What Happens When I Lose My Religion
18. And these went into Micah’s home and took the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then the priest said, “what are you doing?”
19. And they said to him, “Hold your peace, lay your hand over your mouth, and go with us, and be a father to us and a priest.” “Is it better for you to be priest of the house of one man or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
20. And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the graven image and went in the midst of the people.
21. So they turned and departed and put the little ones and the cattle and carriages before them.
22. And when they were a good way from Micah’s house, the men that were in the houses near Micah gathered together and overtook the children of Dan.
23. And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned to them and asked Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you have come with such a company?”
24. And he said, “You have taken away my gods that I have made, and the priest, and you are gone away, and why are you asking what is the matter with you.”
25. And the children of Dan said to him, “Let not your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon you and you lose your life along with the lives of your household.”
26. So the children of Dan went on their way, and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.
Judges 18:18-26
The Making of an Idol Religion
This passage would be comical if it were not for the tragic consequences that both these parties faced. The children of Dan were in search of a place to settle their families – so they needed something to guide them. Micah’s family had a carved image, a teraphim, and a priest that they relied on for direction. Evidently, these false idols and fake priest had some value because even the neighbors knew about these articles. All of this changed when the tribe of Dan (of the nation of Israel) snatched them away from Micah. It was a terrible dilemma on both parts. Micah lost an idol that could not protect even the shrine from being stolen, much less his household from danger. Now, the Danites had gained access to an idol under the false assumption that it would protect them. This story shows how vulnerable people can be without Truth to guide them. Yet there is a common theme in this text that has marched down through the ages. When people think they are right, they will go to amazing lengths to prove it.
When people think they are right, they will create a belief system to support their being right. Micah was a descendant of the tribe of Ephraim, who were direct descendants of Joseph, the son of Jacob. As a tribe, they all knew, or should have known the Ten Commandments. Two of the commands had to do with other gods. First, don’t worship any other god but the Lord. The second command strictly forbade anyone from making idols or carved images. Every Jew knew or should have known those commands. Yet Micah hired a silversmith to carve an image for him to worship. (see Judges 17). Upon erecting his idol, Micah then appointed a young Levite to serve as his priest. Again, no one checked to see if this was the right thing to do in the eyes of God, but rather saw it as being right in their own eyes. Judges 17 closes with Micah making this statement, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.” He assumed that he had it made because he had shaped his own religious system. He was certain that God would bless his endeavors and grant him success. The result is that you have a man who shaped his own religion and then depended on that religion to shape his life into a success. The sole motivation was not to please God, but to gain access to God’s blessing without doing what God commanded. Judges 17:6, made it clear that the people were doing exactly what they wanted to do. In those days Israel had no king so everyone did as they saw fit.
How is that so different from today where everyone is doing what they want? Even though we have leaders and officials, people are basically living the way they choose. Some even claim to have faith in God, yet no one is really interested in living according to the Bible except some fanatics. What is the difference between Micah’s idols and the one who says, “I got to make money because that is the way to success?” You end up with the same sad tragedy, people are worshipping THINGS rather than God.
Religion Getting in the Way of Faith
This brings us to the topic of religion. According to some sources, there are over 9,000 religions in the world. I say there are more than 8 billion religions in the world, because everybody has his own idea about God whether it is right or wrong. There are more than 8 billion religions in the world because everybody wants to be blessed. Yes, there are over 8 billion religions in the world because all religions focus on a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices that they follow. Now, some of those 8 billion people believe there is a God in Heaven who rules on earth. Some of those 8 billion people believe that Jesus Christ died to save them from their sin. Some of those 8 billion people believe that God cannot be shaped, fashioned, or changed by the hands of man. Some of those 8 billion people believe in the True God Who keeps their soul.
The text not only introduced us to the danger of making a false god, but also the reality that anything that is man-made can be stolen, disrupted, and even destroyed by human hands. As you recall, the tribe of Dan, also descendants of Israel, were searching for a place to reside and came through the town where Micah lived. They not only asked for directions, but the also took Micah’s shrine and priest, under the same assumption that they would bring them blessing. Never mind the fact that Micah’s gods were fabricated from his own mind. Never mind the fact that these same idols with its fake priest could not keep Micah’s house secure, they Danites took the idols anyway. This brings me to the second practice of idolatry that we face in the twenty-first century. We accept things simply because they look attractive or because someone else is doing it.
