"A Curious Case of Ecclesiastical Corruption" Judges 17 & 18

If you ever wondered why the country is a mess, it’s because the church is a mess; and the corruption starts at the top.The book of Judges in the OT is known for the thrilling accounts of judges whom God rises up to deliver Israel from the oppression of their enemies. The last five chapters of Judges, however, are a depressing account of the absolute corruption of the culture of Israel. The five chapters center around two loathsome Levites whose deplorable behaviour indicates the kind of religious leadership that was pulling the country down. I call Judges 17 & 18 "A Curious Case of Ecclesiastical Corruption" because in them we see the anarchy and immorality the church slides into when it no longer fears God and keeps his ways. This all happened because "In those days there was no king in the land. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 17:6)

A House of Lies, 17:1-13

After reading chapters 17 and 18 you might be confused about the meaning of the story. It seems pretty messed up. Who are the good guys and bad guys? What is the moral of the story? If you are confused, you are in good company. It is total M.U.B.A.R: Mess-up Up Beyond All Recognition. Instead of God's people having a wisdom from above, on display is a messed-up church stuck in a quagmire of iniquity. There are no good guys in this story.

Everyone is thrown under the bus--priest, elders, and people.

Chapter 17 begin with an origin story about the establishment of the shrine of Micah in Ephraim (v.1-6). This anecdote serves as a  sample of what religion was like in the time of the Judges and can explain why Israel kept backsliding and being defeated by their enemies. If you build a house on a foundation of sand, it is sure to fall. This is what it looks like when you build a house upon a toxic swamp. The birth of this church was conceived in sin. We could play a simple game of "Spot the Broken Ten Commandments" to see how badly this house of worship was conceived. The ruling elder Micah first steals 1,100 pieces of silver (8th Comm.) from his mother (5th Comm.). The act of stealing assumes he coveted to begin with (10th Comm.). His mother had pronounced a curse (presumably in God's name) upon the thief, but when Micah confessed to the crime she reversed the curse to a blessing (3rd Comm.). She then publicly dedicated all the silver to be given back to her son to make a carved image (2nd Comm.). Instead she only used 200 pieces to make two images (9th Comm). These two images were then added to the other household gods within the shrine (1st Comm). In total, seven commandments were explicitly violated in the establishment of the shrine. Instead of following God’s commandments, Micah takes it upon himself to construct a church based upon his own standards. Why did he feel like he had the right to do this? Because there was no king in the land and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. This points out the problem of human autonomy when people do whatever they feel like. It is a type of epistemological corruption when people themselves become the source of the knowledge of right and wrong (ethics). When you become the final judge of right and wrong, you are sure to be wrong. What is shocking about the whole sordid affair is that Micah and his mother are oblivious to their sin. There are no pangs of guilt or sense of shame. They are oblivious to the obvious.

The shrine is up and running, then then one day a wandering priest from Bethlehem of Judah shows up. This unemployed Levite was “looking for a place" to ply his trade. Micah was thrilled by his good fortune and jumps at the chance of hiring this minister. He offers him a job with the pay of ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and his living (accomodation?). He gets paid his "ten shekels and a shirt." The  Levite was content with this arrangement because it was to him just a religious gig. He was self-admittedly a mere hired priest (see Judges 18:4 and John 10:12-13). Religion can become a living and a lifestyle. Religious work pays the bills and give a man a sense of significance and status in the community. Ministry can be merely a religious career no different than any other secular career. 

Micah hires him and calls him a “father and a priest," but who was running the show at the house of Micah? Micah. He was the power behind the operation. He was the money behind it all, so he held sway of the shrine. Churches often have a dominant elder, not the pastor, who is the real power in the church. Not even the whole body of elders--just one man. Though all elders are equal in authority, some are more equal than others. When you cross a power elder, your days are numbered. Sometimes, though,  the real power in the church is not in the leadership or even in a man. It could be the wealthy widow who has been around forever and with the stroke of a pen can pay the church's annual budget or pay for a new church fellowship hall. One can remember in British church history, when the nobleman or lord of the land built the church building, and chose and paid for pastors stipend. Sort of like the comical and despicable characters of Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh portrayed in Pride and Prejudice. Who wants to be a sycophantic hired priest like Mr. Collins?

