TEN SHEKELS AND A SHIRT PARIS REIDHEAD
BETHANY FELLOWSHIP LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ABOUT 1965
Historical background: Jdg. 17-18 • Amorites refused the tribe of Dan access to Jerusalem • Danites were “crowded into Mount Ephraim” • Sad thing – people of God allow the world to crowd them into an awkward position
• Judg 17:1 Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. • Judg 17:2 He said to his mother, "The eleven hundred {pieces} of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed be my son by the LORD." • Judg 17:3 He then returned the eleven hundred {pieces} of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you."
• Judg 17:4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred {pieces} of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah. • Judg 17:5 And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest. • Judg 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
• Judg 17:7 ¶ Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there. • Judg 17:8 Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find {a place;} and as he made his journey, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah. • Judg 17:9 Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to stay wherever I may find {a place.}"
• Judg 17:10 Micah then said to him, "Dwell with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten {pieces} of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your maintenance." So the Levite went {in.} • Judg 17:11 The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. • Judg 17:12 So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah. • Judg 17:13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest."
• Judg 18:1 In those days there was no king of Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel. • Judg 18:2 So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, "Go, search the land." And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
• Judg 18:3-4 When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there and said to him, "Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this {place?} And what do you have here?“ He said to them, "Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest." • Judg 18:5-6 They said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous.“ The priest said to them, "Go in peace; your way in which you are going has the LORD'S approval."
• Judg 18:14 ¶ Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish said to their kinsmen, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod and household idols and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you should do." • Judg 18:15 They turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare. • Judg 18:16 The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
• Judg 18:17 Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up {and} entered there, {and} took the graven image and the ephod and household idols and the molten image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. • Judg 18:18 When these went into Micah's house and took the graven image, the ephod and household idols and the molten image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
• Judg 18:19 They said to him, "Be silent, put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?" • Judg 18:20 The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and household idols and the graven image and went among the people. • Judg 18:21 Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the valuables in front of them.
The Levite • Social condition of Judges: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” • Micah – – unable to get to Jerusalem – built for himself “a personal replica of the tabernacle” – tried to please the Lord, but took a little bit of God and the world and mixed them up – delighted that a Levite preacher would serve him in his homemade “temple”.
The Levite • Description of the Levite – Didn’t like the normal Levite living – “an itching foot” for something better for himself – Micah’s deal - “I will give you ten shekels and a shirt” • The Danites – It was too difficult for them to drive out the Amorites – Instead, attacked the people at Laish to take land for themselves – robbed Micah and took the Levite by force
The Levite • The Levite’s response – rationalization –Far more important to serve a tribe than a family (more people, more honor) –placed himself protected in the middle of Danite soldiers
Pragmatism – Utilitarian religion • pragmatism: if it works, it’s true • “The greatest failures of the ages have been some of the men God has honored most.” – Noah • A good ship builder • a terrible failure as a preacher – Jeremiah • no “effective” results • lost out with both people and royalty • Pleased nobody but God
Pragmatism – Utilitarian religion • pragmatism: if it works, it’s true • “The greatest failures of the ages have been some of the men God has honored most.” – Jesus • Never organized a church • Didn’t build a school • Wrote no books • After 3 years, has only 120 in the upper room • When he was arrested, all men forsook Him and fled
Pragmatism – Utilitarian religion • What should be our standard of success? –Is God an end or a means? • Our generation likes people who can “get the job done” • Are we going to serve men in the name of God, rather than serve God Himself?
Pragmatism – Utilitarian religion • What should be our standard of success? –The Levite • looked for a place of: Recognition, Acceptance, Security, Fame (where he could shine) • sold himself, 1st to Micah, then to Dan • treated God as a means to an end
Humanism, Higher criticism and Evolution • Darwin and theory of evolution theologians applying it to Scripture • 1850 onward – frontal attack upon the Word of God • Voltaire – the Bible would become a relic (ancient religious object) • The philosophy of the day became Humanism • Definition of Humanism: the end of all being is the happiness of man
Humanism, Higher criticism and Evolution • According to humanism, salvation = get all the happiness you can out of life • One form of humanism: Nietzsche – The only true satisfaction of life is POWER – To be happy is to become powerful – led to Hitler: who told his people that “we destined to rule the world, by any means” • Another form of humanism/happiness: sensual experience – France (during that time) – Salvation = greatest self-gratification
Humanism, Higher criticism and Evolution • John Dewey – Persuaded educators no absolute standards. – End purpose of education = express yourself, expand yourself cultural lawlessness. – Bible disallowed. God dethroned. Jesus = only a myth or a man. – The individual establishes and interprets his own happiness.
Liberal, Fundamental, or Neither? • Liberal Christianity – Accepted humanism – “We can make your life more happy” • through poetry & noble thoughts • Church: stories and basic rules to live by – “We don’t know about after you die, but at least your journey through this life will be happier.”
