WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.959 So we are near the end of the Old Testament book of Judges, which we've been talking about. 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:11.439 And this book, it doesn't get any stranger at the end, but stylistically it almost gets more difficult. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:17.920 It's like the the writer just tells stories but doesn't like weigh in too much with actual lessons. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:28.160 So uh it's it's actually kind of odd to even get sermons preached from the end of the book of Judges, but since we're working our way through the book, we're gonna make a go at it and we're gonna cover two chapters today. 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:38.960 So uh wild man Samson, who we looked at the past few weeks, he died last week, uh, and he took out 3,000 Philistines when he died, if you remember that. 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:43.679 So for the entire life of Samson, the Philistines were the enemy. 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:48.320 I mean, the Philistines oppressed and enslaved uh the people of Israel. 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:54.000 So they were the enemy, but then all of a sudden, as we get into Judges 17, the Philistines are gone. 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:55.920 So the enemy is gone. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:02.799 And the story brings front and center the question what if we are our own enemy? 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:07.120 Because suddenly there's no them, it's just us. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:09.439 And of course this happens, right? 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:22.079 Because we continue to be uh quick-tempered or resentful or lustful or hasty or quietly resentful or passively angry or anxious or controlled, or something. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:22.560 I don't know. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:23.680 You can fill in the blank. 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:25.519 We could go around the room. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:39.439 On Sunday mornings, I always wake up a little more kind of antsy and anxious than the other six mornings of the week because I know that you like sacrifice time and energy to come here, and I want this to mean something for you. 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:46.560 I like our church to run like really, really smoothly if you haven't picked up on that, and Annie does also, so that's why we work well together. 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:50.560 We like it to all work smoothly, and I want it to work smoothly. 00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:53.359 And I can begin to cycle a little bit. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:55.680 Um, am I gonna hold my theology together? 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:57.359 Because some of you are smarter than me. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:01:59.120 I've picked up on that over the years. 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:03.519 Some of you really know your theology, and like, am I gonna be able to hold that together? 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:09.280 And sometimes I say words in my life I shouldn't say, like I stub my toe and I say a word. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:15.599 You don't know those words, I know you don't know those words, and you don't say those words, but sometimes I say those words just happens. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:17.360 And I don't want to say it up here. 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:25.360 I don't want you to know I know those words, but it does happen, and I don't want that to happen, so I can cycle with that, like I don't make that kind of mistake, that'll be horrible. 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:27.120 You know, just will I do a good job? 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:30.560 Like, will I do a good job, you know, for you and for us and for our church? 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:47.280 And I can kind of cycle with that, and sometimes if I cycle too much in that, and I I'll call my friend Kurt and I'll say, and Kurt's a minister also, so that's helpful as he knows these feelings, and so I'll call him and and I'll just kind of say everything I just said, and he'll say, Russ, did you preach the gospel from a passage of scripture? 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.080 And I'll say, Yeah, I did. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:52.479 Uh, did you serve the sacrament? 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:54.560 Yeah, I did. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.039 What else were you wanting to do this morning? 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.560 Like, yeah, yeah, you're right. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.560 Right, and he's right, right? 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:06.240 Like, and that's just my little circumstance. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.159 Most of y'all don't feel that circumstance. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:11.120 But I can become my own enemy, right? 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:13.520 And you know that feeling in some way. 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:17.680 We can future trip on events that haven't even happened, right? 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:19.759 And just cycle, a future trip. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:23.919 Or something has happened and we just kind of like live cycling in that. 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:30.479 We can cycle like frantically about uh how somebody views us, do they affirm us? 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:31.360 Do they approve of us? 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:32.080 What do they really think? 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.000 I know they said that, but what do they really think? 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:38.000 And we can cycle in all these ways, and the Taliban doesn't do that to us. 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:39.599 Like, they're not the Taliban's not doing that to us. 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:42.319 Taliban's doing other horrible stuff, but they're not doing that. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:43.919 Not to me this week. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:45.199 Like, that's us. 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:48.000 That's us being our own enemy. 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:54.719 And then we get into Judges 17, Philistines are gone, that outer enemy is removed. 00:03:55.039 --> 00:04:01.199 And the narrator, the writer, takes us into a story about one man who's his own enemy. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:02.879 There's nobody else to blame. 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:06.960 So Judges 17, 1 through 6, I'll reread what Jan read for us. 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:17.519 There was a man in the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah, and he said to his mother, the 1100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you are to curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me. 