What is the driving force behind all this religious activity? A love for the LORD? No, the answer is given in v. 13. Once Micah has his shrine and his priest he exclaims, “Now I know the Lord will prosper me for I have a Levite as a priest.” The whole operation of the shrine was driven by the goal of getting God to bless him. It was an ancient prosperity gospel. Micah had found him a Levitical lucky charm or a six-foot tall rabbit’s foot. Since he had a legitimate Levite in his shrine, God would surely bless him! This worldly motivation is at the heart of all idolatrous pagan faith. You worship a god so that he will give you what really matters to you: health, wealth, and fertility. There is a huge difference in worshipping a God who prospers you and serving a God who redeems you. This was Micah's game, but God cannot be played.

A Lost Tribe, 18:1-31

The Levite wasn’t the only person looking for a place. In fact there was a whole lost tribe of Israel trying to find a place to dwell. Verse 2 says they were seeking a place because no inheritance had fallen to them. That needs a little explanation for territory had been allotted to them, which Joshua 19:40-41 makes clear. But they were unable to drive out the Amorites who lived there, instead were driven back to the hills (Judges 1:34-36). They were failures at conquering the land. Unlike Joshua who was "bold and strong" in faith, these Dannites were scared and weak. So they were looking for somewhere else a bit easier to possess. They send out a search party of five to spy out the land (v.1-10). On the way they stop off at the house of Micah and meet the Levite, and inquire about him. Already they were making plans for the future. They sought his blessing on their journey, which he grants them, "Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD" (18:6). So they head-off way north and come across a lush, secluded valley of people in Laish. These Sidonians were peaceful, unsuspecting, and isolated from all military allies. They returned and reported back to the whole tribe this good news. 

You can’t help but notice the similarities between this spy story and the original spy story of Numbers 13, but there are significant differences. In both accounts a small group of spies is sent out to report on the land. In each case they bring a good report of the land itself, that it was lush and overflowing with "milk and honey." Yet there is a significant difference in the Canaanite opposition. In Numbers 13 the spies are distraught over the size of their foes and the fortification of the cities. In Judges 18 the spies are gleeful over the weakness and vulnerability of the folks in Laish. So each set of spies draws contrasting conclusion about God's disposition towards them. In the case of Numbers 13, the majority report concludes that since the opposition if severe God is against them. In Judges 18, the spies are unanimous that since the path is easy, God is for them. The first spies want to retreat, the second spies want to attack. Both parties of spies exhibit a similar weakness of faith which assumes that if God is in it he has to make life easy for you. How opposite was the spirit of Joshua and Caleb (the minority report) who were convinced that God would grant them the victory regardless of the strength of the opposition--a classic "if God is for us, who can be against us?" attitude. But in Judges 18 we have a Dannite conquest without God and without faith. Their faith was only able to rise to the level that God should give them an easy path to victory. They were only willing to proceed if they could do it in their own strength. If you are honest with yourself, isn't that the kind of path you really want? You want God to make your life easy so that you can succeed based upon your own capabilities. The last thing we want is a difficult path which forces us to rely upon God's strength.

This is what could be called the Presbyterian prosperity gospel. Micah had a Charismatic prosperity gospel, which is “God prospers you" hopefully miraculously." The Presbyterian prosperity gospel is “You prosper yourself" with God’s approval.” Charismatics worship God so that he will bless them; Reformed people work hard and expect God's rubber stamp. The common denominator between the two prosperity gospels is that you prosper within God’s will. Both prioritise human prosperity over the fulfilment of God’s righteousness.