Let me break it down to you. Consumerism is the new religion of the masses. We don’t buy stuff because we need it anymore, we buy stuff based on a consumer culture that says the more I buy the better I look. The more I get, the more successful I will be. I see it and therefore I need it. If consumerism is the new religion, then it also needs a priest to promote that religion. That priest is Artificial Intelligence, better known as AI. Once upon a time, merchandisers use to send you magazines, post cards, and coupons. All of that is old school. Most people have at their fingertips the technology that can give them anything they want, from any place they want, at any time they want. Most would applaud this as a technological advancement, but we had better stop and heed the warnings.
People are allowing artificial intelligence to think for them rather than thinking for themselves. You don’t have to solve the problem, just Google it. You don’t have to pray and wait on God; with AI, you can simply conduct an online search and you will have several options within a matter of seconds. I don’t want us to think that this is some kind of “Boogeyman” at our fingertips, but we do need to evaluate what this is doing to our culture. Please remember, AI systems, regardless of how powerful they may be, they are not God. They cannot love you like God. It does not have your best interest at heart the way that God does nor can they do for you what God can only do.
Whenever Micah encountered a problem, he would simply ask his priest and worship his god and the answer was right there. It was quick. It was convenient. But it was also dangerous. Yet, there is something haunting in this verse that has worst implications than artificial intelligence. It is the idea, the notion, the suggestion that worship replaces obedience to God’s Word. Rather than finding a real priest who would tell them the Truth of God’s Word, the Danite tribe found somebody who would tell them what they wanted to hear. This became more valuable to them than walking by faith and living according to the Commands that Moses had given them.
What a sad commentary when the nation of Israel resorted to doing what was right in their own eyes and excusing it to the fact that they had no leadership. King or no king, they still had God. Joseph did not have a king when he did the right thing in Egypt. Long before him, Abraham did not have a king and yet he lived and walked by faith. Daniel did not have a godly leader but still decided not to defile himself in Babylon. He chose to follow God’s ways and God’s commands.
The Danites display the type of culture that our world is quickly becoming. First, disrespect for the things of others. The culture makes it perfectly okay to covet what belongs to someone else. The grass is always greener in the neighbor’s yard so envy thy neighbor rather than love them. The Danites also represents the culture of take what you want and dare anybody to say anything about it. They took Micah’s shrine and dared him do anything about it. They later invaded an innocent city and killed the inhabitants and looted their houses. They were a vicious group of people who kept that mindset until the time of their captivity. It is no wonder that you never hear about the Danites being successful in Scripture. They never contributed anything for the national interest nor did they wax valiant in battle. This brings us to the third cultural impact of the Danites: they were totally self-centered. Self-centeredness represents the very worst attitude that people can have. God placed us in this world to help others. My prayer is that God would give us a faith that will keep us rather than a religion that we can keep.
When you have faith that keeps you, no one can take it away from you. When you have faith that keeps you, it will lead you in the path of righteousness. When you have faith to keep you, there is no taking advantage of others just to get ahead. When you have a faith that keeps you, you learn to live a life that pleases God.
In the end, both Micah and the Danite tribe lost their religion. They were taken captive by the Assyrians around 720 B.C. Why did God allow their captivity? They were worshipping idols and had turned their back on God Almighty. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes and as a result they lost everything.
That scenario does not have to play out in our culture. Yes, the threats are very real, but God is giving us time and opportunity to turn to Him and trust in His Word. How do we turn things around? First, make a solemn oath to serve God only. Second, make up your mind to do God’s Will instead seeking your own way. In other words, put God’s Truth into practice. Third, stop taking advantage of other people just to have things your way. It’s okay to let others win sometime because there is enough of God’s Grace and Mercy for everyone. Lastly, live a praise life as a reminder that God is the one you worship. What you bow down to will ultimately determine whether you stand or fall.