JUDGES 18:1-10. Verse 10 says: "When you go, you shall come to a people secure, and to a large land: for God has given it into your hands; a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth."

I believe that God is grieved that His people do not enter into the riches that He has provided for them. Some of the reasons why we fail to inherit God's promises will be found in this passage.

The Apostle Paul spoke of the riches in Ephesians 3 v 8: "To me who is less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."

I believe that Paul was always pleasantly surprised that God should ever have chosen him to have such a tremendous commission to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Of course, these riches are nothing to do with material plenty. Christians are often poor in material things. We should be under no illusion about that. However, many of the Ephesian Christians were without God's fulness even though they had received the most tremendous ministry. That was very serious poverty. Paul himself had been with them for three years and had told them the whole counsel of God. They had been told everything that they needed to know to understand the gospel and to enter into the inheritance that God had purchased for them with His own blood.
In Acts 20, as for the last time he leaves the Ephesian Elders he tells them to feed the flock of God that He has "purchased with His own blood. He reminds them of the ministry that they had enjoyed from him but still some of the Ephesians had not entered into the fulness that is in Christ Jesus. The answer, as with so many things, was to be found in prayer. In Ephesians 3 vs 14 - 19 Paul prays: "For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God."
Ephesians 1 vs 16-19 is quite similar as Paul speaks of his continual prayer for them: "[I] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power."
So Paul is aware that they need to be given that spirit of wisdom and revelation that they might enter into the inheritance that God has purchased for them through the blood of His Son. The Christian lacks nothing that pertains to life and godliness. God could give no more than He has given us. Peter writes in 2 Peter 1 vs 2-4: "Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord: as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you might be partakers of the divine nature; having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
God has given us everything for `life and godliness'.
This passage in Judges is a very curious story. It centres upon a Levite who has become a priest in the house of Micah. What a strange mixture of religion they follow. Micah has an idol and he has a priest, two things that are totally incompatible. Yet this priest was able to give them a word of knowledge to answer questions and to tell them what to do. A branch of the tribe of Dan are looking for some territory and so they have gone up to a place near to Zidon by the coast and they have come across the village of Laish.
Verse 7 gives a description of the inhabitants of the village: "Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people that were there, how they dwelt carelessly after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure: and there was no ruler in the land that might put them to shame in anything and they were far from the Zidonians and had no ties with anyone".
They were seen as sitting ducks and that is what they were. They are described as quiet and secure but that is a complete illusion. They could not have been more insecure. They were about to be massacred.
"and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no ties with anyone;" (vs. 27, 28)
The contrast between the perception and reality could not be more marked. All seemed well but they were actually on the brink of a precipice. Is this not the position of so many who bear the name of Christian? The most basic Christian teachings are apparently unknown to many believers. The only security is in discovering and implementing the teachings of Christ. This truth concludes the Sermon on the Mount.
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it did not fall: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (Matt 7 v. 24-27)
The people in Judges 18 are utterly deluded. The reason for this lies in verse 7, which we should spiritualise, as we should everything that is in the Old Testament that is designed to teach us lessons as Christians. For example, in 1 Corinthians 10 (vs. 1 - 4), Paul reminds the Corinthian Church of the experience of the children of Israel in the wilderness and how they had a very real spiritual experience. Paul confirms in the same chapter (v 11) why God's Spirit recorded some of the Old Testament events. It is to instruct the Christian. Likewise Hebrews 11 tells us that Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than having the pleasures of sin. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt even though he could not understand, as we can, that it was because of Christ's reproach.
Verse 7 tells us that the people of Laish dwelt carelessly. In other words they were negligent. Hebrews 2 rhetorically asks how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, implying so plainly that there is no escape for the neglectful. Philippians 2 v.12 warns us: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling". In Acts 20 Paul warns the Ephesian elders that after his departure wolves would come in not sparing the flock and that some of their elders would rise up and seek to have their own little following.

"Have I really come to know the living God and am I working out my salvation in fear and trembling?

