Judges 17:1-13 The Young Man Became Micah’s Priest CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In Jud 17:1-13, we see something terribly wrong with the idols and priest of Micah. Micah making these idols and consecrating this priest is what’s wrong with a religion doing this today. In this passage, consecrating Micah’s priest entailed:
The wrong concept of God – Jud 17:13 – Micah believed that having a Levite for his priest was going to really do him good. This was supposedly much better than having one of his sons for his priest, Jud 17:5. Do you not see the same religious deception today? A lot of people conceive of God as nothing more than an eternal benefactor, from whom you receive manifold blessings. The more you please him, the more he shells out. And as Micah believed the Levite would gain him more favor and thus greater blessings, so many Catholics believe that their devotion to Mary gains them favor with God and thus the resultant blessings. But compare Jeremiah 44:15-23.
The wrong title – Jud 17:10 – Micah called this man “father” though he was young enough to be one of his sons, Jud 17:11. This tradition started in Egypt, Genesis 45:8. And this tradition was condemned by the Lord Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 23:9. So, how in the world is it right to call a Catholic priest “father?”
The wrong tribe – Jud 17:7 – Micah thought that he had a better opportunity to gain favor with God by promoting this young man to be his priest because he was a Levite. But Levitical priests came from Aaron, the priest, and not just from the tribe of Levi, Num 3; Exodus 28. Likewise, orthodox and Catholic priests are as unqualified to serve as priests as this young man was.
The wrong worship – Jud 17:3 – Micah and his mother violated Exodus 20:4 and Leviticus 19:4 and took their home right into idolatry, completely contrary to the law of God. Likewise, the Roman Catholic Church is completely contrary to God by adorning their “house of God,” Jud 17:5 with images as aids to worship. That’s idolatry in its clearest form.
Conclusion: from studying what Micah did, we see that the practice of making idols and priests in the Roman Catholic Church is wrong.