Judges chapter 17
I want to put a some things out there about this chapter. First, the Danites are still looking for their portion of land in Canaan. Given that, this part of Judges is not in chronological order, and these events happened earlier in the history of the Jews before the events of the last chapter about Samson. I believe that all scripture is for our Godly education and use. These particular chapters feel out of place with the previous stories in Judges about judges who rose up to be a good or false leader. I think these chapters are important and have a purpose, but the type of story that is told differs enough that it is a noticeable departure from the rest of Judges.
Reading these next chapters, it is a story of what not to do when serving God or trying to follow his commandments. I don't know how you feel reading the final chapters of Judges, but I keep thinking 'that's not right', and 'that's not wise', and 'isn't that exactly what God said not to do'? I can sit here these hundreds and thousands of years later and cast judgment with the hindsight of the Holy Scriptures. Before I get too high on my wobbly horse, I'll remind myself that it is easy to fall into these traps and I'm guilty of some of them no doubt. How many times in my life have I held up a hobby, task, job, or even another person ahead of my relationship with Christ Jesus. No, I've never bowed down before a graven image, but I've spent countless hours in front of the TV or on the Internet doing literally nothing, when I could have given God just a portion of that time and been better for it. I've spent time in recreation and play when there are far more serious matters to pray about. Should we spend every spare moment in prayer and communication with our Lord through his word? When someone actually goes that far to neglect their more worldly endeavors and forgets to bath and other mundane matters, I'll be the first one to warn them they've gone too far. I've never had to warn anyone that they are spending too much time in prayer, and I don't think I'll ever have to do that either. Rehab clinics aren't full of people who devote too much time to God, not that I'm aware of.
Back to this chapter in Judges, we meet a young man named Micah. Micah steals a bunch of money from his mother and she rightly is upset. She doesn't know it is her son, but after seeing his mother upset, his conscience causes him to reveal the matter to her. Instead of being enraged with her son, she is just happy to have the money back. His mother then vows to take the money and have a graven image made in honor of her son. If this all sounds bad, it is because it is bad. This story has wrong written all over it. This is in clear violation of God's laws and commandments to his people. In the third verse they are talking about breaking the first two of God's commandments, and by the fifth verse they are breaking them.Then after all of this, he takes one of his own son's and makes him a priest, which just in case you're wondering, is another violation of God's laws.
The sixth verse explains some of what is going on here. Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. People were their own God's, judges, leaders, and spiritual men. They didn't want or seek help from God's laws, but wallowed in their own sin. Now here comes a Levite wondering about. The only thing right with this part of the story is that the Levites were supposed to be priest by God's law. That's it, after that, nothing else is right about the story. Micah asks the Levite to stay for a small offering and salary. This Levite was so happy for something, that he doesn't seek any other higher calling or purpose of God. Be careful that you are satisfied with doing just so much for the Lord when you know you are capable of doing so much greater for him.The story ends with Micah just giddy with himself that he has done this thing and then just can't wait for how the Lord is going to bless him. We need to seek God in prayer to make sure that the path we are on is one given and chosen by him.
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