Twisted Thinking

Twisted Thinking

Micah’s Mother

Read: Judges 17:1-6

One night as I read the newspaper’s editorial section, one letter warmed my heart and another sent a chill down my spine. The first writer commended the paper on a recent article about breed rescue, featuring an “underground railroad” for rescuing unwanted dogs and finding them loving homes. She said that the article was timely since it came at the season when rescue groups were dealing with unwanted Christmas puppies. The second letter praised abortion rights, showing a total disregard for the lives of the thousands of unborn children killed each year. Seeing these letters side by side, I was struck by the confused and twisted morality of our country.

Micah’s mother was affected by the confused thinking prevalent in Israel during the period of the judges. When her son returned the money he had stolen from her, she dedicated it to God. Then she gave two hundred silver coins to a silversmith who made an image and an idol for Micah’s house. What was this woman thinking? She seemed to sincerely want to honor God, but her method for doing so broke his first commandment. Her motive may have been good, but her lack of understanding about true worship of God encouraged her family’s idolatry, and that ended in disaster.

Some people claim that it doesn’t matter what people believe as long as they are sincere about it. Some teach that there are many different ways to find God, and since he looks at our hearts, our lifestyles are not that important. Such ideas directly contradict what the Bible teaches. God does examine our motives as well as our actions, and good intentions and warm feelings are not enough. We are responsible for learning how to live in a way that pleases God. Without a solid foundation of biblical knowledge, our thinking can easily become as twisted as that of Micah’s mother.

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

Hosea 4:6 (NIV)