravity spirals out of control into utter darkness. But Judges forces us to look at our own depravity and presents us with the answer: Bow before your God and King. At His cross where he wore a crown of thorns, the King of Israel, the King of kings and Lord of lords achieved the solution to our biggest problem, i.e., our depravity. Your depravity should take you to the cross of the King!