MPC, 10th November 2002.Judges 17-21 "Anarchy!"
Phil Campbell MPC, 10th November 2002.
Australia 2002. Bradley John Murdoch is charged with the murder of Peter Falconio. Complicated by the fact that he's already under arrest… charged with the rape of a 12 year old girl and her mother.
Australia 2002. Jordan and Keiran Rigg are excited - they're spending the school holidays with their dad. But while they're staying with him up North, their dad Peter puts them in the back of his Liteace van… and shoots them both. Then drives out a bush track. And does the same to himself.
Australia 2002. An 18 year old rapist sentenced to 32 years jail for a string of gang rapes in Sydney.. He'd find the victim, then SMS from his mobile. And his 14 friends would swarm. And one of them holds a gun to the girl's head while the rest take turns to rape her. The judge said their behaviour was "worse than animals." His older brother is serving 55 years.
Australia, 2002.
From there, come to Israel. Step back around 3000 years. The nation called to be the people of God. The nation with no human king. Because God is their king. Or that's the theory. The nation with no king's palace. But a tabernacle instead. The nation led by Judges. And not kings.
Judges chapter 8. Gideon's got it right. The people of Israel come to him and say Gideon, rule over us. Be our king. Verse 22. They say, "Rule over us - you, your son and your grandson - because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." But Gideon says, no I won't. "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you."
Gideon gets it. Israel is different. Because Israel's King is God himself.
And yet as the book of Judges unfolds, Israel unravels. To a point where things are so dark it's painful to read it. As you'll notice.
We're covering a chapters 17 to 21. The final section. And if you've read through the chapters in your bible study groups, you'll know there's a lot happening. All bad. But stand back a little and you'll see what we're dealing with is actually two big stories. Rather than lots of small ones. Two big stories… of how one thing leads to another. Two big stories… of how small decisions can snowball. In very ugly ways.
If you've seen the movie A Simple Plan, you'll know how it works. Billy Bob Thornton and his brother and a friend find a plane wreck. The pilot's dead. And inside the plane there's a stash of money. What do you do? It all unravels one simple decision at a time. Like a computer role playing game. Do you call the police and report the plane wreck? Or do you take the money. And say nothing. Click on option b. A small decision; the start of a big snowball. A few days later your friend decides he can't stand the guilt so he's going to tell the police. Do you go with him and hand over the money? Or do you kill him and keep the cash? Click on option b. And by the end, there's nothing left.
As is the case here.
So meet Micah. An ordinary guy in the hill country of Ephraim. Except right from the start, alarm bells. Here's a guy who steals from his mum. He says, Mum, that 13 kilos of silver you couldn't find? I stole it.
Now I checked yesterday's spot prices for silver. And it's not worth a huge fortune. At the moment, 13 kilos of silver, it's worth $3285.08. Not as if it's gold. But you'd be annoyed enough if someone nicked your $3000 nest egg. And so Micah says, "Hey Mum, that eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you that I heard you cursing about… I have that silver with me. I took it."
So good news and bad news. Micah's a lousy thief who'll steal from his own mother. But the good news. She can have it back.
But more bad news… and here's the simple decision that we're going to see snowballing… his mum's so pleased to get it back that she does an incredibly dumb thing. She takes a couple of kilos of the silver and says the amazing words you can see in verse 3. An incredible oxymoron. That maybe gives some sort of insight into the mind of the idolater. Which can start with such good intentions.
At this point, let me remind you of something Moses said. As he led Israel to the promised land. Moses said, and it's back in Deuteronomy 12; Moses said, when you take the promised land, don't be fooled. Don't be fooled by idolatry. Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and the hills where the nations you're dispossessing worship their Gods. Smash their sacred stones. Burn their asherah poles. Cut down their idols. Because, he says, you must not worship the Lord your God… in their way.
Tempting to think you can worship the Lord your God. In their way. Same God. But they use idols. So lets mix and match. Don't be fooled.
So here we are in one of the high places Moses was worried about. The hill country of Ephraim. And Micah's mum says, Great, I've got my silver back. "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord… for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol."
And so by verse 5, Micah has turned his house into a shrine. With an ephod. And some idols. With his mum's silver idol in pride of place on the mantelpiece. And Micah appoints one of his boys as priest.
