In Judges 17 – 18, various sinful activities achieve success. We will mention only a few examples. Micah’s theft, in a number of ways, becomes positive for him. Not only was there no punishment or restitution for the crime, but Micah receives a blessing! In the end the aimlessly wandering Levite succeeds in becoming the high priest of the Danite cult shrine. The Danites, who have failed to trust Yahweh in possessing their God- ordained allotment, succeed in possessing their own allotment without any trust in Yahweh. None of the characters in this section acts with integrity, yet they succeed in most of their agendas and machinations. Thus in this section there is an important warning for the modern church. Success, especially as the world judges this concept, is not necessarily a sign of righteousness or an indication that we must be doing something right or the way that God would want things done. In fact, it may be the opposite. God does not squelch every corrupt motive, thought, or scheme of human beings (whether unbeliever or believer). Just because there is the appearance of success does not signify that the means or methods to this apparent success are godly. The issue of personal and corporate integrity matters, and the ultimate evaluation of success will be based on God’s judgment of men’s and women’s hearts. It is interesting that the Danites manifest attitudes and actions that are nothing short of raw paganism, brutalizing Micah in the process. In the same way, one cannot help but think of how some Christians treat other Christians. Every Christian counselor can share stories in which God’s people have been or are brutalizing one another. This subject, in particular as manifested in the brutalization of women, becomes fully blown in the final section of Judges. The double conclusion’s refrain, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit,” emphasizes there is no spiritual king in Israel and life is a free- for- all. Perhaps the modern expression of this is found in the famous song of the late Frank Sinatra, “I Did It My Way.” While the song is about being stoic and heroic in the face of difficulties, its emphasis on self to the complete neglect and omission of the sovereign [Yahweh] proclaims the essence of modern society’s orientation. Sinatra’s song could have been the theme song for the Israelites in the days of the judges. --K. Lawson Younger, Judges, Ruth: NIV Application Commentary
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 05:58:15 +0000