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:18.240 I took it. 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:20.399 Okay, so Micah stole from his mom. 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:24.959 And then his mother's replies, This blessed be my son by the Lord. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:35.680 And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son to make a carved image and a metal image. 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:37.680 Now therefore I will restore it to you. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:46.959 So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image, and it was in the house of Micah. 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:54.560 And the man Micah made a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods and ordained one of his sons who became his priest. 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:57.120 In those days there was no king in Israel. 00:04:57.360 --> 00:04:59.839 Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.000 So Micah makes all these little idols out of precious metal. 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:05.120 He makes the ephod. 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:08.240 He does all this stuff that God had said, don't do. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:09.120 Don't do it this way. 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:10.319 Don't worship me this way. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:12.160 It's Old Testament worship. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:14.079 But Micah wants to do it his way. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.000 He has his personal preferences. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:17.199 Story goes on. 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:26.720 Micah then eventually he goes out and he gets a Levite priest and he asks this guy, he said, Hey, will you come be a priest in my little set up my own little personal like worship thing going on? 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:30.560 Not how God's revealed to us to worship, but my own thing. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:32.000 Will you want to come and be a priest? 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:34.480 And the priest, okay, the priest signs on for that. 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:39.600 So the priest is there ministering in this kind of like false God messed up temple thing. 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:48.079 And then Micah justifies the entire thing and kind of stamps God's approval on it. 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:50.959 Listen to Judges 17, 13. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.079 Then Micah said, Now I know. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:56.560 Alright, so like the priest came. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:06.480 And so because the priest came, Micah's gonna, he's gonna interpret all of this as all of this is wonderful and good, and God's approval's on it. 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:12.399 Now I know the Lord will prosper me because I have a Levite as priest. 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:14.720 Here's point number one. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:21.839 We are called before the scriptures with beloved and open hearts, so a loved heart by God. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:27.920 But we need an open heart for teaching, correcting, resetting, and training. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.920 And I totally stole that from our family worship. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:37.279 Those of you that come, first hour of family worship, because we memorized this verse, 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, with our children last month. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:38.079 Here's the J.B. 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:39.199 Phillips translation. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:50.399 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man's life and training him in good living. 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:58.720 The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God and fit him fully for all branches of his word. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:15.199 So what this is saying is as we are welcomed and secure in Christ, the Holy Spirit uses that gospel, that good news we're fully known and fully loved, to create courage in us that we might be wrong. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:26.079 Like we can actually become courageous enough to be wrong in front of the scriptures and to be corrected and reset and trained. 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:32.240 So in this way, growth in grace is us learning to become vulnerable because we're secure. 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:37.439 If we're insecure in Christ and that's questionable, and we gotta get our behaviors all perfect and then we're secure enough. 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:42.000 If we're not secure, how can we come open in front of the scriptures to be wrong? 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:43.680 How could you risk that? 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:49.839 But if we're fully secure because of Jesus' work for us, we can come before the scriptures and say, show me where I'm wrong. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.160 I need to know where I'm wrong. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:08:01.360 And that is growth and grace for us to be that vulnerable before God and the scriptures, is so that we can joyfully and we can freely pray, God, help me to not be like Micah. 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:04.319 Even though I'm like Micah, help me to not be like Micah. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:13.360 Help me not to just like stamp your approval onto anything I just want to do or any opinion I just happen to have. 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:24.879 A few years ago, my sister Sherry, she called it in the evening, and she calls, I pick up and I put her on a speakerphone, and Christy was nearby, and she is dying laughing. 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:28.399 And her husband, Steve, my brother-in-law, he is dying laughing. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:32.320 And she says, You won't, you won't believe what Steve thinks. 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:33.519 You won't believe this rust. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:35.600 You know the song from Annie. 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:38.080 Some of you have heard me tell this story because it's so funny. 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:39.360 I tell this story all the time. 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:41.120 You know the song from Annie? 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.279 My sister says, You know the song. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:45.840 It's a hard enough life for us. 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:47.279 A hard enough life. 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:49.279 And I said, Yeah, of course I know that song. 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:50.399 She said, You won't believe it. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:52.960 Steve thinks it's hard knock life. 