The previous segment (v.1-10) shows the wimpiness of Dan, now we get to see their ugliness (11-26). On display is a putrid display of covetousness, stealing, manipulation, ambition, strife, and potentially murder. The tribe of Dan sends an army of 600 men up north to take the land. On the way they pass by the house of Micah and the search party mentions all the valuables in the shrine. All 600 armed men stop at the gates of the house while the five spies go in and ransack Micah and take all the images, gods, and the ephod. They meet the priest and tell him to stay silent, and then they morph into a pastoral selection committee and persuade him to become the pastor of their tribe, “Come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be the priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” (18:19). That sealed the deal, “And the priest's heart was glad.” (18:20). So now instead of objecting to the theft of the images, the priest lends them a hand. “He took the ephod…and joined with the people.” When Micah and his men send a posse after them,  the Dannites yell out, “What’s the matter with you!” (18:23). When Micah complains about the theft of his stuff and his priest, they warm him to shut up or they will kill him. Seeing that he was outnumbered he returns home dejected. On display was raw church power politics--might makes right.

All this corruption occurs because of the selfish desires of the people involved. A word that pops up frequently in this story, which is the most sinister, evil four-letter word in the OT, is took. (Hebrew: laqach)  Micah took his mother's silver (17:2). The Dannites took the images (18:17). The priest also took them all (18:20) Micah says that the Dannites took his gods and his priest (18:24). It's no wonder, many of the worst sins in the OT have took in them. Achan took the forbidden things at Jericho (Josh 7:21). Sarah took her maid Haggar and gave her to Abraham (Gen 16:3). David took Bathsheba and lay with her (2 Sam 11:4). The grandaddy of them all, Eve took of the fruit and ate (Gen 3:6). To take is the  selfish grasp that grabs what it craves. 

In this chapter we see a church that is no different from the world. There were no salt and light attributes in God's people. Nothing glorious is spoken about this city of God (Ps 87:3). Jesus said that if salt loses its saltiness, what is it good for? Good for nothing, except to be thrown out and trampled on. All of this nasty behaviour occurs because none of the people are seeking God’s righteousness. Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added." (Matt 6:33). With both the house of Micah and the tribe of Dan righteousness is neither sought first or last. Everybody wants "all these things" but nobody wants the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This is the kind of demonic wisdom which James 3:14-16 warns us about: "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."

The 600 armed men of Dan eventually descend upon the unsuspecting inhabitants of Laish and slaughter them. It was easy pickings, like shooting fish in a barrel. They did it in their own strength. They had no need of God. It was faithless and godless, yet successful. And that’s how must people like to function, they get all the glory that way. You can’t help but feel sorry for the folks of Laish. When Joshua conquered the land, the Canaanites were locked and loaded, and you don't feel any sympathy for the Canaanites. But in this story it's not so clear. Church history (and the church at present) is littered with stories of God's people accomplishing things in the name of God, which never had God's approval.

Having ousted the Laishites, they renamed the town Dan after their forefather, and established themselves in the land. Of course, they needed to set up their own shrine with Micah's stolen silver images. They mimicked Micah's shrine, but up-sized the whole operation: they super-sized the sin. They took the stolen images, ephod, gods, and the Levite and that set up a worship center that ministered to the whole tribe. In 18:29 we learn the name and perfect pedigree of the Levite: Jonathan , grandson of Moses. Instant credibility with that ancestry. So this linage of priests and the images became the centrepiece of their worship which taints all the northern tribes. And thus they plant the seeds of their own destruction. Spoiler alert! Just as Micah’s house of lies fell, so too will their kingdom fall. In 18:31 there is an allusion to the ultimate captivity of the nation. The kingdom of Israel has not even began, and there is an allusion to its demise. Why? Because images and false gods were the foundation of their faith. A house built upon wrong foundations is doomed to fail. If the church is going to thrive is must be established upon the rock of Christ's righteousness and the word of God.

