GOOD LUCK CHARM

Her heads pronounce judgment for a bribe,

And her priests instruct for a price,

And her prophets divine for money.

Yet they lean on Yahweh saying,

‘Is not Yahweh in our midst?

Evil will not come upon us.’  

Micah 3:11

 Good luck charms are everywhere. People will hang something from their rearview mirror or place an object on their dashboard. My neighbor has a statute of a “saint” in his front yard. When I was in grade school the fad was to carry around a dyed rabbit’s foot. Many barns have a horseshoe hanging above a door.

For many in Judah, their good luck charm was Yahweh. In doing so it revealed a level of selfishness that is repulsive. Judges willingly ignored justice for a little more money. The religious leaders were unwilling to serve unless they were handsomely rewarded. With their new gods of power and money, the only reason they tolerated Yahweh was because they thought He would bring them good luck. But what was Yahweh’s attitude toward such folly? Verse 12 reveals that in response to Judah’s sin, Jerusalem would be destroyed.

This wasn’t just a problem in Micah’s day. Today when we say something like “It’s okay to sin because I know that God will forgive” we are exposing the same kind of wrong thinking. God is not to be treated like a good luck charm that will get us out of any trouble we are in. His desire is for you to forsake your sin and to allow Him to rule your heart. Will you do that today?

Philip Moeller