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:54.799 And I start dying laughing. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:57.759 I'm like, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:08:59.360 What does hard knock even mean? 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:00.399 I don't even know what that means. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:01.279 And I'm laughing. 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:02.080 She's laughing. 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.480 We're laughing at Steve, having a good time. 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:06.799 And then Christy starts laughing. 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:08.639 But she ain't laughing with us. 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.919 She's laughing at, she's laughing at me. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:16.960 So I do a quick Google. 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:19.440 Yeah. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:21.360 You know. 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:25.200 For 35 years I didn't know. 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.159 Just been singing, having a joyful time. 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:30.080 Hard enough life. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:32.639 It ain't hard enough life. 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:33.600 Is it? 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:34.159 No. 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:35.360 You knew. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:36.639 Hard knock. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:37.759 Didn't know. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:39.519 I didn't know. 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:42.159 It's not subjective. 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:43.679 It's in the song lyrics. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:48.559 Song lyrics didn't ask my uh opinion, my background, my experiences. 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:50.720 Song lyrics didn't care. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.960 So the hard truth, right up against my opinion, my hard enough life. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:00.080 And what gets to win in this moment? 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:02.799 Well, truth. 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:04.080 Truth wins. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:10.159 Which means, oh, like you have to like humbly rearrange. 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:11.759 Right? 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:15.440 You have to like go from laughing at Steve to laughing at yourself. 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:24.399 So for 30 years, I was hearing, 35 years, I was hearing and singing hard enough life. 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:28.159 And I've been rebuked by the song lyrics. 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.240 Reset, trained, no, it's hard knock life. 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:33.360 That's what it is. 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.519 Doesn't matter what I feel about it. 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:38.159 We have to do this. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.080 We have to do this with song lyrics. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:54.879 We have to do this with how we handle relationships and conflict and communication and how we handle forgiveness, how we handle moral issues and societal issues, spiritual issues, parenting, work ethic. 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:07.679 We hold an issue, a motive, a behavior so sacred, maybe we've even stamped God's approval on it, and then all of a sudden you come up face to face with truth from the scriptures. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:11.759 And can we become in front of the scriptures? 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:14.960 Can we come in front of them and say, God, open my heart to that? 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:17.440 I would be open to be wrong. 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:20.480 Because I don't want to live in falsehood. 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:22.559 And I don't want to live in delusions. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:25.679 Like I want to live in line with your truth. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:31.919 But for Micah, just stance God's approval on this whole temple thing, shrine, zone, ephod. 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:35.519 I mean, everything that Deuteronomy said, don't do that, don't do it that way. 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:37.120 He's going to do it that way. 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:46.399 Because for him, apparently, in some way, this is about him just worshiping out of his personal preference and then sort of like getting stuff out of God, right? 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.320 I mean, that's what he said in 1713. 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:49.759 Now God will prosper me. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.279 So to some end, this is his motive to get stuff out of God. 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:56.559 And to that degree, this is religious idolatry, right? 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:01.200 The last few weeks we talked romance idolatry, uh, what else was Sam's? 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:04.399 Romance, idolatry, power, idolatry, Delilah was money, idolatry. 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:07.679 And here we have we have religious idolatry, which says this. 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:09.519 Religious idolatry works like this. 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.720 When it's inside of our hearts in terms of our motives. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:22.000 If I don't adhere, this is what this idol, how it would work in our hearts, if I don't adhere to those religious activities, I won't be okay or enough. 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:32.879 Alright, so if we flip it around, this idol in our heart with religiosity, it would say, I only have meaning. 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:41.039 Or maybe I'm only accepted with God if I observe a particular set of religious activities. 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:55.919 And now, usually, because we love a sense of control and self-saving, rather than the humility of receiving the gift of Christ's forgiveness and righteousness, and we don't have to add on to that, we like to form our own little checklist, don't we? 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:57.679 Because then we're in control. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:11.759 And to some degree, we do kind of what Micah did, like we create a transactional God, which means if I do A, then He'll have to give me B, and we can be able to say, like Judges 17, 13, well, now the Lord will prosper me. 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:14.080 Look, I checked it off. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:17.279 But it doesn't work that way. 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:20.559 We all know it from experience, but we still do it because we love control. 