I will give you my two-minute version of this story from Judges 17, but my favorite sermon is based on this chapter, and if you would like to give an hour to it, I would recommend it to you. The sermon is called Ten Shekels and a Shirt and is preached by Paris Reidhead.

We are continuing in this time of everything being just messed up. Everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes. And yes, it does remind me of today.

Ever hear someone say something like, “To me, God is…” We don’t get to define God. We don’t get to define right and wrong. It’s creating God in our own image, instead recognizing we were created in His. We try to make God fit our image of Him, or what we want Him to be like, and we don’t seek to be conformed into His perfect image.

We were created in His image. His image in us was marred by sin. We lost our intimate relationship with God. Jesus was marred beyond recognition, so that His image could be restored in us to restore that intimate relationship with the Father.

Here we are in Ephraim, in Israel, and a man, Micah, has stolen money from his mother. She has cursed the silver in her anger that it was stolen. He returns the money and it gets dedicated to the Lord, so she says. She takes a little less than a fifth of it and gives it to a silversmith to make an image. It is then set up in their home in a shrine. Micah makes a priestly ephod and names one of his sons priest of their household gods.

Then a Levite, who we’ll find out in the next chapter seems to be Moses’ grandson, comes along looking for a place to stay. Micah hires him to be their priest, for 10 pieces of silver and suit of clothing each year. (That’s where “10 Shekels and a Shirt” comes from.) Now Micah is so sure the Lord will prosper their household because they got themselves a Levite.

Remember that when the Israelites were worshiping the golden calf, they were calling it the Lord. Micah’s family is saying they are worshiping the Lord.

Just because you do Bible-ish things and say Bible-ish words and sing Bible-ish songs doesn’t mean you are following Jesus or worshiping the one true God. You could be right in no one’s eyes but your own. Ask God to open your eyes to THE Way, THE Truth, THE Life.