Judges 18:24-31: a reflection

24He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’” 25The children of Dan said to him, “Don’t let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall on you, and you lose your life, with the lives of your household.” 26The children of Dan went their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house. 27They took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; then they burned the city with fire. 28There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else; and it was in the valley that lies by Beth Rehob. They built the city and lived in it. 29They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however the name of the city used to be Laish. 30The children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. 31So they set up for themselves Micah’s engraved image which he made, and it remained all the time that God’s house was in Shiloh.

When the Danites take away the idols that Micah had made, along with his priest, Micah's cry of loss exposes the emptiness of trusting in gods we make: You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away. What more do I have? Micah's gods could be carried off; his man-made idols could simply be taken from him, leaving him bereft, crying, what more do I have? A god that can be taken away is no god at all. Micah had put his trust in things he had made with his own hands, and they proved unable even to keep themselves, let alone save him; they were taken, and he was left with nothing. This exposes the folly of trusting in idols, in gods and things we make, that can be lost or taken away. A god that can be carried off is no god. Idols we make cannot even keep themselves. What can be taken from us is no true security. Trusting in things we make leaves us bereft when they are gone.

Notice the emptiness revealed in Micah's cry. He had made his own gods, set up his own shrine, hired his own priest; he had put his trust and identity in these things he had made. And when the Danites simply took them away, he was left crying, what more do I have? His gods could not resist being carried off; they could not even protect themselves, let alone him. This lays bare the folly of trusting in idols, in gods and things of our own making. Anything we make, any idol, any possession, any security we construct for ourselves, can be taken from us, and then we are left bereft, as Micah was. A god or a security that can be carried off is no true god, no true security. This turns us toward the true God, who cannot be taken from us, who is not made by our hands but is himself our maker and our unfailing refuge. To trust in what can be taken from us is to be left, in the end, with nothing. The true God cannot be carried off; he is our unfailing security. What we make cannot save us or even keep itself. Trust the God who cannot be taken, not idols that can.

That is worth taking to heart, for a god or security we make can be taken from us, leaving us bereft, and this turns us to trust the true God who cannot be taken away. We can put our trust in things of our own making, in idols, possessions, or securities we construct, as Micah trusted the gods he had made; but the Danites simply carried them off, and Micah was left crying, what more do I have? What can be taken from us is no true security. Do not put your trust in what can be carried off; trust the true God, who cannot be taken from you. Trust the true God, who cannot be taken from you, rather than idols or securities of your own making that can be carried off, as Micah, when the Danites took away the gods he had made and the priest he had hired, cried out, you have taken away my gods which I made, what more do I have; for whatever we make, any idol or possession or security we construct for ourselves, can be lost or taken, leaving us bereft as Micah was, and a god or security that cannot even keep itself, that can be carried off, is no true god and no true security, so that the emptiness of Micah's loss turns us toward the true God, who is not made by our hands but is himself our maker and our unfailing refuge, who cannot be taken from us, and whom we do well to trust rather than the things we make that can be lost.

Lord, when the Danites take away the idols that Micah had made, along with his priest, Micah's cry of loss exposes the emptiness of trusting in gods we make: You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away. What more do I have? Micah's gods could be carried off; his man-made idols could simply be taken from him, leaving him bereft. A god that can be taken away is no god at all. Micah had put his trust in things he had made with his own hands, and they proved unable even to keep themselves, let alone save him; they were taken, and he was left with nothing. This exposes the folly of trusting in idols, in gods and things we make, that can be lost or taken away. Show me the emptiness revealed in Micah's cry. He had made his own gods, set up his own shrine, hired his own priest; he had put his trust and identity in these things he had made. And when the Danites simply took them away, he was left crying, what more do I have? His gods could not even protect themselves, let alone him. This lays bare the folly of trusting in idols, in things of our own making. Anything I make, any idol, any possession, any security I construct for myself, can be taken from me, and then I am left bereft, as Micah was. This turns me toward you, the true God, who cannot be taken from me, who is not made by my hands but is himself my maker and my unfailing refuge. Take that to my heart, for a god or security I make can be taken from me, leaving me bereft, and this turns me to trust you who cannot be taken away. Keep me from putting my trust in what can be carried off; help me trust you, Lord, the true God, who cannot be taken from me, rather than idols or securities of my own making that can be lost, resting in you as my unfailing refuge.