Judges 17:1-13: a reflection

1There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred 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.” His mother said, “May the LORD bless my son!” 3He restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, then his mother said, “I most certainly dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.” 4When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to a silversmith, who made a carved image and a molten image out of it. It was in the house of Micah. 5The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. 7There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there. 8The man departed out of the city, out of Bethlehem Judah, to live where he could find a place, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he traveled. 9Micah said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.” 10Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, a suit of clothing, and your food.” So the Levite went in. 11The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. 12Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.”

In this troubling account, a man named Micah sets up his own religion. He makes idols with dedicated silver, builds a shrine in his house, and hires a Levite to be his personal priest; and he concludes, Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, since I have a Levite as my priest. He mixes the worship of the LORD with idols and homemade shrines, doing what seems right to him, and presumes God will bless this religion of his own devising. It is a picture of a self-invented faith, done as everyone did in those days, what was right in his own eyes.

Notice what Micah did: he devised his own religion, mixing God with idols and his own inventions, and presumed God would bless it. He did not seek God's revealed way, but did what seemed right to him, setting up a faith of his own devising, complete with idols, homemade shrines, and a hired priest; and he assumed God would prosper it. It was religion on his own terms, what was right in his own eyes, presuming God's blessing on a faith God had not authorized.

That is a caution against a self-invented religion, a faith on our own terms rather than God's. We can be tempted, like Micah, to devise our own version of faith, mixing God with our own ideas and inventions, doing what seems right to us, and presuming God will bless it. But God is to be worshiped in his revealed way, not as we invent; a self-devised religion, however sincere, is not the true worship of God. Do not devise your own religion, mixing God with your own ideas and inventions, doing what seems right in your own eyes, and presuming God's blessing on it. Seek God's revealed way, worshiping him as he has shown, rather than on your own terms. Micah presumed God would bless a faith of his own devising; but God is not worshiped rightly by what seems right in our own eyes. Follow God's revealed way, rather than a self-invented religion, and do not presume his blessing on a faith you have devised on your own terms, but seek to worship and follow him as he has shown, not as seems right to you.

Lord, in this troubling account, Micah set up his own religion: he made idols with dedicated silver, built a shrine, hired a Levite as his personal priest, and concluded, now I know the LORD will prosper me, since I have a Levite as my priest. He mixed the worship of you with idols and homemade shrines, doing what seemed right to him, and presumed you would bless this religion of his own devising, as everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Show me what Micah did: he devised his own religion, and presumed you would bless it. He did not seek your revealed way, but did what seemed right to him, presuming your blessing on a faith you had not authorized. Let that caution me against a self-invented religion, a faith on my own terms rather than yours. I can be tempted, like Micah, to devise my own version of faith, mixing you with my own ideas and inventions, doing what seems right to me, and presuming you will bless it. But you are to be worshiped in your revealed way, not as I invent; a self-devised religion, however sincere, is not the true worship of you. Keep me from devising my own religion, mixing you with my own ideas, doing what seems right in my own eyes, and presuming your blessing. Help me seek your revealed way, Lord, worshiping you as you have shown, rather than on my own terms. Help me follow you as you have shown, not as seems right to me.