This portion of the book of Judges is like one massive negative example of how the church should not act. By inference, the opposite is how we should act. The kingdom of Christ should be started and advanced with the primary goal of God's glory and righteousness. Faith and character matter. Instead of worldly wisdom we should heed James' antidote to worldliness: "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom...the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:13, 17-18). As practical action points consider this:

·    What are your motives? Self-interest or God’s glory and the interests of others?

·      Ministries conceived in sin are doomed to fail.

·      Ministry is a calling, not a career. It's not about the money.

·      It's God’s house not yours? Beware of being a power player.

·      Stop trying to use God to bless your will. Pray: "Not my will, but thy will be done."

·      Humility and grace are a cure for the contagion of sin.

·      Follow God’s word instead of doing what is right in your own eyes.

·      Don’t substitute your short-term success for the church’s long-term failure.

"Pray Without Ceasing" Luke 18:1-8

Prayer is one of the most vital components of the Christian life, but it is also the most difficult. The disciples themselves recognised they needed lessons from Jesus in order to pray better. The Gospels record numerous accounts of Jesus' instruction on prayer. In particular, Jesus sought to encourage people when they lost heart in their praying. In the parable of the persistent widow Jesus seeks to revive their confidence in the effectiveness of prayer and the assurance of an eventual answer.

The Danger of Despondent Prayer, v. 1, 8

Don't you love it when you understand the meaning of a Bible passage? It makes it much easier when Jesus explains the meaning of his parables, like in the parables of the sower and the weeds (Matt 13). In verse one, the passage explicitly declares the intent of the parable, "He told them a parable to the effect the they ought to always pray and not lose heart." The meaning is clear: keep on praying, even when your heart is despondent.

The danger of despondency is expressed in two places. In v. 1 Jesus says that people "lose heart." The Greek word means “to faint, lose heart, be discouraged, give up.” The second place is in v. 8 when Jesus wonders when he returns “will he find faith on the earth?” The key phrases complement each other, in other words, Christians may be so discouraged in faith that they just stop praying. There can be a number of reasons why you lose confidence in prayer. You might have rejected requests, when  God says “no”. You don’t get what you ask for. Then you are embarrassed, frustrated for being wrong, or angry about not getting your will. Worse, you might be devastated when a terrible event occurs that you were praying against, such as the loss of a loved one. Perhaps there is no answer. You pray yet God remains silent, and the wait is tormenting. During prolonged hardship the waiting erodes our faith, and you begin to question whether God cares or is able to do anything. Sometimes you are uncertain what to pray for, because you don't know God’s will. Then you become fatalistic, and just resign to the fact that God is going to do what he is going to do.

In the face of these factors Jesus is intent that we keep on praying. The kind of prayer that Jesus is talking about is not simply repeating specific requests. It is about an overall disposition of trusting and calling on God always in your life. To “pray without ceasing” is not to engage in a protracted prayer meeting that never stops. Your whole life you are to be a person of prayer, no matter what. The whole church for the duration of its existence on this earth continues to cry out to God. This universal and eternal sense is evident by the reference to the return of the Son of Man. Will there be faith anywhere on the earth, or will all the hardship of life erode the faith of the church so much that it simply stops asking God for anything more? This is the danger we face, particularly when times are hard and they don’t seem to be getting better.

The Parable of Persevering Prayer, v. 2-6

He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men." (v.2)

Having addressed the danger of prayerlessness, the master teacher tells a parable. The first character in the story is the villain. He is an unjust judge “who neither feared God nor respected man.” This establishes his character. To “not fear God” means that he had no interest in justice or righteousness. To “not respect man” means that he did not care about people: an unrighteous and heartless judge. 

Why would Jesus concoct such a loathsome character to be be compared with God? Isn’t this comparison offensive? Two reasons, when God is not answering prayer we kind of wonder if God does not care about justice or us. God seems like this judge. Second, and more importantly, Jesus is making an argument of “the harder to the easier,” a kind of “how much more” argument. If the widow’s persistent requests are effective with a bad judge, how much more will they work with a good God.

