I was surprised when a colleague told me that few commentaries are written on the book of Judges. In general it seems that Christians avoid the book.

But there are many interesting, helpful stories in Judges. Chapter 17 contains one of them. The protagonist is named Micah, but he isn’t the prophet Micah. Though they share the same name (which means “who is like the Lord”), they couldn’t be more different. This Micah is singled out as an example of the vast religious corruption found in Israel during that era.

Micah was a thief as well as an idolater. He stole 1,100 silver shekels from his own mother! That was a huge amount, especially in comparison to the salary he offered to the “young Levite” who became his personal priest—just 10 pieces of silver a year (Judges 17:7-10).

Did Micah show remorse? Well, he returned the money to his mum, but only because she had pronounced a curse on the thief. He was terrified, not truly contrite.

Then Micah invented his own little religion. He established a shrine in his home, complete with a priestly garment, a molten image and some household gods. And then, yes, he installed the young Levite as his own priest so that God would bless him (Judges 17:13).

What did God see in all of this? Spiritual anarchy. As the writer had earlier declared: “All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6).

The irony is, Micah thought he had gained God’s favor because he had invited a genuine Levitical priest to serve as his private ‘chaplain’. Today, believers in Jesus can also be guilty of self-made religion. That’s why it’s essential that we study the Word of God—getting to know Him better. Otherwise we might end up worshiping at the altar of something far less.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 2:1-20