May 5 (Judges 17–18; Psalm 114; 1 Corinthians 6–7)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: May 5 (Judges 17–18; Psalm 114; 1 Corinthians 6–7)
Date: May 5, 2026
Host: Crossway

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Episode Overview

This episode covers daily readings from Judges 17–18 (Old Testament), Psalm 114, and 1 Corinthians 6–7 (New Testament), presenting a rich tapestry of themes: spiritual confusion and idolatry in Israel's history, the celebratory memory of Israel’s deliverance in the Psalms, and practical, sometimes challenging, teaching from Paul on personal disputes, sexual ethics, and marital relationships within the early Christian community.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Judges 17–18: Spiritual Disarray in Israel ([00:01]–[06:49])

• Micah’s Idolatry and Religious Syncretism

  • The story centers on Micah, his theft and restitution of silver, and the creation of carved images.
  • His mother dedicates the silver to God but then uses it for an idol ([00:34]).
  • “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” ([00:44]) — A refrain emphasizing the underlying moral confusion.

• A Hired Levite and Moving Priesthood

  • A wandering Levite is offered employment as Micah’s personal priest for silver, clothing, and provisions ([01:27]).
  • “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.” (Micah, [01:41]) — An example of pragmatic, but misguided, attempts to manipulate divine favor.

• The Danites’ Raid and Appropriation

  • The Danite tribe, seeking territory, sends out spies who discover Micah’s shrine and priest ([02:38]).
  • The Danites steal the idols and persuade the Levite priest to join them, offering him a broader priestly role:
    • “Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” ([04:54])
  • Micah’s despair and confrontation capture the loss of authentic worship:
    • “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away. And what have I left?” (Micah, [05:23])
  • The Danites conquer Laish, establish their own cult, and perpetuate idolatrous worship even as the legitimate house of God remains in Shiloh ([05:39]–[06:49]).

2. Psalm 114: God’s Deliverance Remembered ([06:49]–[07:20])

• An Exultant Poem of Exodus
  • Recounts Israel’s escape from Egypt, God’s power over nature (sea fleeing, mountains skipping), and calls for all creation to tremble before the Lord ([07:14]).
  • “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” ([07:14])
  • God’s miraculous provision:
    • “Who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.” ([07:16])

3. 1 Corinthians 6–7: Practical Christian Living ([07:20]–[End])

a. Lawsuits and Christian Community ([07:24]–[08:23])

• Christians Should Not Litigate Among Themselves
  • Paul rebukes believers for bringing lawsuits before secular courts:
    • “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” (Paul, [08:07])

b. Sexual Purity and Bodily Holiness ([08:23]–[09:57])

• A Countercultural Sexual Ethic
  • Paul lists forms of unrighteousness that exclude from God’s kingdom and stresses transformation:
    • “And such were some of you. But you were washed...justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” ([08:57])
  • Personal freedom has limits:
    • “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.” ([09:07])
  • Christians’ bodies are indwelt by the Holy Spirit:
    • “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” ([09:43])

c. Marriage, Singleness, and Christian Calling ([09:57]–[13:05])

• Sex and Mutuality in Marriage

  • Both spouses have authority over each other's bodies, mutual consent is vital for abstinence ([10:17]):
    • “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time...then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you...” ([10:21])

• The Gift of Singleness

  • Singleness praised but honorable marriage affirmed:
    • “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God...” (Paul, [10:34])
  • For those struggling with self-control, “it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” ([10:44])

• Guidance on Marriages with Unbelievers

  • Don’t seek divorce if the unbelieving spouse is willing to remain ([11:01]):
    • “For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife...” ([11:18])
  • If the unbelieving partner departs, “God has called you to peace.” ([11:30])

• Remain as You Are Called

  • Value of contentment in current circumstances (marital status, social standing):
    • “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him...” ([11:45])
    • “You were bought with a price. Do not become bondservants of men.” ([12:13])

• Advice for the Betrothed and Widows

  • In light of “the present distress,” Paul encourages staying as one is but permits marriage without condemnation ([12:30]):
    • “If you do marry, you have not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.” ([12:53]–[13:03])
  • Singleness enables “undivided devotion to the Lord,” marriage can divide focus ([13:07])
  • Final advice on remarriage:
    • “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet...she is happier if she remains as she is.” ([13:38])

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Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges context, [00:44])
• “‘Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?’” ([04:54])
• “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away. And what have I left?” (Micah, [05:23])
• “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” (Psalm 114, [07:14])
• “Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” (Paul, [08:07])
• “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (Paul, [09:43])
• “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time...then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you...” (Paul, [10:21])
• “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God...” (Paul, [10:34])
• “God has called you to peace.” (Paul, [11:30])
• “But keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” (Paul, [11:50])
• “And I would spare you that. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short.” ([13:03])

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Structuring and Tone

The reading maintains a sober, reflective tone throughout, blending ancient narrative, worshipful poetry, and practical pastoral instruction. The scriptures are presented with clarity, honoring the text and inviting listeners into the unfolding drama and advice of God’s people through the ages.

