Cursed But Believing He’s Blessed

Judges 17:1-13

“And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.  And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.

 And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son. 

And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.” (Judges 17:1-3)

The supreme court is charged wit seeing that the Constitution is followed.  Unfortunately, in recent years the Supreme Court has become more focused on satisfying the wishes of the government than with enforcing the Constitution, resulting in steady erosion of the protections guaranteed by the Constitution.  For example the first amendment specifically states, “Congress shall make no law respecting and institution of religion,” yet the Internal Revenue Service is allowed to decide what constitutes a church and what they are allowed to do.  The sixth amendment guarantees the right of an accused person to a public and speedy trial by and impartial jury of his peers,  yet the Internal revenue Service routinely tries citizens in IRS courts rather than regular courts.  The recent ruling that a person can be arrested and held indefinitely without public trial essentially sets aside the entire sixth amendment.

For  twenty years Samson had been charged with seeing that the Law was followed, much like the Supreme Court is responsible for seeing that the Constitution is followed.  For twenty years he simply ignored any of Gods law that forbid something he wanted to do, implying that the Law was not really important. It should not be surprising that the people have little regard for the law when those who are responsible for enforcing it do not take it seriously, and Micah‘s mother’s plans illustrate the effect of Samson‘s Judging Israel..

Micah had taken his mother’s money for some reason and had not told her, and she thought it had been stolen.  When he confessed to taking it, “His mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image.”  This is in direct contradiction to God’s command in Exodus 20:4-5.  “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”

“Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.   And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.” (Judges 17:4-5)

Micah had a house devoted to various gods.  He made an ephod copied after the one the High Priest wore, and appointed one of his sons to be a priest.  In addition he had set up a seraphim or family idol.  About a hundred seventy five years before, Judges 8:27 tells us, “And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.”  The very symbol of the priest’s authority became a distraction turning people away from God when used out of context.

He also violated God’s law in making one of his sons a priest.  Numbers 3:10 commands, “And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.”

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

God’s plan was that each person be individually responsible to God for their own actions.  This is not a condemnation, but a simple statement of fact.  Thanks to Samson’s own disdain for what God had said, the people didn’t consider it very important.  They didn’t bother to go to Shechem to read the law from the monument there, or consult with the local priests, just depending on the judge to tell them what was right.  

“And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.  And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 

And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? 

And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. 

And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. 

 So the Levite went in.  And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.  And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.  

Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.” (Judges 17:7-13)

A very religious man, Micah was convinced that having a priest from the tribe God had chosen would result in God’s blessings.  He was like many today that think being a member of a certain group or having a certain pastor or leader is what matters.  It never occurs to them that their personal attitudes and resultant actions are what matters.

Micah completely ignored the fact that Deuteronomy 27:15 declared, “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place…”  In the same way, people today ignore verses like Galatians 1:8-9, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”  

In I Corinthians 15:1-4 defines what the Gospel is.  “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Any group or individual which preaches another gospel is cursed by God, whether it be that salvation is the result of social or political action, church membership, adherence to a set of guidelines, an emotional experience or anything other than faith in Christ.  As Matthew 7:21-23 states, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”