The answer is: Made it into an idol

Judges 17:4

In Judges 17, we see how a simple act led to a tangled web of idolatry and conflict. Micah, a rather unconventional character, took a chunk of his mother's silver—a large sum by any standard—and gave it to a silversmith. The fascinating part comes next. Instead of investing that silver in honorable pursuits or serving the community, the silversmith crafted it into an idol.

This isn't just any idol, either; it's a symbol of Micah's personal faith and misguided beliefs. It's thought-provoking to realize that the Israelites at the time were mixing their worship of the true God with practices that devoted themselves to physical representations. This mirrors a widespread tendency throughout history where instrumental worship transforms into institutional edges of faith—not just in biblical practices but even in how individuals pursue meaning today.

The very choice Ashore with by Micah serves as an echo—a classic "show and tell" of humanity’s continuous struggle for true connection versus manufactured devotion. Interestingly, this piece of jewelry turned idol becomes central to his home worship practice—a form of domestic religion that reflects not just this individual seeking closeness to the divine, but the rampant inclination of a society wrestling with the arts of spirituality amidst outside influences. All of this hints at the broader conflicts and ethical dilemmas at the heart of human craving for tangibility in spirituality—struggles that echo and resonate throughout scripture and into modernity.