4.20.2015

Judges 16-18

Samson has repeated moral failings with foreign women, finally giving up his integrity and strength for one.  He is captured, blinded and ridiculed.  He prays for vengeance, and God gives him strength to take down 3,000 Philistines in a temple, along with himself.

Samson is the last judge mentioned in Judges, but there are two post-scripts in the book.  The first is about Micah, a Levite from Bethlehem and some Danites (chapter 17-18).
Much unfaithfulness is portrayed: lying, idolatry, lack of restitution, selling religious office, all unrestrained.

On their way to conquer a people, Danites plunder Micah of his idols and his priest.  The priest is glad for the promotion!  It turns out this priest (or was it a different guy?) is the grandson of Moses (vs. 18:30)!!  This shows the reversal Israel has undergone: no longer do they have a faithful intercessor like Moses, but an opportunist like this Jonathan.  Was Laish outside of the boundary of Israel, making this conquest offensive to God?  It appears not.  Their conquest was not wrong in itself, but what they did to Micah on the way casts serious doubt on the integrity of taking over this "unsuspecting" people.


How this is about Jesus
He does not compromise morally, like Samson.
He is betrayed for silver - not nearly as much!
He does not cry out for vengeance on His enemies at His death, but asks for their forgiveness.
He saves by His death, instead of continuing a violent cycle.
He rebukes priests for allowing money changing and being greedy.
He heals in the region of Tyre/Sidon instead of conquering.


Application
One sign of moral corruption is that you treat the church and its officers as assets of wealth for you personally.  You support them, they are in your hire, your back pocket, instead of being prophets to speak truth to you and hold you accountable.  You go to a church to be told soft words that you want to hear, not what the Bible says and what you NEED to hear.  Church officers gravitate to organizations with bigger budgets, instead of going where God calls.
You cannot fight the good fight while you give in privately to immorality.

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