What does Judges 18:26 mean?

The religious objects and hand-made gods Micah trusted to protect him have been stolen (Judges 18:14–20). The migrating people of the tribe of Dan stopped by his homestead in Ephraim and walked off with them on their way north (Judges 18:7–13). Micah chased them down, but when he and his neighbors caught up with them it became clear they were no match for the armed Danite soldiers (Judges 18:21–25). Even his own hired priest was thrilled to accept the robbers' offer of a better job.

Micah returns home in pathetic despair, yet his story ends with a sense of justice and irony. He was introduced in chapter 17 as he admitted stealing a huge sum of money from his own mother. He likely only confessed to avoid her curse. His mother used the stolen silver to make a profane object of worship to Yahweh (Judges 17:1–5). Now that precious metal has been stolen again, still in the form of a God-insulting idol (Exodus 20:4–5). Having armed men march into his home and steal his house gods while threatening to kill him and his family could be seen as the Lord's judgment against Micah. It could have been much worse: God's law commanded Israelites to stone to death any other Israelite who tried to entice them to serve other gods (Deuteronomy 13:6).

Still, instead of a final judgment, Micah now has an opportunity to repent. He can learn from this hard lesson and decide to truly put his faith in Yahweh alone. Having false, worthless, ineffective gods ripped from his hands was truly an act of mercy, allowing Micah to realize his need for true salvation. When God tears away worldly things, idols, and betraying false teachers, it makes room for true faith, for those ready to receive it. Of course, it's unlikely Micah ever came to see it this way. The book of Judges mentions Micah as an example of Israel's deep spiritual ignorance and anarchy (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).