Judges 17:1-13


People often mistake the tolerance of God for the blessing of God.  God is very patient and merciful which is the only reason that any of us are alive.  There are things that He allows to happen that are an abomination to Him, yet He tolerates as He waits for us to repent.  Micah and his mother are a prime example of the idolatry that was running rampant in Israel and God seems to do nothing about it.  This is misinterpreted as God’s blessing and Micah rejoices in his sin.  When people order their lives according to their own desire and experience as opposed to knowing and obeying the Word of God, they run the great risk of living an abominable life before the Lord.  The saddest thing is that they do not even realize it and thing that God is somehow pleased with this and giving them a blessing.

MICAH CONFESSES HIS ROBBERY  Micah had stolen money from his mother and she had pronounced a curse on the person who took it.  Micah is worried about the curse and confesses to having taken the money.  The mother shows her gratitude by taking the money and dedicating it to idolatry.  This gives us an insight as to the condition of Micah’s heart.  He was a thief in the first place, and when he confesses his crime and restores the money to his mother he is not chastised or punished; rather, he is praised.  When we stray from the Word of God we begin to live in sin without even recognizing the danger we are in.

MICAH CONSTRUCTS HIS IDOL: The mother shows her gratitude over getting her money back by constructing an idol.  She establishes a place of worship in her home and Micah leads his entire family into the worship of this idol.  This is the type of behavior that men sink to when they are not exposed to the Word of God.  Micah and his family are rejoicing at being able to bow down and worship a god that they paid to make with money that had been stolen in the first place.  Their prosperity is mistakenly interpreted by them as the blessing of God.  The truth is that God is enraged an infuriated by this type of behavior.

MICAH CONTRACTS HIS PRIEST: A Levite happens to be traveling through and seeks shelter in Micah’s home.  When the Levite seen what is going on Micah invites him to stay in his home and ordains him as a priest to lead his family is worship of this idol.  What is amazing is that the Levite falls for this invitation with no thought as to what God might think of this blatant idolatry.  Micah, his family and the family of the Levite appear to be living happily ever after, but the reality is that they are stirring up the wrath of God.  It is a dangerous thing to be lead by one’s idolatrous heart as opposed to the Word of God. 

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