Until a better option turns up. A young levite from Bethlehem; and verse 12, Micah installs the levite as the priest of his private chapel. And everything's good. Or so he thinks. I mean, how much better does it get? A house loaded with idols to worship God with. Your own personal priest.
In his mind, he's serving yahweh God of Israel. Verse 13, he says, "Now I know the Lord will be good to me, since this levite has become my priest." Now I've got God in a box. Which I think is exactly how pagan idolatry works. A little bit like those voodoo dolls you stick pins in. You've got the image of the person, you've got some sort of control. You've got the image of your petty little God… you've got some sort of control. And yet God has spoken. And let me tell you, you're not honouring the real God unless you're listening to his word.
We're suckers for the "if it feels good it must be right" idol. The "I've got a sense of inner peace about it" idol. Which this guy's got as well. Ignoring the fact God has spoken.
And the poison spreads. As in chapter 18 you've got the story of the tribe of Dan, still looking for their own slice of the promised land. Verse 13 they come to Micah's house on their way to the battle. And they say, hey, that house over there. The guy's got an ephod. He's got household Gods. He's got a carved image. And a carved idol.
We're at the end of verse 14. So now… you know what to do.
Irony alert! I reckon they need a red letter edition of Judges. Maybe a flashing letter edition would be better. Where the irony jumps out at you.
Because again, according to what God said back in Deuteronomy 13, you find a place like that, you destroy it. Fast.
So these 600 Danites at Micah's back gate… you know what to do guys. And you're expecting, they storm in, they'll trash the place, they'll bring God's righteous judgement.
Except they don't. They say, hey, nice idols. Hand them over. Give your idols to us. And we'll take your priest as well.
And on they go. Until at verse 30, you see the consequences full blown. The tribe of Dan in all their glory. Rebuilding the city of Laish; and there, the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, the son of Moses and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. And they continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh, up the road.
So what sort of place is Israel? Here's a hint. As the last tribe settles into the promised land… they settle into a long term commitment to idolatry.
But it gets worse.
And at this point we turn to the story of another levite. Who lives in the same hill country of Ephraim.
Chapter 19 verse 1 introduces him along with his concubine. His live-in lover. His "partner." As we'd politely put it today.
Except the girl's been unfaithful to him, and gone back to her dad in Bethlehem. Although the way it's worded in the original Hebrew, it's not exactly saying she's been unfaithful in seeing someone else. But that she's been unfaithful in leaving him. And going home.
But as the story unfolds, you might get some inkling why. Why you'd leave a levite like this guy.
She's been back with dad four months. And he finally decides it's time to get her back. So with his servant and his two donkeys and his bunch of flowers, he's off to the Father-in-law's house. Who gladly welcomes him. And says, stay a while. Let's party.
Let me tell you, this is a story with lots of partying. Which may well be part of the problem.
He says, stay a while. And they party. The next day, he says stay a while longer. And they party again. The next day he says, stay, just a little bit longer. Just like the beer ad.
And in the end he's stayed so long, that when on day five he finally takes his concubine and head for home with the two donkeys and the servant, they only get a bit over half-way.
They're coming near Jebus. Which in the future is going to become the city of Jersualem. But at this point, it isn't. And the servant says to his master in verse 11, let's stop here. Let's pull in at the city of the Jebusites for the night.
And his master replies in verse 12; and it's time for the irony alert again… he says, No, we won't go into an alien city whose people are not Israelites. We'll go on. To Gibeah.
I mean, you wouldn't spend the night with the Jebusites. Because they're not Israelites. And who knows what they might do to you.
And so they stop in at Gibeah. And as you did back in those days, they sit in the city square and they wait for someone to invite them home. Which nobody does. Until and old man… from the hill country of Ephraim again… who's living in town comes in from the fields. And invites them home. And finally in verse 20 they've found a welcome. Come with me. Only whatever you do, don't spend the night in the square. And so he takes them into his house and feeds the donkeys and they wash their feet and settle in for a night of eating and drinking. Another party.
This is the good life. Israelite hospitality. In an Israelite town. Except those words maybe ringing in your ears a little oddly. Whatever you do… don't spend the night in the square.
And you soon see why. Because while the Levite and his servant and his concubine and the old guy are enjoying themselves it says in verse 22, some of the wicked men of the city surround the house. And they start pounding on the door.
