How does Judges 18:31 connect with the First Commandment in Exodus 20:3? Setting the Scene • The Danites seized Micah’s idol, priest, and household gods, then established their own shrine in Laish. • Judges 18:31: “So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image, and it remained with them all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.” • Shiloh housed the tabernacle— the one authorized center of worship (Joshua 18:1). Instead of traveling there, Dan planted a rival sanctuary. God’s First Word: Exclusive Allegiance • Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” • The command is absolute: one God, one place of honor, one focus of devotion (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Isaiah 42:8). Dan’s Substitute God • The tribe “set up for themselves” an image—literally placing a physical rival “before” the LORD. • The phrase “remained with them” signals stubborn perseverance in idolatry, not a passing lapse. • Their shrine functioned “all the time” the true house of God stood at Shiloh, advertising open defiance of the First Commandment. Connecting the Dots • Competing Centers: Shiloh represented God-ordained worship; Dan created an unauthorized alternative (Deuteronomy 12:5-7). • Competing Objects: The carved image embodied a foreign deity or distorted representation of the LORD, directly forbidden (Exodus 20:4). • Competing Loyalties: “Set up for themselves” exposes self-designated religion versus God-revealed worship. • Duration of Rebellion: The idolatry persisted “all the time” Shiloh functioned, illustrating prolonged covenant rupture (Judges 2:17). • National Influence: Later kings Jeroboam I and others would replicate Dan’s pattern (1 Kings 12:28-30), multiplying violation of the First Commandment. Timeless Lessons • Unauthorized creativity in worship easily becomes idolatry. • Prolonged compromise hardens hearts; time does not erase sin—repentance does (Psalm 32:5). • True worship centers on God’s appointed revelation, fulfilled ultimately in Christ (John 4:23-24). |
    |