The best-laid schemes of mice and men
Go often astray,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy! Robert Burns
Sharon wormed her way under the bedspread. Bone weary. New callouses had formed on her hands from helping her dad mend the fence line. By three o’clock in the arvo, her dad’s words ran dry. It was if in that small act of keeping his mouth shut, he was conserving energy. There was always too much to do and not enough time, working and living off the backs of sheep.
She eased into the fresh scent of laundry powder lingering on her pillow—it was clean sheet day—one of life’s simple pleasures.
Within seconds, Sharon drifted off into the sweet blackness of sleep.
Even in her dreams, she was out on horseback. Scouting through bushland, overhanging branches from old gum trees whipped at her nonstop. Instinctively, she swiped at them to clear them away. They scratched and clawed across her cheekbones.
Startled awake, the fluorescent green glow of her digital alarm clock reflected off two tiny, shiny orbs. A set of beady eyes stared down at her. Never one to scream, Sharon thrashed her head from side to side. The mouse darted over her head and scampered off into the dark.
After that friendly visit, she tossed around all night like a bagged possum. So, she slowly got up out of bed, and dressed for work even before the sun formed a halo around her curtains.
From the outside, the kitchen was still—peaceful. Mechanically, she reached for the box of cornflakes, dragging them from the top shelf. A smattering of cornflakes landed like small golden leaves on the floor. She shook the box absent-mindedly, decorating her beat-up RM Williams boots with a crunchy layer of cereal.
Angling the box to eye level, Sharon’s top notch sleuthing skills supplied the answer. Aha . . . something had chewed the corner of the box wide open.
Peering deep into the pantry amongst the jars and cans, packets and boxes, were smallish dark grains. A pungent musty smell unfurled to lodge deep up into her nostrils. Gagging, Sharon realized that the dark black grains weren’t grains at all.
For some, these scenarios are all too real. From central New South Wales, the Queensland border and Victoria, mice are invading in biblical plague like proportions.
Thousands of these critters are causing millions in damage to crops and grain stores. They’re invading not only farms, but schools, houses and cars as well.
Fourteen year old, Tyler Jones who lives on a cropping farm, recently uploaded footage that went viral. His video shows mice cascading down from an auger—a machine used for drilling. Hundreds of mice fall from the top of the auger like rain.
This mice plague is a terrible blow to farming communities who have only just begun to recover from the recent drought.
What caused this recent mice scourge?
According to NBC news, mice plagues come around every 5 to 10 years, usually after a long spate of dry conditions. Once a drought is broken, the conditions become favourable for mice to breed—i.e. good crop yield, good shelter, and plenty of moisture.
Mice can start to breed at 6 weeks old. A single pair of mice can give birth to 500 mice in breeding season. Hence, the exponential rise in numbers.
Perfect conditions for apostasy
In Customised Religion Part 1, Micah housed various graven images and idols within his personal tabernacle.
Amongst biblical scholars, there is some conjecture over these images. Some believe they were images of the false gods of the Canaanites, such as Baal or Ashtoreth. Others think that they represented Yahweh—the one true God. Nonetheless, God had forbidden the making of graven images, even those that represented Himself.
Idols were carved out of wood or stone. Sheets of silver or gold were hammered down and overlaid on top. The idol was then often dressed with expensive clothes.
In the ancient Near East, it was believed that the deity inhabited the idol. When the god favoured his worshipers, the idol transformed into the god.
As a result, spells, incantations and other magical acts were performed on the idol in order to manipulate the god to do the worshiper’s bidding.
Some religious practices involved aiding or caring for the deity. These pagan ideas were at odds with how the Lord had revealed himself. They were dangerous notions that changed the truth of God into a lie.
In Judges 18 we find thatthe tribes of Dan fail to take the land allocated to them in the south, between Ephraim and Benjamin.
Cramped for living space and competing with the powerful Philistines, laziness and cowardice compel the Danites to migrate north in search of a new territory.
On their passage northward, five men tasked with spying out the new land happen to reach the home of Micah and his live-in priest.
The spies ask counsel of Micah’s priest. They are keen to know if their mission would be a success. The priest tells them exactly what they want to hear; their mission would prevail.
Bear in mind that on their journey, they passed by Shiloh, the city where God’s tabernacle and the ark of the Covenant rested. The opportunity to enquire from God’s true high priest as to whether God would direct their actions was well within reach.
Instead, they chose Micah’s priest to serve as their fortune teller.
Their movement north leads them to Laish, a peaceful city inhabited by Sidonians. The land is prosperous and the city is isolated.
Without hesitation, they commission 600 warriors to advance onto Laish.
On their trek to Laish, this Danite army locate Micah’s house. The five spies ransack Micah’s home, seizing the carved idol, the ephod, his household idols and the molten image.
Not only do they steal Micah’s religious icons, but they also convince Micah’s priest to abandon his current post to become a priest for the entire tribe of Dan.
Later, Micah and his neighbors attempt to rescue the idols from the Danites. The warriors prove too powerful for Micah. Dejected, he returns with empty hands to his empty sanctuary.
Advancing forward, the Danites conquer the unsuspecting people of Laish with a blood bath, and engulf the memory of that city in flames. Upon the smouldering ashes of Laish, a new city is built—the city of ‘Dan’.
There the tribe of Dan set up for themselves the carved image, adopting the idolatrous practice that began in Micah’s house.
And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. Judges 18:31
False worship reigns in Dan for years, right through to the disruption of Solomon’s kingdom.
From two misguided people, namely Micah and his mother, idolatry infects an entire tribe.
Let’s take a moment to reframe the perspective. If two foolish people can cause havoc upon a community, can’t a few godly people cause a holy ripple effect instead?
Of course, God has already answered this question. He chose twelve disciples, empowered by his Holy Spirit to shake the foundations of the earth, and turn the world upside down.
Never underestimate what the Lord can do through you.
For we are labourers together with God. I Cor 3:9a
Bibliography
Author unspecified, ‘Judges Chapter 18 explained’, Bible-Studys.org. Retrieved 27 2021 from
https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Judges/Judges%20Chapter%2018.html
Baker, N. 2021, “ ‘Worst mice plague I’ve ever seen’: Millions of rodents descend on eastern Australia”, NBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2021 from
Alder, G. 2021, ‘Locals across Australia say ‘it’s raining mice’ as plague spreads’. A Current Affair. Retrieved 27 June 2021 from
Guzik, D. 2018, ‘Judges 17 – Micah’s Idolatry and the migration of the tribe of Dan’, Enduring Word. Retrieved 27 June 2021 from
Henry, M. 1961, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Zondervan, Michigan.
Lucado, A. Year unspecified, ‘Micah’s Priest’, She Reads Truth. Retrieved 20 May 2021 from
Pfeiffer C,F. 1990, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers, Illinois.
The Quest Study Bible, 1994, Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan.
Treguer, P. 2016, ‘Meaning and origin of the phrase ‘Of mice and men’’, Word Studies. Retrieved 17 July 2021 from
Walton, J. 2000, The IVP Bible Background Commentary Old Testament, IVP Academic, Illinois.