And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying,"Give me justice against my adversary."(v.3)

The hero of the story is the relentless widow who keeps bringing her request to the judge. It is helpful that we do not restrict the thrust of this parable to merely to some trivial legal dispute. The widow represents the poor and needy of this world. She represents Christians, who are the humble and poor. She presents a valid request to a judge for vindication against an enemy. She is under some kind of oppression in her life because of this foe. We tend to think about judges as court officers who only hand out punishments, but the judge represents a ruler who can solve her situation and grant goodness in her life. Judges gives punishments and rewards. They govern over life. So her plea is a cry for help. This is Christian prayer. Help me! Give me justice. O Lord, the Judge and Ruler of all the earth! Give me deliverance from my foe. This is essentially, thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Included within the widow's prayers would be any plea for salvation in your own life, the expansion of gospel witness throughout the world, and the transformation of governments and culture. We are praying for God's kingdom of justice to overturn a world full of corruption. 

The parable contains a number of lessons. First we should expect delays in the answers to our prayers.The judge initially refuses her. The parable recognises that there will be a delay in an answer:“For a while he refused, but afterward...” Likewise, Jesus concedes a waiting period for the saints, “Will he delay long over them?” Second, there is a need for perpetual prayer. Since there is a delay, we must keep on praying. The widow “kept coming,” day after day. The judges says that the widow “keeps bothering me," And he answers her, so that she will “not beat me down.” The Greek is much more physical, it literally means to give me a black eye. Jesus recognises that the saints are they “who cry to him day and night.” (v. 7) So our ongoing prayer can be likened to a “beat down” on God. Lastly, due to this constancy of prayer her request is answered. Jesus says that we are to “Listen to the unjust judge.” The judge explains why he ultimately gave her justice: though I am not good, I will answer her because I want her to stop. So prayer works. Reformed Christians generally don’t like that saying, because it implies that praying itself brings the result, instead of God. But if we listen to Jesus he says that the answer comes due to the continuance of prayer. In a bygone era, Christians called this importunate prayer, the persevering solicitation of God. Our prayers are endowed with an inherent effectiveness. God respects our prayers. Since we are in a covenant relationship God, we have “pull" with him. It is an unfathomable mystery, but we have a working relationship with God, wherein he uses our prayers to implement his sovereign designs. 

The consistent teaching on prayer in the Gospels is to encourage persistence. In the parable of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-8) a just-awakened friend gets up from the bed to help his neighbour, “Not because he is his friend but because of his impudence.” We see persistence rewarded in people who cry out to Jesus for help, though they are initially rebuffed. Blind Bartimeaus who won’t shut up even when the disciples try to stop him (Mark 10:46-52). The Canaanite woman in Matt 15:21 keeps crying out for Jesus to heal her daughter. Both Jesus and the disciples knock her back, yet she persists. Eventually Jesus is pleased with her persevering faith and grants her request.

Now there are some possible objections to this teaching on persist prayer. Doesn't this parable contradict Jesus' own instructions in Matt 6:7 about repeating empty words?:“Do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words.” Default answer, no. Empty repetition is not the same as persistent supplication. Empty repetition is worlds apart from faith-filled  and thoughtful prayers. Empty repetition is like Buddhist windmills or Hindu chants. They lack heart and thought. Same thing could be said of a repetitive prayer over the same specific request. Also, is insistent prayer kind of like ordering God around? Is this type of prayer dishonouring to God? You err when you use God's promises to to tell God what he has to do for you. We never dictate to God, we ask of God. Even a fervent prayer is still a humble request of a sovereign king, who is free to answer as he pleases. 

