The Lord's Day Bible Message Outlines
June 28, 2009
Pastor Dana Johnson
"...everyone did what was right in
his own eyes." -Judges
21:25
In those days there was no king in
Israel; everyone did what was right in his own
eyes.
1. This spirit of self-willed
independence developed as the children of Israel departed
from God.
Judges 2:7-12 - So
the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all
the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all
the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.
8Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the
LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
9And they buried him within the border of his
inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim,
on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10When all that
generation had been gathered to their fathers, another
generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor
the work which He had done for Israel. 11Then the
children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and
served the Baals; 12and they forsook the LORD God
of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of
Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of
the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to
them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.
a. They forgot God.
b. They embraced
idolatry.
2. Consequently, the "right" they did
was wrong.
a. Because it did not conform
to God's will.
b. Because it was not done with
faith and trust in God.
3. Consider the dual problems with
this kind of "democracy":
a. The problem of the
individual's insistence on "my rights."
Judges 17:1-13 -
Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose
name was Micah. 2And he said to his mother,
"The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken
from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in
my ears; here is the silver with me; I took it." And his
mother said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, my son!"
3So when he had returned the eleven hundred
shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, "I had
wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the LORD for
my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now
therefore, I will return it to you." 4Thus he
returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took
two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the
silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a
molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.
\5The man Micah had a shrine, and made an
ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his
sons, who became his priest. 6In those days
there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right
in his own eyes. 7Now there was a young man
from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a
Levite, and was staying there. 8The man
departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay
wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the
mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he
journeyed. 9And Micah said to him, "Where do
you come from?" So he said to him, "I am a Levite from
Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to
stay." 10Micah said to him, "Dwell with me,
and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you
ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and
your sustenance." So the Levite went in.
11Then the Levite was content to dwell with
the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to
him. 12So Micah consecrated the Levite, and
the young man became his priest, and lived in the house
of Micah. 13Then Micah said, "Now I know that
the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as
priest!"
b. The problem of majority
rule.
Judges 18:1-4,
14-26 - In those days there was no king in Israel. And in
those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an
inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day
their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not
fallen to them. 2So the children of Dan sent
five men of their family from their territory, men of
valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and
search it. They said to them, "Go, search the land." So
they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of
Micah, and lodged there. 3While they were at
the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the
young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, "Who
brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What
do you have here?" 4He said to them, "Thus and
so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become
his priest." 14Then the five men who had gone
to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to
their brethren, "Do you know that there are in these
houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a
molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should
do." 15So they turned aside there, and came to
the house of the young Levite man; to the house of Micah;
and greeted him. 16The six hundred men armed
with their weapons of war, who were of the children of
Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17Then
the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up.
Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod,
the household idols, and the molded image. The priest
stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred
men who were armed with weapons of war. 18When
these went into Micah's house and took the carved image,
the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the
priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
(19And they said to him, "Be quiet, put your
hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a
priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the
household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe
and a family in Israel?" 20So the priest's
heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household
idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the
people. 21Then they turned and departed, and
put the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in
front of them. 22When they were a good way
from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses
near Micah's house gathered together and overtook the
children of Dan. 23And they called out to the
children of Dan. So they turned around and said to Micah,
"What ails you, that you have gathered such a company?"
24So he said, "You have taken away my gods
which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now
what more do I have? How can you say to me, 'What ails
you?'" 25And the children of Dan said to him,
"Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry men
fall upon you, and you lose your life, with the lives of
your household!" 26Then the children of Dan
went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too
strong for him, he turned and went back to his
house.
4. What is God doing during this time
of self-willed independence?
a. A work of grace in
individual hearts.
Ruth 1:16 - But
Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back
from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go;
and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall
be my people, and your God, my God.
b. Providential preparation of a
coming King.
Ruth 2:3 - Then
she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the
reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the
field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of
Elimelech.
Ruth 4:17 - Also the neighbor women gave him a name,
saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." And they called
his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of
David.
5. Notice God's plan for the King of
His choice: to rule the world with a rod of iron.
Revelation 19:11-15 -
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He
who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness He judges and makes war. 12His eyes
were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.
He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
13He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and
His name is called The Word of God. 14And the
armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
followed Him on white horses. 15Now out of His
mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the
nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God.
6. Notice Christ's teaching on the
subject of individual freedom.
John 8:31-38 - Then
Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in
My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32And you
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
33They answered Him, "We are Abraham's
descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How
can you say, 'You will be made free'?" 34Jesus
answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever
commits sin is a slave of sin. 35And a slave does
not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall
be free indeed. 37I know that you are Abraham's
descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no
place in you. 38I speak what I have seen with My
Father, and you do what you have seen with your
father."
a. All people are in bondage
to sin.
John 8:34 - Jesus
answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever
commits sin is a slave of sin.
b. Beware of Satan's deceitful
counterfeit.
John 8:33, 44 -
They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and
have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say,
'You will be made free'?" 44"You are of your
father the devil, and the desires of your father you want
to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources,
for he is a liar and the father of it."
c. The truth of Christ will make
you free.
John 8:31-32
-
Then Jesus said to
those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word,
you are My disciples indeed. 32And you shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
(All
Scripture quoted is from the New King James
Version)
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