The old woman paused in her happy dance to proclaim an odd and misplaced vow: I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver.

Her son just returned a fortune he stole from his mother, and like a truly child-absorbed parent, she blessed the thief. Then she sent the silver to a smith who formed an idol from the metal.

The problem with her vow? She first offered the silver to the Lord, then violated the very first commandment given by that same Lord, part of which reads: You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.

Either she didn’t know the law of Moses, or she ignored it, or most likely a combo of both. In her cultural moment, adherence to commandments fell out of vogue. The author of Judges describes the era like this: At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.

Sounds a lot like today. This woman plucked pretty feathers from various religious traditions to form something new. The idea that the Lord might appreciate her idol appears ludicrous, but in her mind it made perfect sense. She used the name of the Lord to bless her act of worship, even as she worshiped the devils.

I understand the temptation. I find parts of the Bible uncomfortable, and others hard to defend. Many run counter to the mantras of our cultural moment. But the moment I decide to unmoor myself from scripture, I begin to drift. It doesn’t take much drifting to find myself not just condoning—but blessing—ideas the Lord condemns.

Would I like to live in a world where people do whatever they feel like doing? For sure. But when I see the results of such practices, I understand the need to turn again to words from the Giver of Life for direction on the way I should live.

Judges 17 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Osman Rana