Do You Trust Your Eyes?

“In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that
which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6

When I first read Judges, Chapters 17 and 18, I was a bit confused. I expected to find another story of a Godly man of valor, such as Gideon and Samson, who God used to deliver His children from misery. However, in these chapters we meet a fellow named Micah. We’re introduced to him stealing from his mother, and then returning the silver to her after she complained and cursed whoever took it. Then, after he admitted taking it, she blessed him, saying “Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.”  Talk about being messed up. Have you ever noticed how quickly we can turn from cursing those around us to blessing them?

Anyway, it was a time not much unlike our own today. It was a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. We like that. We think that is freedom, but it isn’t. It’s freedom only to the extent that someone who is stronger than us doesn’t take notice and desire what we possess. When neither God is the King of our hearts nor when effective and strong leadership is present in our land or community, it really is a free-for-all; not freedom that exists. That’s what the story of Micah tells; consisting of a succession of deceitful ploys and outcomes, starting with Micah creating his idols. It’s funny too that when it came right down to the making of these idols, mom and son committed only 200 of the 1100 pieces of silver that they possessed. I guess that tells us that idolaters will also cheat their false gods and not give to them all they own; of course, it’s not as if we as Christians ever cheat our heavenly Father of our money, time and talents. The difference is, our God lives!

Of course, what made things appear all that better to Micah was when a Levite priest showed up at his door. Wow! How much confirmation does a guy need to know that his worship is the real deal? As Micah observed, “Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.” Sorry Micah. If you had known the law, you would have known the Levite should not have been there (God had specifically consecrated the Levites to perform temple duties and worship; not to gallivant around the countryside), but then again, it’s not like we haven’t had so-called men and women of God show up at our door, wanting acceptance and entrance. Unfortunately, because we didn’t know the Scriptures and wanted affirmation of our vain worship, we invited them in, and as Micah later found out, we were deeply hurt when we found the teacher was a liar, cheat and thief; filled with lust and prideful over the way he was able to seduce us. How childish we are to listen to them. However, unlike our Lord who said we must go to Him with a childlike faith; He did not mean a childish one.

Nonetheless, Micah didn’t learn. As he was doing his thing in his house, there was a family from the tribe of Dan who, at the same time, were doing what was right in their own eyes for their houses. They wanted to find their own land to live, and they heard of a distant city where the people lived ‘quiet and secure.’ They sent spies to check it out. On the way, the spies stopped by Micah’s house (18:3). “When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?”  The priest apparently had made his way around. It is interesting though that men do tend to recognize the voices of those they know and will follow; even as Jesus said of us, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27) Anyway, the spies went and checked out the city, and returned to their family. They told them that the city was desirous, and the people could be defeated, because they too lived doing what was right in their eyes; without a magistrate, who could bring them together and protect them. Thus, the entire family of Dan (about 6,000) picked up and went to take the city. On the way, they stopped at Micah’s house. There, they stole Micah’s idols. When the priest confronted them, they asked him to become their priest. “And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?” (18:19) Do you want to take a guess what the priest did? Anyway, after a brief confrontation with Micah and his neighbors, the family of the tribe of Dan, killed the people and burnt the city.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say they’ll believe something when they see it. Unfortunately, when we really do see the truth visit us, it’s usually too late, and we’re too weak to do anything about it. When we conduct ourselves godlessly, and without respect for the authority that God has established on earth through the institution of government, you might say you have freedom, but as I previously said, it is really a free-for-all. Even those who lived in that distant city, and who in their own eyes lived in quiet and peace, found themselves deposed when a stronger party saw what they had to be desirous. They came along and took it all away, even as they did Micah’s idols. I’ll conclude this blog by saying what Jesus Himself said, “He who has ears, let them hear,” and to that I’ll add, ‘listen for the Shepard’s voice.’