“Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephram said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were take from you and about which I heard you utter a curse – I have that silver with me; I took it.” (Judges 17:1-2 NIV)
The seventeenth chapter of Judges depicts an almost unbelievable account of idolatry. Micah was a son who fleeced his own mother to the tune of eleven hundred silver shekels. To put it in perspective, ten silver shekels was considered an annual salary. This boy had robbed his mother blind. In his guilt, he overheard her call a curse on the thief, and in a sudden pang of conscience, he returned the sum.
His mother received the confession with a blessing – literal “The Lord bless you my son!” and proceeded to use a fifth of the fortune to make a graven image in her son’s likeness.
Let’s pause here a moment and consider what kind of young man steals a million or more dollars from his mother. I can’t imagine that this was the first infraction. Not, it seems far more likely that this level of theft was the result of a growing pattern of mischief, defiance, disregard for others and petty larceny. Micah was not a good boy who made a bad decision. It’s far more reasonable that he was a ritual offender with an uncharacteristic surge of culpability.
But Micah’s mother went overboard in response to his shocking confession. There’s no consequence for her son’s grand theft, only blessing. And blessing wasn’t enough, she commissioned a idol to be crafted in commemoration of his one righteous act.
All of this fanfare went straight to Micah’s head. An idol wouldn’t do it. He fashioned an ephod; a holy garment of decision fit for a priest. He erected a shrine in his own honor. And when a Levite passed through – a member of God’s holy priesthood – Micah straight-up hired the man to conduct services and make sacrifices to a false god; himself!
Don’t believe me? Read through the account yourself. All this crazy is right there in Judges 17. Why am I sharing this today? What could this possibly have to do with us?
I look at this unnamed and surely well-intentioned mother and I see a pattern that plays out over and over again in American households. We tend to worship our kids, don’t we? I think of Hamilton’s lyrics about his newborn son, “Phillip, you outshine the morning sun!” and I recall my own initial wonder over my newborn son. There is a point where pride gives way to worship and we stop seeing our children as tiny fallible people we are attempting to raise.
Micah’s mother believed the best about him, even while he was still the worst. We know this because when he finally does a singular right thing, she documents it for infamy. Micah’s mom lost sight of God’s parenting instructions laid out clearly in Dueteronomy.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NIV)
Worshiping our offspring will keep us from our primary purpose with them: parenting. It will also distract and ultimately detract our worship from the one true God.
When we worship our kids, we place their priorities over God’s. We let t-ball practice and gymnastics overthrow the family calendar and squeeze out church involvement. We lob our money and attention at every passing interest. We lose ourselves in their existence and then, one day, when they move on and out, we find ourselves empty. Lost apart from them. Our wells run dry and they haven’t learned to dig their own either. Micah worshiped himself – what good can possibly come from that? When we worship our kids, the grown child we push out into the world will be vapid, selfish and miserable inside and out.
Don’t do it. Choose to be a parent over a friend, fan and benefactor. Let God alone hold your unwavering adoration. Enjoy your children, but do your job! Hold to the divine design of the parent-child relationship. Love and discipline alone will craft the character your child requires for a successful life and eternity.
Micah wound up living so far beneath God’s best, it surely affected his afterlife. There was no air in the room for the worship of Yahweh when Micah was around. Friends, we need to raise our children with eternity always in the forefront. There’s little chance that they will play sports professionally or command an audience of millions, but a hundred percent certainty that one day they will stand before God and give account for their story. Let’s spend our limited opportunity as parents well, preparing them for that moment. Don’t lose sight of what’s most crucial.
Lord, forgive us for adoring our kids. May we reserve worship for You alone. Thank You for using the account of Micah and his mother to remind us of our true purpose in parenting. May we hold to it. Strengthen us for the holy work of mothering and fathering. Help us love and discipline with the end ever in mind. Amen.