A Misguided Definition of Good

Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”

Judges 17:13 (ESV)

Judges 17 tells us the story of a man named Micah. Micah stole some money from his mother, but later returned it. She blessed him and dedicated the money to the Lord. And she used part of it to have an idol built that she then gave to Micah. Micah installed the idol alongside his household gods in his shrine and ordained one of his sons to be his priest.

Later, a Levite came by, and Micah hired him to be his priest. And Micah then felt confident of the Lord’s blessing, believing that the Lord would prosper him because he had a Levite serving as his personal priest.

It is easy to read this story and find so many things that Micah did wrong. The idol, the household gods, his own personal shrine. Ordaining first his son and then a Levite to serve as a priest at his shrine. How could he imagine that any of that would be pleasing to God?

In the next chapter, we read that Micah’s dream of being prospered by God hit a major speedbump. The tribe of Dan stole his idol, household gods, and priest. And Micah was left with nothing. Not what he had envisioned.

Defining God for Ourselves

Is this just an interesting, although sad, story? Or is there a lesson in it for us today? Amid this story of Micah, the author tells us that everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Jud. 17:6). Micah thought what he was doing was good, even though it was contrary to what God had commanded.

And how often are we guilty of the same thing today? Doing what we think is OK, regardless of what God’s word has to say to us. Maybe we don’t know what God’s word says. Maybe we think it is outdated and irrelevant. Or perhaps we have convinced ourselves that what we are doing is not really at odds with Scripture, a misguided definition of good. And, because we have convinced ourselves that we are doing good, we expect God to bless us. Then we are surprised when that doesn’t happen.