Liberal, Fundamental, or Neither? • Fundamentalists – We believe in the Bible, Jesus, hell, heaven, resurrection! – Humanism infected fundamentalists: “This is how we become a fundamentalist”: Give intellectual consent. – Christian = say “I believe” (“Ah hah”) at certain places of doctrine
Liberal, Fundamental, or Neither? • Analyze and contrast both: – Liberal: happy while alive – Fundamentalist: happy after he dies – Liberals: make heaven on earth – Fundamentalists: Accept Jesus so you can go to heaven. Appeal to selfishness – how you can get something for nothing.
Liberal, Fundamental, or Neither? • Humanism has penetrated. Total contrast to Christianity. • Micah: – “Because I know the Lord will do me good.” – This is selfishness! This is sin! • Levite: – falls into agreement for his own reasons. – He and Micah sell out God! – Betrayal of the ages!
Liberal, Fundamental, or Neither? • Subtle humanism: –God reigns, Jesus lived, everything for the happiness of man. It’s UNCHRISTIAN! –Happiness should be the byproduct (result), not the prime product (end purpose).
Reverence For Life • Albert Schwitzer: – “non-Christian” humanist – Saw senseless killing of crocodiles – “Reverence for life” – Would not sterilize his surgery – Story of his broken organ. Roaches in it. Repairman was killing them. “Don’t! They’re only being true to their nature.” Roaches let loose in the jungle. – Utterly committed and consistent to his philosophy
Reidhead’s testimony • “Why did I go to Africa?” –“I went to improve on the justice of God.” –Give sinners a chance to go to heaven –HUMANISM –Use the provisions of Jesus to improve on the human condition
Reidhead’s testimony • Discovery – the people … – not poor or ignorant – MONSTERS OF INIQUITY! – Living in total defiance of their knowledge of God – Deserved hell – Knew about heaven, and didn’t want to go there – loved their sin & wanted to stay in it
Reidhead’s testimony • Motivated by humanism –Seeing pictures of suffering –“I didn’t want them to suffer in hell after such a hard life on earth.”
Reidhead’s testimony • God’s word to Reidhead – “Yes. Will not the judge of all their earth do what is right? – They love their sin and deserve hell. – BUT, I sent you out, not for their sake. – I sent you for My sake. They deserve hell, but I love them! I sent you there for ME! Do I not deserve those for whom I died? – Response: Now I was there for the sake of God who deserved them.
Reidhead’s testimony • Summarize: –Christianity: the glory of God –Humanism: the happiness (glory) of man –Humanism: born in hell, deification of man (making man God) –Christianity: born in heaven, the glory of God
Why repent? • George Whitfield: –“You are monsters of iniquity!” –“Your worst crime – you can’t see your own sin!” –“If you will not weep for your crimes against a holy God, George Whitfield will weep for you.”
Why repent? • People have no sense of the enormity of their guilt! – A sinner might be afraid of hell, but fear is not the final place to stop. – The Holy Spirit helps a sinner to see • that he’s a criminal before God! • that he deserves to go hell.
Preachers • John Wesley – one account that, when he preached, 1800 people fell utterly unconscious to the ground – people saw the enormity of their crimes • Connecticut – Yale College, with John Wesley Reidfield. – If a person was lying on the ground, smell his breath. No alcohol? He had Reidfield disease. The Holy Spirit had driven them down to unconsciousness by the weight of their guilt.
The Difference! • Not a good man in trouble with a bad God • Convince bad men that they were in trouble with a good God • Why repent? – Jesus deserves your worship and love – Repent to escape hell? • Just a Levite serving for 10 shekels and a shirt! • To serve God so “He will do me good.” • Trying to make a bargain with God. – God deserves the obedience He demands!
The Difference! • Some want to feel saved before they have actually committed their lives to God. • We say before God, –“God, you deserve my life. You are worthy to be loved. I am not trying to make a deal with you.”
The Difference! • Why come to the cross? – Union with Christ – Put to death the strength of • Human personality • Human nature • Human strength • Human energy – Not for the end purpose of victory or joy – To fill your life with His presence and life
The Power of the Spirit • Many try to know the fullness of God so they can get personal benefit. – Story of the preacher from West Virginia and his Cadillac. Gas = power for the program. You want the Holy Spirit to give power for your program. – Chinese Christian: “I am most impressed by the things Americans can accomplish without God.”
The Power of the Spirit • Let God drive your car. Give the Holy Spirit the keys and get into the trunk. • “I have served Micah. But with the Holy Spirit, I could serve the whole tribe of Dan. (And then I would be so impressive.)” It will never work!
The Power of the Spirit • Come to serve Jesus all your life, even if you would still go to hell, because He deserves your life. • It is not what you are going to get out of God. What will God get out of you? • Let’s tell Micah, we’re through. Let’s tell the tribe of Dan – we’re through. (We’re finished with them.)
Two Moravian Missionaries • Went to a Caribbean island to preach to 3000 slaves. • Sold themselves into slavery. • Families weeping, never to see them again. • “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.”
OUR RESPONSE TODAY …