The folly of pride and ungodly ambition had not been removed from them despite the benefit of three years of Paul's ministry. Similarly he warns the Philippians that now they are on their own it is even more important that they work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
There is so little of that kind of admonition in the church these days. So few people have the faintest idea of the depth of Christian doctrine and the issues that are at stake. There is nothing more important. The issue is whether I am going to spend eternity with the Lord in a state of unimaginable bliss and joy or whether I am going to spend eternity in darkness and misery in an anguish that is also unimaginable in its intensity. The issue is not `do I believe a, b, and c? Neither is it whether I have made a commitment. Rather, have I really come to know the living God and am I working out my salvation in fear and trembling? The consequence of this cannot be overstated.
There are four simple precepts from Acts 2 (v 42) which every Christian must practise: (1) to continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine; (2) to have fellowship; (3) to break bread; and (4) to continue in prayer. The careless and the "almost Christian" neglect some or all of these things. We may not neglect them if we are ever going to get to heaven.
By continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, they learned the truth expounded by men of God whom the Spirit of God inspired to write the scriptures. First, they learned what God has said and that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The divine statements make us strong. Secondly, fellowship, is so important: to be with those who know God and can strengthen us in Him. We should want to be with Christians who are on fire for God, who are challenging and real and whose life is given to the Lord. They care about the things of God and talk about the scriptures. They are exercised by truth.
Thirdly, we should break bread. This is the only regular, collective, service that Christ ordained. We should do this "until He comes" (1 Cor 11 v. 26). The communion table brings to mind the central truth of the Gospel that the Son of God died an agonising death and shed His blood. His sinless soul was poured out to pay the price of our sin. Christ paid a vast incalculable debt that we could never pay. We are so fickle and our spiritual senses can become so blunted that we need the constant reminder of the communion table. We celebrate communion in our Church every week without fail (by His grace).
Finally they continued in prayer. How often and for how long do you pray and with whom do you gather to seek the Lord?
In verse 7 of Judges 18 we see the second great failing of the people of Laish. They were not ashamed of anything: "there were no rulers in the land". It is a dreadful thing when a people cannot blush, at least metaphorically. The devil dulls our sensitivity with great ease.
The kind of judiciary they had in those days was very different to the curious and very inadequate system under which we now groan. The magistrate carried authority. Ideally the civil authority should mirror the divine (Romans 13). There should be in place among mankind a system of justice that establishes in the public mind the principle of restraint through retribution. Of course, because of the frailty of human judgement in such a system there will always be unfairness and individual casualties. However the removal of judicial restraint brings danger to everyone that causes a far more bitter oppression. Proper civil authority speaks very eloquently to people but only the Holy Spirit can bring about a sense of the dreadful wrath and authority of God. An example of this is when Felix the Roman Governor trembled as Paul spoke to him of "righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come" (Acts 24 v. 25). For a moment at least, there was hope. However, he resisted the movement of God's Spirit who was bringing to him an understanding of the day of judgement and what it would mean to be subject to the Divine Judiciary. Tragically he was not saved and as far as we know he remained a rebel and a fool.
Isn't the situation in Laish like that in our own country? The nation is flooded with images of lust and violence. Newspapers, magazines and the things that are on our ordinary television channels are appalling enough, let alone the material on cable and satellite television and the internet. Yet those things leave people unashamed. That certainly should not be so for the Christian. However a lawless spirit has invaded the Church and there is a need for vigilance. The visible church is becoming more and more worldly, ignoring the laws of God and yet having no shame e.g. when its leaders are caught in scandal. The television can be a source of evil even in the Christian home unless carefully controlled.
The third reason for their downfall, mentioned in verse 7, is that they were far from the Zidonians. There was a city that might have helped them if they had been in an alliance with them. There is a line in an old hymn that refers to "you in your small corner and I in mine". The lack of Christian fellowship is fatal. We cannot get to heaven without having fellowship with God's people. When Wesley was a young man he was told by an old saint: "Young man, you want to serve God and you want to go to heaven. Therefore you must either find companions or make them. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion".
God puts the poor and needy into families. Fellowship is much deeper than just exchanging pleasantries on a Sunday. Fellowship is having a real relationship with God's people. Malachi 3 (vs. 16-17) says: "Then those who feared the LORD spoke often to one another: and the LORD listened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the LORD, and that meditated on his name. And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, on that day when I make them my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him."
Here is an emphasis on fearing God that underpins fellowship. They that feared the Lord spoke often and God heard them. It is the presence of God in Christian fellowship that makes all the difference. Jesus said "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt 18:20).
Isn't it a wonderful thing when you meet with God's people and you talk about the things of God? Perhaps one of you has been reading a passage of scripture or a good Christian book. God may have been speaking to you during the week or he may have answered your prayers. On one occasion recently I met with someone and we had to really cry out to God for his problem. Just as I was wondering what to do for this man I cried to the Lord and opened the scripture to a verse that was absolutely apposite for his situation. There and then God delivered this man and he is a different person. How poor we often are for lack of what God has ordained as a means for establishing the life of Christ in each one of us.
The devil opposes these means of grace. He knows that as people are established in the faith they will be made strong in the Lord. Instead of being easy to defeat, they will begin to defeat him and to take territory from him so he will do anything to stop them.
This whole village in Judges 18 was massacred. They felt quiet and secure. They had lived unrestrained lives little realising that foreign men, in the guise of the five spies, had come with the one object in mind of seeing whether they could be easily murdered. An enemy force wanting to take territory by overwhelming force.
1 Peter 5 v 8 says: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brethren in the world."
The devil is spying out, looking for weak, defenceless souls. We should be watchful and sober. That doesn't mean we shouldn't take alcohol. It goes without saying that we shouldn't get drunk. Rather we should be sober-minded. We should take life seriously and understand the issues. We should realise who the devil is and his power. Of course, the Evil One will eventually be destroyed but until then he is very dangerous. The people of Dan had the power to massacre the people of Laish and they did it.
In Judges 17 v 6 it says: "in those days there was no king in Israel; for everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
No one was under authority but each was his own master. In Deuteronomy 12 Moses saw this tragic trend; the people being independent and doing what they wanted. This trend might have been tolerable for the people in the wilderness; the generation, apart from Caleb and Joshua, that was not going into the Promised Land because they had failed so badly.
The whole of Deuteronomy is a discourse to the people before they go into the Promised Land, given at the end of Moses' life. Deuteronomy 12 v 1 says: "These are the statutes and judgments, which you shall observe in the land, which the LORD God of your fathers gives you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth."
These are the things you are required to do - you are under orders. In verse 8 he told them, "You shall not do as we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes."
Those things might be all right for the person in the wilderness who is never going to be victorious; who is never going to enter the Promised Land; and who is never really going to be in possession of God's inheritance. However, if you want to be real with God, you have to obey the Lord. There is no alternative.
We are to follow the Lord and do it determinedly. We are to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling, and not to be careless and negligent. We are to submit to authority. Let God be the ruler. We must acknowledge His authority, and accept His judgements. If you do not have the fear of God then pray that He will give it to you. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. No one can begin to have wisdom without the fear of God. Finally fellowship is all important. Get to know those who know God and unite with them. "Have I really come to know the living God and am I working out my salvation in fear and trembling?"

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