Independence is relevant. What if all rules and regulations were taken away and we were left to act in our own best interest? This is just one reason the story of Micah and his idols is so important. The reading comes from Judges 17:1-13 and highlights the dangers of unchecked individualism and the pursuit of personal desires — without any moral or ethical guidelines. It reminds us of the importance of accountability and the potential consequences of unrestrained freedom.
We see this happening in society today as more people turn away from God to do what’s right for whatever the present situation bestows.
Micah lived in such a time as told in this passage from Judges. He replaced God with idols. He thought being a “good person” was enough. Is it? We can learn a lot from Micah’s mistake — that simply being good is not enough to please God.
Micah and His Idols – “every man did what was right in his own eyes”
Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah.
He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.”
And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.”
He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you.”
So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.
And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there.
Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.
Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”
And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to stay wherever I may find a place.”
Micah then said to him, “Dwell with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your maintenance.”
So the Levite went in.
The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.
So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah.
Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.” – Judges 17:1-13 NASB
Was Micah “Good Enough” ?
A common belief in this world is that:
“If I just try to be the best person I can be, then I’m okay.”
Yes, people should try to be good but it’s impossible to be “good” all the time, isn’t it? For example, it’s almost impossible to never make mistakes, no matter how good a person you are. Overall, people should be aware of their own flaws.
No King — So..
In the days of Micah (and all through Judges) kings came and went, and at this time there was no king of Israel.
In verse six, we see a nation of anarchists with no ruler and no real direction. As a result, the people were left to their own devices, suffering the consequences of their own actions. All in all, the lack of a clear leader caused the nation to spiral out of control.
What If?
Can you imagine what your country would be like with no government, no real laws and no one to direct its future?
I know, some would argue the “no government” part. But it’s like taking down all the traffic lights in town. Have you ever found yourself in a city during a power outage during rush hour? Without traffic lights, people are racing to get through intersections, often causing accidents and traffic congestion. Similarly, without a government, there would be no laws or regulations to keep people from taking advantage of one another, leading to chaos.
So, you get the picture.
Micah Was a “Good” Person
Micah returned the silver he had taken to his mother. He did the right thing in her eyes. This was a gesture of repentance to her.
But not to God!
God’s Standard
Today, just as it was in the book of Judges, the standard of behavior is left for people to decide. People today often make decisions based on their emotions and feelings, rather than on what is right and true. This can lead to people making choices that are not in line with God’s will and can lead to consequences that are outside of His will.
We try to “do right” and to “be good people.” But we’re falling short! Romans 3:23 says:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”.
This verse includes Christians as well as others.
How Do We Live Up to God’s Standard?
We can’t do it by ourselves. This is where Christ steps in for us. If we only ask forgiveness, He will intercede.
Just as it was in the time of Micah, many people choose to replace God with other things such as self-help classes or meditation. But they still don’t have the direction from God to live their lives. And, without God’s guidance, life becomes aimless and without purpose.
If we continue doing “whatever we think is right at the moment” then love and compassion will be replaced with revenge and anger.
This leads to vigilante justice which we see before our eyes when “justice” is not done – according to us.
So, How Do We Let God Lead?
The best way to be obedient to God is to be in His Word (The Bible) on a regular basis.
Secondly, we need to pray for guidance in our lives – before we make major decisions. We may not always get what we want, but God always knows what we need!
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like to discover more about the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16 here.