Judges 17 - The Way of the Wayward

Micah demonstrates how character displays itself in the absence of leadership. He has stolen his mother's money (a lifetimes wages) but confesses and returns it. Judges 17:6 says, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit". Micah had no issue robbing from his own dear mother. 

His mother applauds him for his character when he returns the ill-gotten gain and returns it as a consecration to the Lord for her son to cast an idol. You can see his mother is even confused on her role as mother and as a child of God. God specifically warns against idols; it does not honor God to consecrate the idol to the Lord. She had an opportunity to influence her son for good but she chose to let him have his way instead. 

Micah not only casts idols and builds a shrine, but he then installs his son as priest making him a priestly ephod. He now leads the next generation into idolatry and away from serving God. The terrible thing is - in his mind he believes he is doing right. 

Now a young Levite comes by and Micah offers him a job as priest for a salary. Even the elite in God's service were able to be influenced against God. Swayed by the offer of security, the Levite accepts and Micah convinces himself that the Lord has blessed him by sending a Levite to be his priest. 

When people refuse the Lordship of God Almighty, they too go down a path where their estimation of right and wrong trump anyone else's. We too can lead ourselves to believe that sin is not so bad and even raise it up in our minds to count it good. God however, tells us that His ways are higher than our ways as high as the heavens are above the earth. That is how much separation there is between our ways and God's. Without regular worship, study and prayer we fall prey to our own ways. All around us we see people who do not know God's ways and how morality and justice become skewed when God is not at the center. 

Micah sat himself up against God and showed the life of the wayward in their character, influence on others and their defamation of God. Idols don't have to be formed out of silver. Anything that directs your heart from God is an idol. We have lots of them today...fame, power, leisure, sex, alcohol, drugs, games, movies, television and more. What idol has the potential of keeping you from serving God with everything?  Say goodbye to it while you can - otherwise it may deceive you into believing it is OK. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.