"PRAGMATIC RELIGION" (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 10/28/25

“In those days there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6)

This chapter and the four that follow form an appendix to the book of Judges, but the events recorded in them actually took place before the period of the Judges, beginning just after the death of Joshua and the elders that overlived him. We know this, because Phinehas, the son of Eleazar was priest (Ch. 20:18). Other internal evidence that gives support to this idea include the fact that the Danites had not gotten all of their inheritance. (Ch. 18:11), which would be incredible since three hundred years had passed since Joshua’s death. Also, the camp of Dan was called Mahanehdan in Chapter 13:25, a name that was given to it in chapter eighteen (Ch. 18:12). It was a time when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Israel did not yet have a king to rule over them, and Joshua, who had been their faithful guide and example, was now dead. We are told at the end of the book of Joshua that “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua.” Once that godly leadership and example was gone, the people generally began to ignore the ordinances of their God-ordained religion and proceeded to make their own rules.

What becomes of a society when the tenets of Orthodox religion are ignored and pushed aside, either in part or in whole, and folks begin to do that which seems right in their own eyes? Let us see what happened in Israel when human reason and human opinion prevailed and became the rule and standard for worship. Notice how such a philosophy will manifest itself, in spawning a very Pragmatic Religion.

Here in the seventeenth chapter of Judges, we have in the case of Micah and his house of gods, an example of what pragmatic or utilitarian religion looks like. Notice, first, the fear of man will override the fear of God. Micah’s mother had set aside eleven hundred shekels of silver for the purpose of having a graven image made for the worship of Jehovah. Already we see a great problem, in that his mother was intent upon breaking the Second Commandment which forbade such an abominable practice. Yet it seemed right in her eyes to violate God’s law while professing to worship Him in the process. But Micah, not knowing any of this, stole the silver for himself. Then when he learned of the curse that she had sworn against the thief, he became fearful of his mother’s curse, and returned the silver, confessing his guilt. She immediately withdrew the curse, and even blessed him. “Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.” She then restored the silver to Micah so that he could carry out her original wishes, which he did. Notice, Micah feared his mother’s curse more than he feared God’s displeasure. He exhibited no fear of God, which, in the first place, would have prevented him breaking the Eighth Commandment, “Thou shalt not steal;” and then the Second Commandment, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.” Thus, one major disorder that is evident when human reason replaces the Word of God is that fear of man overrides the fear of God.

Secondly, and inevitably, pragmatic religion becomes a mixture of the world’s ideas together with what God has ordained (Vs. 5). The Teraphim (images) were domestic gods. But he also had the ephod (the entire priestly garment) and a sanctuary fashioned after the tabernacle at Shiloh. Do we not see such a mixture today? Churches retain much of the biblical order (they gather, sing, pray, preach, etc.). But what else do they have? They’ve added dancing, drama, worldly music and entertainments, and sadly, the list could go on and on.

Another thing that adds to the disorder is that Divine appointments and authorization become optional or unnecessary. “Micah…consecrated one of his sons,” who was clearly not of the priestly line, “who became his priest.” But Micah was pleased and felt that surely the Lord would “do him good.” Pragmatism is the ruling philosophy in today’s humanistic religion and making people “feel good about themselves” is its main purpose. God’s glory is not the aim, but instead, man’s happiness is the first and foremost objective. Do not become sucked in by man-centered religions. Seek out a church that honors God and His Word. “Ask for the old paths where is the good way.”