Part 3: The depth of Israel’s apostasy (Judges 17:1-21:25), continued
Religious corruption (Judges 17:1-18:31), continued
Religious corruption of a tribe (Judges 17:1-18:31)
- Judges 18:6 – Notice that this is a very ambiguous response. There is no indication that the priest actually inquired of God.
- Judges 18:20 – The Levite’s allegiance was not to God or even to Micah, but to his own ego.
- Judges 18:25 – See Judges 17:13. This did not turn out well for Micah.
Moral and societal corruption (Judges 19:1-21:24)
Moral outrage at Gibeah (Judges 19:1-21)
- Judges 19:12 – Gibeah was associated with several faithful priests who took a stand against sin in the Old Testament. Eleazer was buried there (Joshua 24:33) and it was the town of his son Phinehas (see Numbers 25:1-13). The contrast here seems to be the declining values of the city since the days of Phinehas. Gibeah was also the hometown of Saul.
Class 12 takeaway
- Idolatry was so endemic to Israelite life that they were unable or unwilling to recognize it and root it out of their culture, ultimately leading to their captivity. This is clearly seen in the Micah-Levite-Danite affair.
- We can be similarly entrenched in idolatry and self-made religion. When we fail to carefully and thoughtfully study the Bible – and respectfully question long held conclusions in light of God’s truth – we risk stumbling into the same trap these Israelites (and later Jews who killed the Messiah) fell into.