Chapter 16
Judges 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
These people never quit.
Judges 16:22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
People make mistakes. Are they to remain powerless all their life? God is merciful. The hair does grow back. Ann Shirley’s green hair did grow out. It takes time. It takes suffering. It takes adjustment. Like when us chubby men shave after having a beard. We always regret it. We have to live with looking at that double chin every morning. It takes time to get used to it. We suffer as we see ourselves until it grows out again.
Judges 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
Let me die with the Philistines… Missionary battle cry.
Can a person’s death affect more people than their life. Samson made alot of mistakes, but there is something to say about the final moments of his life. It’s sad, yet glorious. What will you do with your life? What will you do with your death? Odd question. There’s living for God and there’s dying for God.
Bow yourself with all your might. Sounds like praying.
I think of his eyes being plucked out and his final triumphant act. I think of that verse that Jesus said, It’s better to enter the kingdom of God with one eye.
Chapter 17
Judges 17:3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.
I don’t understand what’s going on here. Sounds like he stole money from his mother, and then confessed, and the mother praised him for returning it, and after he returned it the mother confessed that she was saving it to make a molten god for him. So she did.
Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Seems really to be an explanation of the previous verse. That same man that stole the money and then gave it back made an ephod and a teraphim and consecrated one of his sons to be priest. He gave him a position on his estate as a clergyman: Mr. Collins, Mr. Edward Ferras. Anyhow, only Levites were priests so this is a commentary on consecrating someone other than a Levite.
Judges 17:8-9 And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. (9) And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
I wonder what the story was of that young man. Isn’t strange that this Levite was stole from Micah as if he was just an object. These armies throughout the bible take cattle, they take wives, they take children, wine, gold, but I hadn’t heard that they take priests too. My first impression on application is what takes preachers away from their post.
I think that the people of Dan probably had more money that Micah. Maybe there was more prestige. That’s negative.
On a positive note, maybe the priesthood with Dan was closer to the desires of the young man. After all Micah had a house of gods. And his mother made him a silver god. I would assume that the young priest had to serve these gods instead of the Lord God. Maybe this new position with Dan offered him the ability now to do that.
Why did he leave Bethlehemjudah? Was he priest there?
Judges 17:13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
Micah said, “I have a Levite to my priest!” Like it was some prize. I mean they were supposed to support the Levites in every tribe, but things were so messed up now, I doubt that they were doing all that properly. I’m sure even that was perverted. So in that sense, maybe Micah was actually being superstitious. I doubt that he was doing right. He had a silver God.
Chapter 18
Judges 18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
Here’s testimony that at least one tribe NEVER fulfilled all the Lord had asked them to do. Even after 40 years of wandering, 31 kings subdued, they still did not do what the Lord asked of them. To believe him and posses the land.
Judges 18:5-6 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. (6) And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.
Hmmff. Nothing between 5&6. It seems as if the young man knew the 5 men. How did the young Levite know that they should go in peace.
Judges 18:7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.
We should always be diligent about our security, our borders, our defenses; because there’s always tribees out there looking for other people’s stuff. No magistrate. Better get a magistrate. I hate magistrates. Sounds like a good for nothing, government moocher.
Judges 18:17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
It just doesn’t seem fair. Did the young man forsee this? I wonder. Give us your priest or we slaughter you.
Judges 18:27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
I don’t know what to say about this.
Judges 18:31 And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
So no. The young priest is doing wrong. The house of God is still in Shiloh. He had no business being a priest for a graven image. Okay okay okay I get it.
They all did that which was right in their own eyes…..
You got preachers and people that are wrong. These people were trying to be religious and trying to obtain their “inheritance” Well, God gave them specific lands. When did God say to raid the Ephramites and take their land. It would be interesting to see where this was and if it was truly NOT in prescribed borders of Dan.
But they find a priest and say “Ask God if he’s going to prosper us?” They are not even near or anywhere close to God’s blessings, but they have no idea. The priest, who ain’t right, tells them to go for it. He taught prosperity doctrine so he said “Yeah, live long and prosper!” But this guy was a wanderer without any story. He shoulda gone to Shiloh. Why wasn’t he in Judah? Did they kick him out.
So of course they listen to him, and on the way to destroy the city of Laish that they spied out they stop by Micah’s house and steal all his stuff and his priest. And what do they do? They set up the molten image and worship it. They aint right. They didn’t start right. They didn’t do right. And they didn’t end right.