Friday, October 29, 2010

Judges 17 is about an Israelite named Micah who stole a bunch of money from his own mother and then became the hero in returning it to her. She was so ecstatic that she dedicated the money to the Lord for her son to make a carved image and a cast idol to "give it back to the Lord". She hired a silversmith to make the idol and image to put in Micah's house. With Micah's shrine of idols, he installed one of his sons as his priest. Then Micah invited a Levite from Bethlehem to stay with him and be his father and priest, offering to pay him and give him room and board. Micah said, "Now I know the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest." This blasphemy and idol worship occurred because "everyone did as he saw fit" (v.6).