Judges 18

“So he said, ‘You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have,” (Judges 18:24).

The last two chapters have very slowly built around this story. It seems uneventful and rather personal for a story in Judges. I find it quite sad as we examine the life of this man Micah. It becomes apparent that something is wrong, especially when we read the verse above. Do we have any gods in our lives? What is the difference between a false god and gift from God?

1. A false god is man made. “You have taken away me gods which I have made…” It is something which you have created because you were not allowing the Lord to fulfill your life. I find lukewarm Christians often have many gods in their life. They follow Jesus because they know He is the truth. Micah knew the God of Israel, but he wanted false gods as well. Soon he was living for his gods. Our God is a jealous God who is not given to spiritual polygamy. We are to be dedicated to Him and Him alone. Do you find that there are things in your life which cause that not to be true? Do you find there are things in your life which takes the place of your time with Jesus? A spiritual gift, something the Lord blesses you with, does not take time from Jesus but reminds you to spend time with Jesus.

2. A false god is something you lean upon and put faith in. A gift from God is something which can be taken away, because ultimately, you are leaning on the Lord. I need to be careful that I do not lean on my own means and make a god out of them. Sasha, my little blue and white scooter, is a gift. However I know the Lord can take her away and I would recover. Because right now Tommy has taken her away, and I’m okay with this… In a more practical sense people rely on money, other people, and numerous forms of false gods. If you find that there is something in your life you cannot live without and Jesus and could not replace, there is a problem.

Allow no false gods in your life. Rely on Jesus. Allow Him to be the one thing that ultimately matters. If He blesses you with more, do not lean on those things, but instead give glory to God. If he takes it away then you too will be able to utter the words of Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.” If you do have a false god in your life, you will utter the words of Micah, “Now what more do I have?”