Judges Chapter 18 Verse 1

● A better way to say this is that they had not taken their inheritance. Joshua 19:40-48 tells us clearly that they were given the seventh lot with 18 territories but they ended up dwelling in a place called Leshem because we’re told in Judges 1:34 that the Danites were not able to capture their inherited land from the Amorites.
● Now what’s interesting is who was a Danite? And how tragic! His people remain without what God had purposed for them, because Samson was for himself, (not for God, not for them), and now Samson is dead. Something else entirely relevant, Samson is the last judge of Israel that we will read about in the Book of Judges. Eli and Samuel come after him but we don’t encounter them until 1 Samuel.
● What we will see repeated four times in chapters 17 through 21 is that there was not king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. That’s not found prior to chapter 17. What is found prior to chapter 17 is oppression and attack and battle with outside oppressors such as Mesopotamia, Moab, Jabin the Canaanite King and his commander Sisera, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the Philistines. But in these last chapters, there are no foreign oppressors. The enemy is within.
● Also, in these last chapters of Judges, the Israelites are not accused of worshipping foreign gods which has been the case time and time again earlier in the book. What we are seeing now is that they are worshipping God in an improper or pagan way. They seem to believe that they are worshipping God but they are employing idols. It’s just a mess!

Judges Chapter 18 Verse 2

● This was well outside of the land that was appointed to them by the way. They are unfortunately looking for the easy way out. They’re sending five spies to find a land that is nice and easy to conquer.
● I can’t help but continue to grieve over the waste and ridiculous loserness (new word) of Samson! I mean the people have no Judge because of Samson. He made no leaders. The people have no idea how to serve God because ● Samson was so blind! His own tribe is well outside of God’s inheritance and yet homeless (if you will) because Samson was such a loser! And now the problems that plague the nation are entirely internal. They have no idea how to even dwell with themselves in peace!
● Samson is the kind of person that I would not have as part of my life. I know that sounds harsh but I am speaking from a clarity of experience. Someone who is blind to righteousness and continually lives for self and serves self at the expense of his “loved ones” (in quotations because he only ever loved himself). His family suffers, his people suffer and by his actions and decisions, he couldn’t care less. I can’t unfriend him fast enough. Erase his phone number fast enough. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:5, “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,” and he says in 1 Timothy 1:20, “Some have rejected faith and good conscience and because of that have suffered shipwreck of whom are Hymanaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme!”
● I have known many Samson’s and I have a certain oil/water effect with folks that hear the truth, acknowledge the truth, agree with the truth and then live for self…we just don’t mix and man there will be an entire people on that last day that argue with God and yet Jesus will say, “But I never knew you!”
● The current condition of the people, he would deny it…he probably wouldn’t even see it…makes it no less true…it’s on him and all of the other men and women that would not step forward and take a stand for the Lord!

Judges Chapter 18 Verses 3 – 20

● Everything is upside down! First, the Danites on a sinful mission ask a sinning priest to give them the blessing of a righteous God! Now they come in and basically are stealing and the priest confronts them and they tell him to shut it! So backwards! I mean it’s such a mess! And then the priest is happy about all of this! How far we can drift off of the truth…I wonder do you see it. Here’s the tricky part. You actually have to look to see it…Here’s why we don’t…
● Because to look is to assume that there has been movement or that you are off track…I mean why else waste your time? And who wants to admit that they are living in error? The flesh NEVER wants to admit that! And if you look, what has to be your window? Your lens (if you will) to even know if you yourself are off and warped and sinning? The Word of God! So not only do you have to be in humility but you also have to be in the Word, rightfully dividing the scriptures and applying them personally. Do you see why so many have no clue that they are warped, blind, in sin and walking through life completely apart from God!? The ones that really get me are the ones who know and don’t change course…

Judges Chapter 18 Verses 21 – 24

● This is an interesting You could look at this several ways and each way it’s tragic. Micah’s gods have been stolen from him. What kind of god can be stolen? Micah is on a rescue mission to save his gods! What kind of god needs saving? And these gods are of his own making in the first place! Here’s the revelation. Guzik said this and I love it. We either worship and serve a god of our own making or we worship the true God who made us…but…the gods we make are always less than we are and so therefore, any type, shape, form, way of idol worship, worshipping of a false god, is simply repackaged worship of self! WOW!

Judges Chapter 18 Verses 25 – 31

● Very interesting. Micah stole 1,100 pieces of silver from his own mother and later returned it. She took 200 pieces of that silver and formed an individual idol. That individual idol became the personal blasphemy and sin of a Micah’s house. And now it has turned into the formal and official idolatrous false religion of an entire people. And I don’t even put it all on Micah and his momma…for me this still securely rests on the coward,