Throughout the history of Israel, there are seen many failures. They had to be taught by God to learn how to obey His words. The whole of the ten tribes in the North were taken away and they never came back to reconstitute the nations. The two southern tribes didn’t learn their lessons and they were taken into captivity.

Later they came back to rebuild the temple but the nation wasn’t successful. They were ruled by empires. In the time of Jesus, they were ruled by the Romans and couldn’t struggle free from foreign rules. But God is patient and He patiently worked on them. The Holy Spirit fell on them on Pentecost and a small band of people started to preach. That’s how the church started.

After some time, paganism swept the temples and the physical temples were raised from the ground by the Romans. When the time was right, God raised the TJC to build on the foundations the apostles laid.

This project of God will not always go round in circles, that’s why the speaker mentioned confidently this morning where there won’t be another time where God will raise another church again.

We like to follow news; some like to follow political news. If we were to read the Bible and follow the stories like how we follow political news, we’ll be able to understand what God is doing. Truly, we’re in very exciting times. So, we shall not go round in circles; we’ll go back in history and learn from the history.

Paul said that the entire Old Testament is written for our learning. Why did they lose their kingdom? How did God bring them back? What kind of expectations did God have for them? What kind of promises did God make to them? How many of His promises have been fulfilled? What are the things being fulfilled in our eyes? Is the coming of the TJC part and parcel of this great programme of God?

These are the very important things we need to take note of when we read the Bible. We must know where we are, who we are, where we’re going and where we’ll be finally. Then, we’ll see meaning in the things that happen to us. Then, we’ll find meaning in doing the things the Bible tells us to do.

This afternoon the speaker would like to share with us from the book of Judges. That was the time when God gathered His people in the land of promise. With a lot of promises, the people crossed over into the land of promise. But what happened? The book of Judges follows immediately after the book of Joshua. The book of Joshua records victories after victories. God gave them the land and rest from their enemies. Then, we enter into the book of Judges.

We read Judges 21:25;

‘In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’

That’s the conclusion in the book of judges, “There was no king in Israel.”

The book of Judges is very gloomy and many things recorded may make us flinch.

“There was no king in Israel” was recorded three times earlier, this is the fourth time.

What can we make our from this? Is it because there was no king THEREFORE everyone did what was right in his own eyes? Or is it because there was no king BECAUSE everyone did what was right in his own eyes?

We often here a statement in Hokkien, “no government”. Does is really mean there’s no government? This phrase is used to describe the behaviour of people, not if there was a government or not.

This, is the meaning of Judges 21:25. The behaviour of the people made it look like there was no king in Israel. This is not the speaker’s interpretation but what the book of Judges says. There was no king BECAUSE everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

We read Judges 8:22-23;

22 ‘Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon said to them,
23 “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.” ‘

Gideon was a judge who subdued to the oppressors of Israel, the Midianites. These people wanted to make him king because in v22 says;

‘Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon said to them,

This is a dynastic concept where when the king passes away the throne will be left to the son and then to the next son.

Who was the one who raised Gideon as a judge? It is God. Judges 2:18 tells us that the people sinned against God and in everything they did so. Their enemies would attack them then they’d cry to God out of oppression;

‘And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. ‘

Read Judges 6:12;

‘And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”’

How could Gideon deliver the people out of the hands of the Midianites? Because the Lord was with them. Read Judges 6:14-15;

14 ‘Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”’

It was mentioned this morning that by choosing the smallest and weakest, the glory of God would be seen. Here Gideon admitted that he was weak, “How can I do anything for you?” He was the weakest and the least in his father’s house.

But the important thing is, God said, “Have I not sent you?” It was because the Lord sent Gideon and as the angels said that the Lord was with him, that he was able to be a judge to deliver the people out of the hands of the enemies.

Gideon told the people that God is the rightful king, “I won’t rule over you, God will.”

Later in history, they formally declared for a king. They asked the judge for a king. The judge was Samuel. We read 1 Samuel 12:12;

‘And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king.’

That was what Samuel said to them during the day Saul was crowned. It was supposed to be an auspicious day but Samuel scolded them, “Today, you’ll see the coronation of your king! You saw Nahash the king of the Ammonites and you asked for a king?!” Why is it wrong? Because they already had a king! The Lord is their king and yet they asked for a human king. That day Samuel wanted to show them God was angry. In v18;

‘So Samuel called to the Lord , and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.’

It was supposed to be summer and not supposed to have thunder and rain so it signified the anger of God and hence the people were afraid.

We must read Judges 21:25 in this light. If we say the people did what was right because they had no king, then it’s their fault. But they had a king! God is their king.

Instead of obeying God, they obeyed their whims and fancies. At first they obeyed their fears because they feared the king of the Ammonites. Later on they obeyed their vanities to be like the other nations because they found it cool to have a king lead them into battle.

