Judges 18

The Explanation

High up in the hills stood a house. It was the house of a man called Micah.

Inside that house was a little room. And in that little room stood a statue. Micah had made it himself, out of shiny silver. It had a face. But it could not see. It had ears. But it could not hear.

Micah said, "This is my god."

A young man lived in the house too. Micah paid him to look after the statue.

One evening, five strangers knocked at the door. They were tired. They were looking for a new place to live. They slept there that night.

In the morning they walked on and on. And they found a town called Laish. The people of Laish were quiet people. They were not afraid of anybody. Nobody guarded their gates.

The five men went home fast. "Come!" they said. "We found a good place!"

So six hundred men came. Six hundred men with swords. And they walked past Micah's house.

What Does This Mean?

The men stopped. They remembered the shiny silver statue.

Five of them went inside. They picked up the statue. They picked it up with their hands and carried it out the door. Just like that.

Think about that for a moment. Micah's god could not run away. It could not shout. It could not stop them. Somebody just carried it off, like a bag of shopping.

The young man came running. "What are you doing?" he said.

"Shh," they said. "Be quiet. Come with us." And he went. He went with them.

Then Micah came running out of his house. "You took my gods!" he cried. "What do I have left?"

The men looked at him with their six hundred swords. "Be quiet," they said, "or you will be sorry."

Micah stood on the road. All alone. He looked, and he looked. Then he turned around and walked home. His house was empty now. His hands were empty too.

The men went on to the quiet town of Laish. They took it. They were not kind. And they put the silver statue in their new city, and bowed down to it.

That is a sad story. It really is.

The Common Thread

Far away, in a place called Shiloh, was God's house. The real God lived with His people there.

Nobody could pick Him up. Nobody could carry Him out the door. You cannot steal God.

Later God sent Jesus. Jesus came close to people. He held children in His arms. And no one can take Jesus away from you. Not ever.

For You

Do you have something you love very much? A bear, maybe? Or a soft blanket?

Sometimes those things get lost. Sometimes they fall out of the car. Then you cry. That is sad.

But God does not get lost. God is with you in your bed. God is with you in the dark. God is with you in the car.

You do not have to hold Him tight. He holds you.

Talk About It

What do you think Micah felt when his house was empty?

Where is God when you are lying in your bed at night?

Praying Together

Dear God, You are big. Nobody can take You away. Thank You that You stay with me. Amen.