Flowers and Chocolate on the way to Apostasy

Judges 17 is about the plunge of Israel into religious sin. It is followed by the inevitable fall into moral sin in chapters 19-20. As verse 6 tells us, it is what ultimately happens without a king, when everyone can be a religious and moral relativist, “doing what is right in their own eyes.”

What is remarkable is how much virtue there is to the whole story.

• A son restores stolen silver to his mother
• His mother goes from giving a curse to blessing the Lord
• The mother dedicates the restored money to the Lord
• The son and mother work together in cooperation
• The son welcomes a traveling Levite and shows sacrificial hospitality
• The son has confidence in his obedience: “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as a priest.”

So much that is good and positive, yet it is all so twisted at the core. They make a carved image, a metal image, and a household god, breaking the first and second commandment. And they set up a satellite campus for Jerusalem worship, strictly prohibited in the law. It’s like a husband bringing home flowers, chocolate and smiles after sleeping with the secretary.

This is what happens without a good king. Good kings bring truth and grace, they don’t compromise like Micah. This is why the fact that the Kingdom of God has come near is such good news; without the Holy Spirit and the authority of Christ, we all start to wander down the road of Judges 17. And we can all be very nice as we wander. Then, "there was no king in Israel." Now, there is a King. And his name is Jesus.

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation.”