In the early days, it was God who led them into battle because the priest carried the ark of the covenant in front. Every time the ark was lifted up to move, they must say, “Lord, arise, and confound your enemies!”

The speaker finds it very cool but the people then didn’t feel so. They think they must have a king with a golden crown, a cape like Superman riding on a horse to be cool. Do you know how cool God was? They carried an ark. It was springtime so there was a river flooding both sides of the banks. The priest carried the ark because it’s God’s throne and just crossed. Only their toes were wet; when their feet touched the water, the river banks ran dry. This is very cool. (If you think it’s not cool, then you can ask a human king to march there and see how wet their feet are.)

Prophet Samuel told them God is their king. They had an eternal God as a king, why should they want a human king that will perish and then pass his throne to his descendants? This is how they asked Gideon to be their king, “You be the king, then your son will be the king, and your grandson will be the king.” It means, “You be the king. When you die, it’ll be your son to be the king. When your son dies, your grandson will be a king and then die and the cycle repeats.”

They already had an eternal God, why would they want this vicious cycle?

Don’t you think this sometimes happen in the church as well? We want democracy in all the decision-making. But the church is not a democracy. Where do you find in the Bible that the church is a democracy? The apostles and elders were appointed. They were not chosen by democracy. When they had to discuss the matter of circumcision, this matter wasn’t left to the masses to decide. When they wrote to the churches, the Bible uses the word “decree”. Why is it a decree? Because “The Holy Spirit and us, we decided it to be so.” The whole meeting was decided by God Himself and didn’t invite others to come in. Only the appointed apostles could join in.

We should think: how do we operate? How much do we respect the Bible that it is the final authority? Can we change our Sabbath time? It was changed by the Catholics from Saturday to Sunday. Can we now say, “Now the clock is 12 midnight to 12 midnight. Okay lah, we just change the Sabbath from 12 midnight to 12 midnight. Ok?”

If the church says to have Sabbath service at 10am, is there any reason to oppose? Zero. The entire Sabbath day belongs to God. 10am is also a holy time where you should come to church. If it’s decided by the church, can you say, “Eh, you have to consult us! Let us vote!”?

Such matters are matters of the Bible and then to the apostles and elders, and now to the ministers. If this is to be decided this way, it’ll be for our benefit and we WILL benefit.

We read back Judges.

The first problem was that God was their king but they wanted to choose their own style of governance. Let’s not fall into the same trap. Certain things can be decided together, but not everything because the church is not a democracy.

The second problem with the people of Israel at that time was that they didn’t want to serve God but they wanted God to serve their purposes. We read Judges 17:6;

‘In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’

18:1;

‘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. ‘

These two statements are related. It says the same thing that there was no king in Israel and the people did things according to their own ideas of what was right and wrong. In chapter 18 mentioned that there was no king in Israel and they wanted to do something. They didn’t want God as their king.

These people of the tribe of Dan sought an inheritance. The people then still had certain lands they hadn’t conquered. Here, the children of Dan wanted to go and fight. On the surface, it seemed as if they were asking God if they should fight.

There was a seer called Balaam. He wasn’t a prophet of Israel but of the Moabites. He also said, “Let me seek the Lord… to curse Israel.”

We know we shouldn’t curse Israel.

These people wanted to seek the Lord, but do you know how they did? Look at v5;

‘So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”’

Who were they speaking to? They were speaking to a certain Levite who became a priest. This priest wasn’t serving in the temple but in a household shrine. Even worse, the shrine had idols! What happened? Isn’t this in Israel?

Judges 17 and 18 are related. In Judges 17:6 we read that the people did what was right in their own eyes; they talked about setting up their own household shrines with idols and they called in the shrine of God.

Judges 18:1 talks about the people of Dan;

And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in

They sought God at this shrine! They went to this shrine of idols to seek God. Why is it that this Levi became a priest? Why was a shrine set up? Judges 17:6 immediately follows this story of this Levi leaving Judah to go to Ephraim.

In Deuteronomy 33 tells us what the Levite are supposed to do. When the land was divided into the twelve tribes, there was no land belonging to the tribe of the Levite.

Joseph became two tribes; the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh. There were twelve tribes without Levi.

Where do the Levite live? They had no land on their own, so the 12 tribes of Israel would have 48 cities scattered over the tribes and the Levite were supposed to be scattered over to teach the people the law of God.

There was only one temple in Jerusalem but there were many cities where the law of God could be learnt. God was very systematic. The different Levite had their own city to stay, so why did this Levi wander from Judah to Ephraim? When he went to Ephraim, he had nothing to do. So, it seemed like he left the work he was supposed to do.