And at this point you'll be thinking, this is not the sort of passage you'd want to be teaching in a Sunday School lesson. Because they're pounding on the door and they're shouting to the old man, bring out the guy staying with you. So we can have sex with him.
Now there are some eerie echoes here of another city. Back in Genesis chapter 19. With a story that's almost identical. Point for point. A city called Sodom. A screaming mob surrounding the house of Lot. Who's entertaining angels. Read it sometime. And see the story of the city that's still synonymous with smut. And homosexuality.
Except in Genesis 19 the sin of the pagan city of Sodom has such a stench to it that God blots it from the face of the earth.
And now here we are at Gibeah in Israel. And the same story is playing itself out. With the crowd made up of Benjamites. Israelites. Except this time God's nowhere to be seen.
Interesting, isn't it? Another one of those stony silences. Genesis 19; the angels step in and save the day. And God speaks judgement on Sodom. Judges 19. God is nowhere. Saying nothing. Not a mention in the whole chapter.
And so it gets worse. The owner goes out and he says to the mob, he says, look, verse 24, take my daughter. And take the guy's concubine. Do what you like with them. Only don't touch the man. Because that wouldn't be very nice. Which leads to what's got to be the most horrific account in the whole Old Testament.
As the Levite takes his concubine, verse 25, and you can imagine she's screaming; she's begging, she's digging her heels into the carpet as he drags her to the door. And throws her to the wolves. And they rape her and abuse her through the night; and at dawn let her go. And she somehow crawls back to the house at daybreak and collapses at the door.
And meanwhile, her master has had a few more drinks and he's gone off to bed. Gets up in the morning and goes out to for the newspaper and there she is. As if he'd forgotten what happened. In fact, the way it's worded it's almost as if he's about to step over her. As if he'd packed his bag and was just planning to go home without a second thought.
And it gets worse.
Not that it's necessarily any worse than the National Nine News. Let's not get too precious. Did you see yesterday, the Jurors in the bodies in the barrels murder trial have been told yesterday to prepare themselves for months of gut churning evidence. Because police prosecutors are going to show video evidence. Of the dismembered bodies… as they found them in the vault. Australia 2002.
But this is Israel. The people of God. And there she is, fallen in the doorway in verse 27 with her hands tantalisingly reaching for the threshold. Almost safe. And he says to her, Get up, let's go. But there's no answer. And he picks her up and puts her on the donkey and goes home.
Where he calmly takes out a knife. And cuts up his concubine, limb by limb, verse 29, into twelve parts and sends them in parcels. To all the areas of Israel. At which point you're surely saying too much information. We don't need to hear this stuff. We don't need to see videotape of the bodies stuffed in barrels to know how bad this is. And yet somehow we do.
And suddenly, verse 30, it's as if Israel comes to her senses. And says what's going on? Something's gone wrong. What can we do?
Which could be the end of the story. But it gets worse. Because the snowball of sin is still growing out of control. Israel's full of righteous indignation. And they've got armies to prove it. But as chapter 20 and 21 unfold, the mess just gets deeper and deeper.
Ever tried to get rid of an ink-stain? I got one on a shirt pocket. Thought I'd fix it by rubbing it. And it just spread further and further, worse and worse.
The other tribes are so shocked by their little packages of concubine and the sanitised version of the story the Levite puts around that they're going to get even with the Benjamites. And in chapter 20 the battle's a disaster. Civil war. With Israelites tearing each other limb from limb. And Israel's dismembered… more brutally than the girl was.
And yet when it's over… there's weeping and wailing. And in chapter 21 verse 2, the people go to Bethel, and they sit before God until evening; crying their eyes out. Crying out to God, why has this happened… that one tribe… is missing from Israel today. And they grieve for their brothers the Benjamites. With only 600 of their men left. And the worse thing is, the rest of Israel's made a vow. That none of them can give their daughters to the few men of Benjamin who are left. The women of Benjamin are dead. So the line's been extinguished for ever.
And the people grieve for Benjamin, chapter 21 verse 15… because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. And it's all God's fault.
Now notice as we finish the immense integrity of these people.
These Israelites are men of their word.
They've promised they won't give their daughters to the men of Benjamin. But nobody said they couldn't take someone else's daughters. Which is exactly what they do. And is apparently quite okay - by their standards. And the elders of the assembly say, chapter 21 verse 19… they say, Look, there's an annual festival to the Lord as Shiloh to the north of Bethel… there's the annual church dance on. So here's what to do. And they instruct the Benjamites, it says in verse 20, Go and hide in the vineyards and watch. And when the girls come out and join in the dancing… rush in and seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh… and go to the land of Benjamin. Rush in. Kidnap. And rape.
