“There was a man from the hills of Efrayim named Mikhay’hu. He said to his mother, ‘You know the 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you — you pronounced a curse about it, and you told me about it? Well, the money is with me. I took it.’ His mother said, ‘May Adonai bless my son,'”-Judges 17:1-2
Chapter 1 of Judges 17 begins by introducing us to a man named Mikhayahu who we’re told lived in a region called “the hills of Ephraim”.
This story kicks off with a shocking confession.
Mikhayahu has ripped off 1100 pieces of silver from his own mother but now he wants to return the money.
Why?
Was it because his conscience suddenly started bothering him?
I’m sure that was part of it…
But the real reason was because he overheard his mother pronouncing a curse on his behalf.
See, it was a very deliberate decision on the mother’s part to say the curse out loud so her son could overhear her.
Because she knew if her son was aware a curse was being pronounced on him (and from his mother no less), that would be more than enough incentive for her son to come forward and admit what he did.
This gives us a good idea of just how strongly people felt about curses back in those days.
Folks really believed a curse had the power to bring bad luck and alter one’s future for the worse.
They wasn’t just mere sounds coming from one’s lips.
If someone found out that some other party had pronounced a curse on them, they would go to great lengths to make amends for whatever wrongs they may have committed.
Of course, a curse issued by the Lord Himself was considered the most terrifying thing that could happen.
We can actually see a mother’s love for her son on display here.
By making sure he overheard the curse as opposed to doing it in private which was the norm, she was giving her son a chance to make things right.
Thus, soon after we’re told the son repented of his crime and returned the silver.
The mother responds this time with a blessing that nullifies the curse she had pronounced.
So all seems well and good.
But there was still a consequence for Mikhayahu’s crime.
Notice from verse 5 the son undergoes a name change.
His name was changed from “Mikhayahu” to “Micah”.
“Mikhayahu” means “who is like God”.
This was quite an honorable name that speaks of having a wonderful destiny.
However, the God part of his name (Yahu) was dropped and this son became Micah from here on out.
I wanna make it clear that Micah isn’t some nickname like how Jeffrey becomes Jeff for instance.
His name was literally changed to reflect his questionable character and the sin he committed of dishonoring his mother.
That reference to God that was in his name was dropped for good reason.
And that’s the takeaway for today.
Remember how I’ve said many times before that one’s name in the Bible referred to one’s reputation.
A name wasn’t just a label of identification.
How you lived your life and whether or not you obeyed God’s commands determined your reputation with God…
In both this life and the next.
So let him who has ears to hear, SHEMA!
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Therefore anyone who sets aside
one of the least of these commands
and teaches others accordingly
will be called least
in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and
teaches these commands
will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.”
-Matthew 5:19
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