Judges 18:11-17: a reflection

11The family of the Danites set out from Zorah and Eshtaol with six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 12They went up and encamped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. Behold, it is behind Kiriath Jearim. 13They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. 14Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what you have to do.” 15They went over there and came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing. 16The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 17The five men who went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the engraved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image; and the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

As the Danites journey to seize new territory, they pass the house of Micah, where there is a shrine with carved images, an ephod, and a hired priest. And they simply take them: the images, the priestly garments, the young Levite, carrying them off to be their own. They treat the trappings of religion, and the priest himself, as property to be seized and possessed, imagining that by taking these objects they secure a god for themselves, a religion they can carry off and control for their own purposes.

Notice the folly in this: they treat God, or the trappings of religion, as something to be seized and possessed for their own ends. They imagine they can take a god, carry off the images and the priest, and so have divine favor at their disposal, a religion under their control, serving their purposes. But God is not a possession to be seized, an object to be carried off and used; he is not at anyone's disposal, to be secured by grabbing the right objects. Their attempt to possess and control the divine for their own ends was folly; God is not to be seized and used.

That folly is worth taking to heart, for we too can be tempted to treat God as something to possess and use for our own ends. We can approach God as though he were at our disposal, to be secured and controlled for our purposes, giving us what we want; we can try to possess and use him, rather than submitting to and serving him. But God is not a possession to be seized and used, as the Danites seized Micah's idols; he is the Lord, to be worshiped and served, not controlled. Do not treat God as something to possess and use for your own purposes, as though he were at your disposal; he is not to be seized and controlled, but worshiped and obeyed. Come to God as the Lord to be served and submitted to, rather than as a possession to be seized and used for your ends, as the Danites foolishly carried off idols and a priest, imagining they could possess divine favor for their own purposes; for God is not ours to seize and use, but the Lord we are to serve.

Lord, as the Danites journey to seize new territory, they pass the house of Micah, where there is a shrine with carved images, an ephod, and a hired priest. And they simply take them: the images, the priestly garments, the young Levite, carrying them off to be their own. They treat the trappings of religion, and the priest himself, as property to be seized and possessed, imagining that by taking these objects they secure a god for themselves, a religion they can carry off and control for their own purposes. Show me the folly in this: they treat you, or the trappings of religion, as something to be seized and possessed for their own ends. They imagine they can take a god, carry off the images, and so have divine favor at their disposal, a religion under their control. But you are not a possession to be seized, an object to be carried off and used; you are not at anyone's disposal. Their attempt to possess and control the divine was folly. Take that folly to my heart, for I too can be tempted to treat you as something to possess and use for my own ends. I can approach you as though you were at my disposal, to be secured and controlled for my purposes; I can try to possess and use you, rather than submitting to and serving you. But you are not a possession to be seized and used; you are the Lord, to be worshiped and served. Keep me from treating you as something to possess and use for my own purposes, Lord; help me come to you as the Lord to be served and submitted to, rather than as a possession to be seized and used.