In v10-12, a man called Micah asked him to be his priest. Later, this man was very happy, “God will bless me! Because I used money to hire a Levi to be my priest!” V13;

‘Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”’

One day, if the speaker is unhappy to be a preacher, and he decides on which country to go, he may think, “I’ll to a country with TJC members but with no church! Hire me!”

He ran away from where he’s supposed to do and go to another place, “I preach not what God says but what YOU want to hear! It’s okay to preach Christmas, I can even tell you how to celebrate it!”, “Oh, you can’t see God here? Okay, I’ll make an idol and kiss the feet of it!”

Can that be done? “Yes, I’m paid what! And I’m THEIR priest, I give them what they want and they’ll feel so close to God.” Now the people there will say, “Now, God will bless me because I have a person preacher!!”

This is a reflection of what happened in those days. These people wanted God to serve their purposes but they did it according to their own ways, not God’s way. They were so happy, “Now God will bless me!!” Why? “Because I made a Levi as my person priest!” They really thought God would serve their purposes.

The people of Dan went to this fake priest and this fake priest said, “Go! God will prosper you!” Truly, they were victorious. Satan can give people victories also. He can also heal illnesses like cancer. Remember this.

Victory was given to them and they told this young Levi who became a priest in Judges 18:17-19;

17 ‘Then 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.
18 When 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?”
19 And 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?” ‘

“Eh, you only serve one man, not worth it lah. Come come, serve us! The whole tribe of Dan! You’ll be our priest. Don’t tell Micah ah, you bring his shrine and follow us to be our priest.”

Why? Because they wanted God to bless them. They thought God told them they’ll have victory and later they really did.

They did what was right in their eyes and wanted God to serve their purposes.

What was their third problem? In 1 Samuel 8:5-7;

5 ‘and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord .
7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. ‘

This was when they formally asked Samuel, the last judge, to give them a king. God knew their hearts, “These people asked for a king because they don’t want Me to be their king.” Their own words betrayed their intent. Because v5 says “Like all the nations”

Balaam, the false prophet, wanted to curse Israel. But God turned his curse into a blessing. So God can also make a false prophet say what’s right.

The nations in the Bible many times refer negatively to the people not belonging to God.

Dns Hannah’s husband is Dn Chung Ling. When she looks at him, she’ll think, “This is my beloved husband.” When she looks at other people, they’re just men. Just as the husband. When God looks at the nations and He looks at Israel, it’s the same. When God looks at the nations, for all intents and purposes, they’re just a nation. But when God looks at Israel, He’ll say, “My prince, Israel!” But at the other countries, “Nations”.

Israel is not just any nation, but ISRAEL. The rest is nation.

Now Israel wants to give up his special status. If today a wife-to-be says, “I’m just another woman! I won’t be coming to the wedding tomorrow,” it’s like the situation here. They refused to keep on to their special status to be ruled by God Himself. They wanted a king to judge them like other nations. God was the one who raised up judges for them. When there’s a need, there’ll be a judge. Isn’t that good?

But they wanted a king like OTHER NATIONS to lead them into battle when God already miraculously give them victory. How did Jericho fall without a single arrow? How did Gideon lead the people to victory? As miraculous as Jericho! When Israel becomes like the other nations, not only will they lose their identity, they’ll also become part of a global rebellion against God.

We read Psalm 10:16;

‘He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved; I shall never be in adversity.”’

This land is not just Canaan. Historically, yes, the people of Canaan were wiped out and God wanted Israel to wipe them out. But this verse means this: the nations (plural) will be wiped out of the face of God’s earth. When they crossed over river Jordan, the Bible says that the river will part because the Lord of all the earth is going to last river Jordan!

The Lord of all the earth!

It’s not just the Lord of the narrow street known as Israel today.

We read Psalm 2:1;

‘Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?’

The nations represent global rebellion. If you were to read this psalm, it’s talking about God establishing His king. V6-7;

6 ‘“Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’

Who is this Son of mount Zion? It’s Jesus Christ, the king of kings.

We are part and parcel of this very important and glorious kingdom. Israel was first to be in there, but they failed because they didn’t want God to be their king. They were part of the global rebellion.

How did the nations begin? Rebellion.

Remember the Tower of Babel? The people wanted to build a tower to reach the heavens to make a name for themselves. That is rebellion. Hence, God scattered them and that was the origin of the nations.

Nations = global rebellion. It’s so sad that Israel wants to join in. This is something we need to learn: don’t look at the world and want to be like them.

We are those who have recognised and respected God as our king. God has sent us as ambassadors of the world to tell the people that were king. This is our purpose in life. No matter where God has put us; your job, school or neighbourhood. There, you’re the ambassador of our king. Always treasure this honourable status you have. WE influence them, and not they influence us.