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Judges 17

World English Bible

WEB

1There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears—behold, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “May Yahweh bless my son!” 3He restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, then his mother said, “I most certainly dedicate the silver to Yahweh from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.” 4When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to a silversmith, who made a carved image and a molten image out of it. It was in the house of Micah. 5The man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 6In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. 7There was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there. 8The man departed out of the city, out of Bethlehem Judah, to live where he could find a place, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he traveled. 9Micah said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.” 10Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, a suit of clothing, and your food.” So the Levite went in. 11The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons. 12Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.”

World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org

Overview

Judges Chapter 17 presents a troubling narrative that highlights the spiritual decline of Israel during the time of the judges. The chapter begins with a man named #Micah, who steals 1,100 pieces of silver from his mother. When he returns the silver, she dedicates it to the Lord and instructs him to make a carved image and a metal image, which is a direct violation of the second commandment (Exodus 20:4). This act of idolatry illustrates the confusion and moral decay present in Israel, as Micah sets up a shrine and appoints one of his sons as a priest, despite the fact that only descendants of #Aaron were to serve in that role (Exodus 28:1). This deviation from God’s ordained worship reflects the broader theme of the book, where “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

The chapter further introduces a Levite from #Bethlehem who becomes Micah's personal priest, further emphasizing the corruption of worship practices. Micah believes that having a Levite as his priest will bring him favor from God, yet this is a misguided understanding of true worship. The Levite's willingness to serve in this idolatrous context underscores the spiritual apathy and moral compromise prevalent in Israel at the time. Overall, Judges 17 serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of straying from God’s commandments and the importance of true worship, as it sets the stage for the chaos and moral failures that follow in the subsequent chapters.

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Referenced by

  1. Deuteronomy 12:8v6Deuteronomy 12:8 warns against doing what is right in one's own eyes, a theme echoed in Judges 17:6, where it describes a time when Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit.
  2. Judges 18:1v6Judges 18:1 mentions that there was no king in Israel, echoing Judges 17:6, which highlights the lack of centralized leadership and the resulting moral and social chaos.
  3. Judges 18:19v10Judges 18:19 shows the Danites persuading Micah’s priest to join them, which relates to Judges 17:10 where Micah initially hires the Levite, highlighting the instability and opportunism in religious leadership.
  4. Judges 19:1v6Judges 19:1 begins with the phrase 'In those days when there was no king in Israel,' which echoes Judges 17:6, highlighting the theme of moral and social chaos due to the lack of centralized leadership.
  5. Judges 21:25v6Judges 21:25 repeats the refrain that 'everyone did what was right in his own eyes,' which is also found in Judges 17:6. This highlights the theme of moral and spiritual chaos in Israel during the time of the judges.

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