Micah, A Man of Religious Intuitions

Judges 17:6 — Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Prop Question: But what would happen to a person if they lived by this standard?

Today’s stories show what a life is like when people do what is right in their own eyes.

• We will look at Judges 17-18 at a man named Micah
• Micah believed he could approach religion with his intuitions and what seems right at the time

• How does it turn out for him?

  LET’S BEGIN WITH SOME BACKGROUND

The people have conquered the land of Canaan. However, it did not go as planned. Beginning with Manasseh in Judges 1:27, many of the tribes did not drive out the inhabitants of the land, as God commanded them.

The second half of chapter 1 sets the stage for the book of Judges. These other nations — the Philistines, the Amorites, and others — became a thorn in the side of Israel throughout its history because each tribe did not carry out their task.

The book of Judges cycles through the various judges, beginning with the noble Othniel and ending with the troubling Samson. The book does not follow a chronological timeline, but a thematic outline.

Samson is the first to utter the refrain at the end of the book when asking for his first Philistine wife: “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes” (Jdg. 14:3).

The phrase right in my eyes is repeated at the end of Judges:

This phrase first appears in Deuteronomy 12:8, where God commands that he be worshipped in the way he wants to be worshipped:

These last stories in Judges give us explicit examples of what happens when we put our intuitions on par with God’s Word.

Micah is an unsavory fellow — he stole 1,100 pieces of silver from his own mother. This is striking for two reasons:

1. It is the same amount the Philistines promised Delilah to discover Samson’s weakness.
2. It would be worth millions of dollars today.

(In the next story, Micah will offer a man 10 silver pieces a year to be his priest — that’s 110 years’ worth of labor.)

Micah confesses to his mother that he took the silver. He seems motivated not by a change of heart but by fear of his mother’s curse. He was simply looking out for himself.

So what does she do? Instead of cursing him or reporting him, she blesses him. Then she dedicates the money to the LORD, gives it back — and takes 200 pieces to make a metal idol.

She is cursing, blessing, and dedicating things at the drop of a hat.

Note whom she dedicates the silver to. Not a generic deity (Elohim), but to YHWH — the particular covenant name of God.

Both Micah and his mother seem perfectly fine creating an image to represent God — something strictly forbidden by one of the Ten Commandments.

This episode ends with Micah placing the idol of YHWH alongside his other idols in his shrine, making an ephod, and ordaining one of his sons as priest.

He’s got the full set now — he can play worship for real.

Illustration: It’s like giving a carpenter a new set of tools: hammer, screwdriver, power drill, jackhammer, and saw. But the problem isn’t the missing brand — it’s that they say “Fisher-Price” on the box. Just because the box says “tools” doesn’t mean they’re actual tools.

Just because it looks like worship does not mean it is worship.

If you were to argue with Micah about his religion, he might say:

• “If this silver idol is good enough for my mother, it’s good enough for me. Why can’t you be happy we didn’t make an idol for Molech or Baal?”
• “God said we need priests. I didn’t have a descendant of Aaron around, so I made my son a priest. I’m doing the best I can.”

He had the words right. He knows the true name of God. He knows he needs a priest. He even knows his priest needs to wear an ephod. It looks like worship — but it’s blasphemy against God.

We would spot Micah’s idolatry a mile away. But what practices might we adopt — in name only — to appear like Christians while becoming more palatable to the culture around us?

We must make it our aim to do what is right in his eyes, not ours.

Micah had his own son as priest, but he knew having a Levite would be better. As he’s going about his business, lo and behold, a Levite traveling through needs a home. Micah could easily see this as a sign — a blessing from God.

What a story he could tell his village about God’s providence.

All priests are Levites, yes. But are all Levites priests? No. Only those descended from Aaron could be priests. Levites served in worship, but not all could be priests.

In fact, in 18:30, we learn this priest’s name is Jonathan — the grandson of Moses himself.

Micah goes beyond what God has said by making this Levite a priest.

Micah puts his trust in “good enough.”

• Worshipping God with an idol? Good enough.
• Worshipping God with a son — or even a Levite — as priest? Good enough.

Micah kind of does what God wants, and God has to bless him. He’s not the God we read about in the Torah. He’s the kind of God many people serve today.

Any idol we create with our hands, we first create in our minds. Because Micah made that silver idol, he had already created an idol in his mind: I do my best to serve God, and he makes me happy.

The tribe of Dan was having trouble securing their allotted land. They sent 5 spies to scout out a new territory. Along the way they found the Levite priest and recognized him from his accent. While speaking with him, they discovered Micah’s trove of religious items.

They returned to their tribe and declared the land was great and the LORD was with them.

On their way to the new land, they stopped by Micah’s house again — this time with 600 men. They took Micah’s idols and the Levite, making him an offer he couldn’t refuse:

Micah came home to find no priest and no idols. He ran after the Danites — all 600 mighty men. The warriors turned to meet him:

He cannot fight them off and walks home empty-handed.

Look at his reply: “You take my gods and my priest and I’ll have nothing left!”

Will he, though? If he were a truly devout religious man, what would he still have?

He would still have God. God does not dwell in idols or homemade shrines. The problem with Micah’s religion is that his view of God is too small — small enough that without a priest or an idol, he is ruined.

Our priest also comes from Bethlehem. He is also of the family of Judah. But no tribe of Dan will take him from us. He is not looking for another — he is committed to his bride.