This rather odd chapter chapter contains the account of a man named Micah, who steals 1100 pieces of silver from his mother. When he returns them, his mother has an idol fashioned out of 200 pieces of the silver. “And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (v5-6)
Then, a travelling Levite catches Micah’s eye: “And Micah said to him, ‘Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.’ And the Levite went in. And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then Micah said, ‘Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.’ ” (v10,12-13)
So, the chapter concludes on that cliffhanger – Micah builds a shrine to household gods, complete with priestly robes, and a hired Levite to be his priest (because we have to do things properly, after all [said facetiously]).
There are too many twisted things in this chapter to count – but let’s emphasize a single line the author added: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This, unfortunately, is still true today. There are many who do not choose to follow Jesus as their Savior and King, so they do what is right in their eyes (or in the eyes of those they do follow).
I encourage us to pray for the Spirit’s wisdom in our lives, to help us discern what is right in God’s eyes, not ours or our world’s eyes. There are literally millions of opinions on what is and is not acceptable, and it’s nearly impossible to discern to which voice we should listen. I suggest we look to the one opinion that matters most – God’s. If you’re having trouble hearing God’s voice directly, then ask God to provide a trusted, Spirit-led individual who can offer guidance. God will answer your prayer because He loves you abundantly and wants to guide you.
Father God, almighty Lord, awesome and holy is Your name. We thank You for the gift of Your Spirit, without whom we would be lost. Spirit please guide us – this world is over-saturated with grabs for our attention, and it’s so easy to become distracted. Please help us to remain rooted in the Way, the Truth and the Life. Please help us to stay on the paths of righteousness. Please help us to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, by remaining true to our Father’s leading and will. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and King, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training