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:27.919 Point number two is this religiosity is trying to squeeze out of God what we think he should give us. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:37.279 Gospel or Christian faith is receiving the revelation of God, his ways for us, and his heart for us. 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:40.799 And that way we live in a receiving posture. 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:47.919 Christian faith is revelatory in nature, it's revealed to us by God to us. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:58.960 Now that's recorded in the scriptures and that meta-narrative of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, making himself fully known in Christ, and I get it, the Bible's big, it's meta. 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:01.360 It's hard to comprehend. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:04.639 I'm just beginning to get my mind and heart around it. 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:07.519 But Jesus we can comprehend. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.000 Like Jesus is concrete. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:17.200 And that's kind of the point of Jesus was God making himself fully known so we would actually know what he's like. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:22.879 So if you're scratching your head over the complexity of the Bible at times, you can say, well, at least I can look at Jesus. 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.840 Hebrews 1, 1 through 4 says this about Jesus. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:30.480 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:39.360 But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:51.440 He, that's Jesus, is the radiance of the glory of God, in the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power after making purification for sins. 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:53.200 So that's my sin and your sin. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:15:04.879 He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is much more excellent than theirs. 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:10.000 So as the story unfolds in Judges 18, there's still no king. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.960 And thus there's no real order. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:17.519 And this tribe of Dan sends five spies into a new land. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.000 They're looking for some new land, some better land. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:21.840 And on their way, they swing by. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.679 These five spies swing by Micah's place, Micah's house. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:31.039 They talk to the Levite priest, they inquire, hey, like, is our mission to go find new land? 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:32.559 Is this gonna work out for us? 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.480 And the Levite priest says, go in peace. 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:37.600 The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:38.320 I don't know. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:39.360 I don't, like, I don't know. 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:42.080 I don't know if I trust the Levite priest at this point, to be honest. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:47.200 Like he's like signed on to like ministering in this false temple situation. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:49.919 So, like, maybe that's a legit comment. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:54.720 Maybe he's just like kind of like a bless your heart moment where you just say it, you don't care. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:57.440 You're just like bless your heart, you know, and like on you go. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:59.759 I don't know, but that's there. 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.240 Five men go, they spy out the land, it's really good land. 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:08.559 The people in that land, they're like, man, these people won't even see us coming. 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:14.240 So these five spies, they go back to their people, and then they send 600 men of Dan. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:22.399 They come, they swing by Micah's place, steal the priest, steal all the idols and all that stuff, is it's worth a lot of money. 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:23.440 Take all that. 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:29.039 Micah and his guys don't really even do anything, shows you the extent of which they're really convicted upon this stuff. 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:40.080 And Dan shows up, these people of Dan show up into this quiet town, these unsuspecting people, this is all Judges 18, just wipe them away, burn their city. 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:46.799 And then these people just build a new city, like right on top of these people's city. 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:48.320 That's the end of the story. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:50.480 That's Judges 17, 18. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:53.440 It's kind of an odd couple chapters. 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.120 I mean, the narrator like doesn't bring it to like a redemptive end. 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:06.720 There's no redemptive narrative arc, you know, like it's just like a Netflix series stopped right in the middle, like halfway through, and you're like, thanks, appreciate that. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.759 I mean, it just kind of leaves you feeling unsettled. 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:19.119 He almost doesn't weigh in at all, except there's like there's two hints, two little subtle hints in the entirety of the two chapters. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:27.519 And here they are Judges 17, 6, two places he actually weighs in, the writer weighs in apart from the story. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:30.400 In those days there was no king in Israel. 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:32.799 Everyone did what was right in his eyes. 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:37.680 And then again in Judges 18 1, in those days there was no king in Israel. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:39.279 Repeats himself. 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:45.039 It's like it's his way to say, man, this is all messed up. 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:47.039 Like it's all messed up. 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:51.039 And I'm just gonna tell you the story of what happened, and it's messed up. 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:57.359 And for him and for the Israelites, they were always wanting a king to solve their problems. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:01.200 They thought if they could only have a human ruler and a king, everything would be okay. 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:03.440 So, of course, this writer, this is how he's writing it. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:06.079 He's saying, Oh, if we could have a king, there'd be order. