November 24th, 2019
Devotional
“Judges: Micah” -
Judges 17: 1-13
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Monday: “Eleven Hundred Pieces of Silver” - Judges 17: 1-2
A lot of speculation has went into who exactly Micah’s mother is. She seems to be this unnamed woman, but even without a title to call her by, we know that her son Micah, seemed to take her silver, but now is returning it to her. Not just any amount of silver, but an astronomical amount for Biblical times.
However, what I find striking is that instead of holding Micah accountable for his act - she blesses him.
And so the chaos begins in Judges 17.
Because the unnamed mother didn’t act as we may expect in the first few verses, it really isn’t inconceivable what she says and does from this point forward.
We don’t know what led to this point. What led up to Micah’s actions or the reaction of Micah’s mother, but what it looks like from the perspective of the reader/ hearer is a world in chaos. But is our world really any different today? We, too, have chaos. It may look different. But it’s still there. And until someone steps in and breaks the cycle, chaos begets more chaos.
What would you consider chaotic in the story told in Judges 17?
What is chaotic in our world today?
Prayer: God, we confess that sometimes we are so steeped in the chaos of the world that it no longer seems odd to us. No longer seems out of place. This is not a cycle that we can break on our own, O Lord. We need you. Rescue us, we pray. Amen.
Tuesday: “An Idol” - Judges 17: 3-6
Micah’s mother took a sizable portion of the silver that had been returned to her and made it into an idol for her son’s home. Why? Because that’s what she thought that you did. She consecrated the silver returned to her unto the Lord and then did exactly what Scripture told her not to do.
Now, maybe she hadn’t heard all of the ins and outs of the rules contained in Scripture. We are told that during this time there was no King in Israel so everyone just did what everyone wanted. We can assume that there wasn’t the same attention and reverence paid to Scripture as before, nor was it being passed down from germination to generation. But surely. Surely she would have heard the story of the Golden Calf, told around the camp fire.
Micah’s mother, instead of passing down the stories and scriptures of the faith, passed down idolatry. In other words, Micah learned idolatry from his mother.
As I read this part of the story, I found myself wondering what we are passing down to the next generation here and now. I hear folks talk about how there aren’t as many kids who are in Church, but what are we teaching the ones who are present here and in our Sunday Schools? What are we teaching the kids who aren’t inside of our building but who our hearts break for?
What are we passing down to the next generation today?
Prayer: Lord, raise us up to be instructors of the Fatih, both by what we say and what we do. Let us not take the call upon our lives to pass on the faith lightly. Instead, may we treasure it as a sacred responsibility. Amen.
Wednesday: “A Levite” - Judges 17: 7-10
Chaos isn’t just learned and passed down from individuals - sometimes it’s deeply embedded into the society. Micah’s mother made a poor choice, teaching him idolatry. But the Levite, a priest, a man of God, surely he would know better than to agree to be Micah’s personal priest! Surely when he saw the idol that was the center of this home’s personal shrine he would run away. But he didn’t. He agreed. He stayed.
This serves as a reminder that Israel’s idolatry existed for many generations. So many generations that there seemed to be communal forgetting about what was right and what was wrong.
Often the behavior of individuals can point us to a much larger cultural concern. Here the cultural concern was distancing one’s very self from God. For the people had forgotten both who they were as the people of God and who they were to worship and follow - God alone.
What are some of the things that God may be calling us to remember today?
Prayer: Lord, sometimes we are a stubborn people. Your word isn’t written on our hearts nor does it cross our lips. Forgive us, O Lord. Help us to remember who you created us to be. Send us forth into our days and weeks to worship you alone. Amen.
Thursday: “Prosper” - Judges 17: 11-13
In the final verse of today’s scripture, Micah’s motivations seems to come to light. He has this idol, this shrine, this priest, because he thinks to means that God will have to prosper him, as if he could force the hand of God.
But before we start scoffing at Micah, look around. How many people do you know that believe similar things today? There is even a term for it “the prosperity gospel.” The “good news” that God will have to bless us if we do certain things.
I don’t know about you, but that isn’t what I see when I read Scripture.
We cannot make or manipulate God into doing anything. God is God and we are not. We cannot control God, and when we try to do so, it shows that we are far from understanding the nature of the God we are called to be in relationship with.
What are some of the ways we believe similar things about God’s blessing as Micah?
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for the times we have shoved aside our relationship with you in order to favor manipulating you. Forgive us for the times we have not acted with a pure heart, but instead sought only what we wanted. Forgive us, O Lord, we pray and set us anew on the right path. Amen.
Friday: “Christ the King” - Judges 17: 1-13
This past Sunday was a special day in the life of the Church. Every year, the Sunday prior to Advent, is known as Christ the King Sunday. On this day we remember that we are subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. We are reminded that he is the King and we are the subjects, and that he holds the power alone.
Micah, Micah’s mom, the Levite, the people of Israel, they needed to be reminded exactly who was King.
The refrain throughout Judges reminds us that there wasn’t a King and point to that as the reason folks were going astray. But really they had a King - God was their Sovereign King. The first step into chaos wasn’t a lack of an earthly ruler, it was thinking that an earthly ruler could replace God.
We, too, can forget who our true King is. Christ the King Sunday is a day set aside to help us regain that focus, especially as we prepare to enter into Advent - where Jesus reminds us that he comes in unexpected ways.
What reminds you that Christ the King of your life?
Prayer: Lord, we give our lives anew to you this day. We confess that you are the true Lord of our lives, no matter what the world may try to convince us. Let us serve you and you alone, we pray. Amen.