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For Listeners

This episode weaves together stories of spiritual wanderings, calls for pure, unified worship, and real-life guidance for living as God’s people in a complex world. It’s a journey through both human confusion and divine instruction—inviting listeners to reflect on how they live, worship, relate, and honor God with their bodies, relationships, and decisions.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Reader]

A reading from the Book of Judges. There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, the 1100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me. I took it. And his mother said, blessed be my son, by the Lord. And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, I dedicate the silver to the Lord for my hand, for my son, to make a carved

[Commentator/Preacher]

image and a metal image.

[Narrator/Reader]

Now, therefore, I will restore it to you. So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had a shrine. And he made an ephod and household gods and ordained one of his sons who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where

[Commentator/Preacher]

he could find a place.

[Narrator/Reader]

And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah. And Micah said to him, where do you come from? And he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I

[Commentator/Preacher]

may find a place.

[Narrator/Reader]

And Micah said to him, stay with me and be to me a father and a priest. And I will give you 10 pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living. And the Levite went in, and the Levite was content to dwell with the man. And the young man became to him like one of his sons. And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and was in the house of Micah. Then Micah said, now I know that the Lord will prosper me because I have a Levite as priest. In those days, there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in. For until then, no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe from Zorah and from Eshtaol to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, go and explore the land. And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite, and they turned aside and said to him, who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here? And he said to them, this is

[Commentator/Preacher]

how Micah dealt with me.

[Narrator/Reader]

He has hired me, and I have become his priest. And they said to him, inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed. And the priests said to them, go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord. Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth, and possessing wealth. And how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. And when they came to their brothers at Zoro and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, what do you report? They said, arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen

[Commentator/Preacher]

the land, and behold, it is very good.

[Narrator/Reader]

And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land. As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, and a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth. So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol and went up and encamped at Kiriath Jearim in Judah on this account. That place is called Mahanadan to this day, behold, it is west of Kiriath Jearim. And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore, consider what you will do. And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and asked him about his Welfare. Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war stood by the entrance of the gate. And the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the Priests stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war. And when these went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priests said to them, what are you doing? And they said to him, keep quiet, put your hand on your mouth and come with us, and be to us

[Commentator/Preacher]

a father and a priest.

[Narrator/Reader]

Is it better for you to be priests to the house of one man

[Commentator/Preacher]

or to be priests to a tribe and clan in Israel?

[Narrator/Reader]

And the priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them. When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.

[Commentator/Preacher]

And they shouted to the people of

[Narrator/Reader]

Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, what is the matter with you that you come with such a company? And he said, you take my gods that I made and the priests, and go away. And what have I left? How then do you ask me, what

[Commentator/Preacher]

is the matter with you? And the people of Dan said to

[Narrator/Reader]

him, do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you and you lose your life with the lives of your household. Then the people of Dan went their way, and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home. But the people of Dan took what Micah had made and the priests who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehab. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it, and they named the city Daniel, after the name of Dan, their ancestor who was born to Israel. But the name of the city was Laish at the first. And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up Micah's carved image that he made as long as the house of God was at Shiloh. A reading from the Book of Psalms. When Israel went out from Egypt, the

[Commentator/Preacher]

house of Jacob, from a people of strange Language. Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea looked and fled, Jordan turned back, the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you flee, O Jordan, that you turn back? O mountains, that you skip like rams, O hills like lambs Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of the God of

[Narrator/Reader]

Jacob, who turns the rock into a

[Commentator/Preacher]

pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

[Narrator/Reader]

A reading from the book of 1 Corinthians.

[Commentator/Preacher]

When 1 of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more then matters pertaining to this life? So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers? But brother goes to law against brother. And that before unbelievers to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong defraud even your own brothers. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food. And God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For as it is written, the two will become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body. But the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price so glorify God in your body. Now, concerning the matters about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman, but because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time and that you may devote yourselves to prayer, but then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self control. Now, as a concession, not a command, I say, I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows, I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this charge, not I, but the Lord. The wife should not separate from her husband. But if she does, she should remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband, and the husband should not divorce his wife. To the rest I say, aye, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean. But as it is, they are holy. But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision. But keeping the commandments of God, each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price. Do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called there, let him remain with God. Now, concerning the betrothed. I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who, by the Lord's mercy, is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress, it is good for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles.

[Narrator/Reader]

And I would spare you that.

[Commentator/Preacher]

This is what I mean. Brothers, the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none. And those who mourn as though they were not mourning. And those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing. And those who buy as though they had no goods. And those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it, for the present form of this world is passing away, I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong and it has to be let him do as he wishes. Let them marry. It is no sin but whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity, but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then, he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives but if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. Yet in my judgment, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the spirit of God.