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:08.960 Now, God would later send prophets, right? 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:14.240 Prophet after prophet to say, like, hey, the king ain't gonna solve all your problems. 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:16.160 Right? 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:19.680 Stop looking to human rulers to solve your heart issues. 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:22.079 That's still a good lesson for us today. 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:24.400 Here's the good news. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:25.759 Point number three. 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:32.960 In Christ, we are beloved people to an endeared Almighty King. 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:40.559 Back in Judges 1, I know you've forgotten because I'd forgotten about this until I studied. 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:45.759 The people danced, so that people, remember, they came down, sent the spies, 600 men came, wiped away the people. 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:46.640 They wanted better land. 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:50.319 The reason why they wanted better land is back in Judges chapter 1. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:57.200 They failed to fight to come into the land and get good land back when their nation was fighting. 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:00.960 So they ended up living this kind of like nomadic life up in the mountains. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:05.039 They had bad land, and so they were just on the search looking for land. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.799 They were still restless, they're still looking. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.880 And this way we can we can really associate with these people. 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:21.039 Maybe we can't associate with wiping away a whole village in the area, but we can associate with the feeling of like we haven't settled. 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:22.400 Right? 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:24.799 Like you're never quite at rest. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.200 Like just still looking. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:44.160 And Dan was using self-rule to bring a wholeness to the heart that only living as a creation to their creator can actually quench and provide that home. 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:52.559 You're never quite at rest when you're self-ruling and self-saving because you're at work, you're earning your forgiveness, you're earning your own righteousness, your position with God. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:58.000 For me, this song from a praise song, I used to sing this praise song in the ministry I led like 10 years ago. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:19:59.119 We'd sing it all the time. 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:01.279 It's four lines, this praise song. 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:02.640 It's a prayer. 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:05.519 This week it came to me when I was studying this. 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:08.000 Make my heart your throne. 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:12.079 I've been ruling kingdoms that are not my own. 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.400 I bowed down at your feet. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:16.480 I am yours and yours alone. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:19.200 Make my heart your throne. 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:24.240 The good news is we have a king. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:29.519 He's not waiting to rule you with a fist. 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:32.960 We need a king. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:34.640 The narrator was right. 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:36.000 We need a king. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.359 We're a mess. 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:40.319 We're a lot more like Micah and a lot more like Dan than we wish. 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:41.039 We need a king. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:42.960 We just don't need a human king. 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:49.359 We need our creator to be our king, and he's not waiting to rule us with an iron fist. 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:54.799 He actually incarnated himself and lived amongst us and died for us. 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.920 And embraces the broken and the weak. 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.920 Maybe you remember the Scotty Smith prayer I read over you last year. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:05.359 It's probably been about a year. 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:11.440 You can either close your eyes and pray it or you can just read along. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:23.680 Since the gospel is true, we don't have to feign sufficiency, medicate foolishly, or blame relentlessly. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:27.359 Thank you for both your invitation and provision. 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:33.759 With hearts open and palms up, we trust you for the rest you alone can give. 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:36.960 Rest from fear, fatigue, and worry mulling. 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:39.599 Rest from taking on more than you've given us. 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:42.640 Rest from the lies and accusations of the enemy. 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:45.519 Rest from the idolatry of capability. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:49.279 Rest from vain regrets, false guilt, and real shame. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:52.079 Rest from the uncertainties of the future. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:56.720 Rest from, like Martha, choosing irritation over adoration. 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:01.920 Rest from focusing more on what we don't get from people than what we do have in you. 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:10.559 Jesus, you are our perfect righteousness and deepest peace, our loving spouse and reigning king. 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:18.720 Heavenly Father, we come before you and we confess we're more like Micah and Dan than we wish to be. 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:22.880 We're more restless than we wish we were. 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:39.759 We have more religious idolatry inside of us than we wish, relying upon activities and religious structures rather than the simplicity of receiving the sufficiency of Christ's death and resurrection and victory for us, given to us. 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:49.119 Help us to live more in the receiving posture of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. 00:22:52.079 --> 00:23:00.720 Help us free us into greater surrender and less control that we may walk with you in great freedom. 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:02.160 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:02.960 Amen.