The Assurance of Answered Prayer, v. 7-8

“Will not God give justice to his elect who cry to him day and night?” v.7

Having established the principle that persistent pleading is effective even with a bad judge, Jesus amplifies this truth as it applies to a good God. To pray effectively we need confidence that our prayers will be answered. Jesus seeks to encourage our hearts that there we will an assured answer. To bolster confidence, Jesus asks rhetorically, “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? I tell you, though he delay, he will give justice speedily" (v.7-8). When Jesus says, “I tell you” it is the same as “truly, truly.” How do you know that God will answer you? Well, Jesus just said that God would. Isn't that proof enough? What other guarantee do you need besides the sure word of Jesus?

Now if persistence works on a bad judge, how much more will it work with God who is actually good. Persistence has an inherent efficacy, but the superior character of God gives even greater assurance of an answer. Unlike the unjust judge, God loves justice, has compassion on people, and has a relationship with his elect ones. The famous “ask and it will be given; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9) exhortation seeks to build confidence in answers to prayers. Jesus places the ultimate assurance of an answer in the God's good character. If a bad father gives good things when a child asks, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good things when you ask (Luke 11:13). 

I think the word “answer” may be the most precious word in the Bible. The psalmist cry out, “Answer me when I call, O God” (Ps 4:1), or encourage us, “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! (Ps 20:1). The most precious experience you can have in this life is an answer to your prayers. “I love the Lord, because he heard my voice and my pleas for mercy (Ps118:1). When Jesus was in the depths of Sheol he announced his resurrection with these words in Psalm 22:21, “You have answered me.”

The last two verses contain a perplexing paradox: God both delays long over them and answers speedily. How do these fit together? Is God slow or fast? Perhaps it is a differing perspective on time. A day for the Lord is like a thousand years for us, right? Or we just can't figure out his timing, like when the hobbit Frodo says to the wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings,  “You’re late, Gandalf.” Gandalf replies, “A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” God does work on his own time schedule.

The long delay refers to the duration when God's people are crying out for God to deliver them. Persistent prayer requires a delay, oh, but when he answers, watch out!When God does answer it can be so fast and effective. God has a rapid response, even if it was a long time coming. The Bible has numerous accounts of a long delay followed by speedy deliverance. Joseph spent a years in prison before his rapid rise to be prime minister of Egypt. The children of Israel were afflicted for 400 years in Egypt before they were speedily delivered in the exodus event. In the book of Judges, Israel is repeatedly afflicted for many years and then God raises up a judge who quickly defeats their enemies. In 2 Kings 6-7, the Syrians besiege Samaria so that there was great famine, but then Elisha prophecies that the next day there would be great abundance. The whole Syrian army fled leaving all their food. Lastly, Israel spent 70 years in Babylon until they are suddenly sent out by Cyrus back to the land.

The skeptic says, "Those are just Bible stories! What about in the real world?!" Think about post WWII Europe dominated by the Soviet Union. From 1945 onwards, persecuted Christians cried out to God day and night for justice from their Marxist atheistic oppressors. The Romanian pastor Richard Wurmbrand wrote the book Tortured for Christ chronicling this persecution. Then in 1989, after 44 years of praying, the kingdom quickly came. Starting in June 1989 every communist regime in Eastern Europe collapsed within three years. Like dominoes they fell, resulting in the break up of the Soviet Union on Christmas day 1991. Who could have imagined the timing, speed, and ease of the end? Richard Wurmbrand later wrote From Torture to Triumph, as he rejoiced over God’s speedy answer after 44 years of praying.

These things all happened in this age. But there is one pray request that Christians have been praying for 2000 years that has not yet been answered: "Come Lord Jesus! Come!" The ultimate vindication of the saints will come at the return of Christ. All things will be set right. In a blink of an eye, speedily, out of the heavens judgement and restoration will come and the adversary destroyed. "Nevertheless,"  Jesus wonders, "when the Son of Man returns will he find faith on earth?" (v.8) Will his church still be hoping and praying? Heed his words, therefore, and keep on praying.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18