And they do. It all started with the gang rape of a concubine… and it ends with the gang rape of a whole town full of girls. But at least nobody had to break their oath. Because these Israelites… are men of honour.
Israel 2000BC. Idol worshippers. Wife abusers. Rapists. And in both cases, small sins that start in the backblocks of the hill country of Ephraim … spread through whole tribes, that are rotten to the core.
So what's gone wrong? Let me tell you, the text makes the answer very clear. In a repeated phrase that I'm sure you've noticed.
Howard Jacobson is a Jewish writer living in London. And he was interviewed by Clive James. Clive said, as part of a minority group, how do you think multicultural England is going?
And Howard Jacobs says, "I've decided there's no such thing as multiculturalism." He said, the problem is, there's an assumption that all sorts of things can meet… when in reality there's nothing for them to meet around." He says, "You can't come in from the margins if there's no agreed centre."
And he's right. If there's no agreed centre, it's every man for himself. Anything goes. Which is England today. And Australia as well.
More to the point, the tragedy is, it's Israel at the time of the judges even moreso. The one nation out of all the nations… that was called to be distinct. And separate. Because God was their centre and their king. And no other.
No king in Israel
So did you notice the phrase? I've skipped it up til now. But look back. Because it brings it all together. The land with God as king hasn't got God as king at all.
Go back to 17:6. And underline it. "In those days Israel had no king. Everyone did as he saw fit." As Micah sets up his personal idol shrine.
And then in 18 verse 1. Underline it again. It's like a refrain. In those days Israel had no king. Enough said. As the rot spreads to the tribe of Dan.
Down to 19:1. Word for word. In those days, Israel had no king. As we're about to meet the Levite and his concubine.
And then finally the last words in the book.
21:25. In those days, Israel had no king. Everyone did as he saw fit.
The so called people of God. Have got no king at all. The technical term is anarchy. An-arche. No ruler. So no rules. And so Israel is a place where all hell breaks loose.
A king for you?
I want you to take a minute to reflect. Because on a personal level it comes down to exactly the same issue. And Australia 2002 is simply made up of Australians who are doing exactly what they like.
That's how it works. If you've got no king… then you'll do exactly whatever you feel like. As a culture. As an individual.
And the point is, the gospel calls us to submit ourselves to a king. A king crowned on a cross. A King demonstrated to be king in power by his resurrection. Which to you and me can sound kind of theoretical. And yet to the first apostles wasn't theoretical at all. And certainly wasn't heard that way. Acts 17. In Thessalonica. There's a riot. Paul and Silas and their friend Jason. And listen to the accusation. They say these Christians, "They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.
If you've got no king, in your own personal anarchy you'll do exactly whatever you feel like. And your life will look something like the mess that's the ancient nation of Israel.
Although like Israel, it's easy to pay lip service to the fact you've got a king. And yet the reality is far different.
Twenty years ago, Gabrielle Carey wrote the book Puberty Blues. She says an interesting thing. She says "the most shocking aspect of Puberty Blues was the revelation about how young surfie girls were when they started having sex in the back of panel vans at Cronulla beach. And it wasn't just the surfie chicks. Get this bit. Our arch-rivals, the Christian Fellowship nerds, were also having it off at 14."
Throw away remark. But telling. The so called Christians - no different to anyone else.
You know the difference between a SO-CALLED Christian and a real one? Real Christians have a real king. And having a king makes all the difference in the world to how you live your life.
Having a king, the starting point is you repent. And stop ruling your life yourself. You repent. And you live like it. No King? Then be like Israel. And do exactly whatever you feel like. Australia 2002.
How is it with you? Because if for you there really is another king, one called Jesus… then it really needs to show. In the way you refuse to worship anything else. In the way if you're a Christian man you'll treat women – who time after time fall victim to the kingless men of Israel; you'll see who you're serving in the way you'll have an integrity that's far deeper than cheap oathmaking… and is actually a real commitment to righteousness. And among us there'll be a safety with one another. In a way there wasn't in Israel. So that nobody can say of us… when you scratch the surface… there's no king there. And everyone does what is right in his own eyes.