The Upside Down

The book of Judges ends with two horrible stories that reveal the distance Israel had fallen. The people rescued from slavery and brought into relationship with Yahweh became people so entrenched in their sin and idolatry that they didn't even realize they were worshiping different gods. The story of Micah, his idols, the personal priest, and the Danites is just bizarre. More important, it is the anti-Exodus and Joshua. In those stories, God rescues Israel from slavery, forms them as a people, gives them priests and leaders, and then gives them the Promised Land. This crazy story is laden with so many images from Israel's redemption story, but every image is upside down and opposite God's rescue story. This is always what happens to people who reject Jesus as King and do right in their own eyes. False worship and spirituality will lead people to believe they are spiritual and right while actually abandoning everything Christ represents. So, we must let our worship be defined by the true character of God and the means of grace He has given us to truly worship Him in Spirit and in truth.