They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. – Judges 18:31

Today's Scripture Reading (March 2, 2022): Judges 18

It is called "The Butterfly Effect." It is the idea that a small change in one part of the world (a butterfly flapping its wings) can set off a chain of events that will spell disaster in some distant land. Maybe Benjamin Franklin's description of "The Butterfly Effect" most sparks our imaginations. In "Poor Richard's Almanac," Franklin wrote;

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail (Benjamin Franklin).

Is it possible to lose the kingdom over a missing nail? Maybe. But that all depends on several other factors. But then again, that is the problem. Anything can be the "straw that broke the camel's back," even something relatively small like a horseshoe nail.

Micah, a man living in the hill country of Ephraim, stole a fortune from his mother. That theft was the opening movement in an almost unbelievable chain of events. Micah stole the money, and then he gave it back to her. Mom received the money, and then, using a portion of the silver Micah had returned to her, she had an idol made. Then mom gave the idol to Micah. Micah set the idol up in a place of honor in his house and hired a priest to come and live with him. The priest completed the picture of what we might call "personal idolatry."

Meanwhile, some Danites happened by and stayed with Micah. While they remained with Micah, they noticed the idol in Micah's house and his priest. The Danites told Micah they were seeking a place to live because they had not yet received their inheritance. The tribal land of Dan was just to the west of the tribal land of Ephraim, Micah's tribe.

Later, the Danites came back and stole Micah's silver idol. The priest caught them, and the Danites offered him a job. Why be a family priest when you can be the spiritual leader for a whole tribe? The priest accepted the offer of the Danite thieves, and Dan became a tribe that was now entangled in idolatry on a corporate or tribal level, not just as a personal decision.

Whether it was intended or not, the story contains some irony. All of this happened in the shadow of the House of God at Shiloh. Micah and the Danites did not follow a false god because the House of God was too far away. Shiloh was right there in the land that belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, the home of Micah. And just to the east of the land belonging to Ephraim was the land occupied by the now idolatrous tribe of Dan.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Judges 19