Successful Idol Worshipers?

Backstory:
Micah sets up a shrine for an idol and has his son be his personal priest. Then a Levite stops by, and Micah invites the Levite to stay and be his priest. The Levite stays. Meanwhile, the a few men from tribe of Dan are searching for a place to settle and find some very fertile land with some people living nice, carefree lives. They decide to attack the land and claim it as their own, so they go back to where the rest of their tribe is and they all head to this new land, ready to attack it. But they stop at Micah's house to get the Levite to follow them as their preist. The Levite agrees and brings with him Micah's idol and ephod. They go into the land of the carefree people, attack them, and win. (Judges 17:1-18:31)

I'm completely perplexed with this story- first, why are idol worshipers successful and second, why is it written about in the Bible with no lesson attached. I recognize that a lot of ungodly people have been successful (and even in the Bible, but there always comes a downfall and a lesson learned) but we don't often find them in the Bible. Right? What am I missing here?

So God Doesn't Change His Mind?

In Numbers, King Balak of Moab begs Balaam, a man known for his curses on people, to come curse the Israelites because he is afraid of them entering his land. Balaam, being faithful to the Lord, tells Balak that he can only say what the Lord allows him to say. So when Balaam blesses Israel instead of cursing them, Balak is outraged; he tells Balaam to take the blessing back. This is Balaam's response: 

   "He is not human, so he does not change his mind. 

Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" 23:19

While the Bible may have had a different story if God had cursed Israel here, but I don't know if what Balaam is saying is true. How many times did God promise to wipe out the Israelites because of either their idol worship or their constant complaining but Moses (sometimes with the help of Aaron) change God's mind? Over and over throughout Exodus and Numbers. If Moses wrote these books, how can there be such a discrepancy in God's character? Call me anal, but I like consistency. Inconsistencies make me question the whole thing, which is it- this or that? I'm not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet, but come on, help me out here, Moses.

Here's what I wrote a few weeks ago on the same thing: Does God Change His Mind?

Sharing Burdens

Numbers 11:17 God tells Moses that he will take the Spirit that is on him and spread it out to other elders so the burden of leading Israel to the promised land (which takes 40 long years of wandering) can be shared. Interesting notion. Later in verse 25, when the Spirit rests upon the other seventy elders, they prophesy, something, it is written, that will never happen again. Strange thing is, it doesn't say what they prophesied. Why does it matter that they prophesied if we don't know what they said? What am I missing? 

Excuse the analogy here, but I've no choice but to make it. I'm reminded of Harry Potter. Harry bears a great burden, to rid the world of Voldermort, the dark and powerful antagonist of the series. Throughout the pages of seven books he carries this burden. It is prophesied that he is the only one who can and will get rid of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name. The connection I see here is the weight of the burden, granted I realize the disparity of the two.  Harry understands he must accomplish this task even if it costs him his life, and seems willing to do it. When Hermoine and Ron (and countless others) offer Harry their help and their advice, he refuses it on several occasions, feeling that this burden is his alone. Unlike Harry, Moses begs God to relieve him of his task, he'd rather die than continue to carry the weight of whining Israel. This is when God tells Moses to gather the elders and shares the Spirit of the burden with the group. We're not meant to struggle through things alone. That's why we have people around us. That, in my opinion, is what community is all about, sharing and caring for one another's burdens. God later calls Moses the most humble man on Earth. In contrast, Harry, in an attempt to "go it alone," fails and is only successful when his friends surround and support him.

Offerings

So many offerings were brought to the Tabernacle! Burnt offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings. Silver platters, gold bowls, incense, choice flour, olive oil, rams, goats, lambs. What did they do with all of these things? Did someone get to eat them?

Reading this reminds me of the tribute that the cities conquered by the Aztec empire had to pay. Each city was responsible for bringing cloth, firewood, food, feathers, and beads. I also suppose it's not unlike the tax we pay now. Since they didn't have a monetary system (right?) back then, this was perhaps they're version of that.

I realize that what the conquered cities paid in tribute and what we pay in taxes is given to governments and leaders, but I'd say the same is true of Israel's offerings: since they were a theocracy, they presented their offering to their leader- God.