Judges 17 - Micah & the Levite

Epilogue Overview (Judges 17-21)

Danites (CH 17-18)

Chapter 17 - Micah & the Levite priest

Chapter 18 - Danites take the Levite and the Idol from Micah

***Danites leave to the hill country of ephraim

Benjamites (CH 19-21)

Chapter 19 - Levite who took a concubine / Gibeah’s Crime

Chapter 20 - Civil War in Israel with Gibeah over the Levite’s Concubine

Chapter 21 - Israel’s plan to preserve Benjamin

Judges, Ruth 1. The Religious Degeneration of Israel (17:1–18:31)

By selecting episodes that concern these tribes the narrator cleverly emphasizes that the degenerating tendency in Israel was not simply a problem in the fringe territories. It had infected the very heart of the nation

Micah’s Shrine (17:1-5)

Judges 17:1 ESV

1 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

1 - Micah

Judges 17:2 ESV

2 And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 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.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.”

2 - Micah said to his mom: I took the money you cursed (made an oath) about

Judges 17:3 ESV

3 And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.”

3a - Micah gave the money back

3b - Micah’s mom dedicated the money to the Lord for Micah to make a carved image

Judges 17:4 ESV

4 So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah.

4 - 200 pieces to a silver smith to make a carved image for Micah’s house.

Judges 17:5 ESV

5 And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.

5 - Micah had a shrine, ephod, household gods, and ordained one of his sons to be a priest.

Micah made his own religion…a shrine, an ephod, household gods (carved image)

Later his carved image, etc and priest are taken and we can see what he was hoping in...Judges 18:24 “24 And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left?

and his son for a priest (Ephraimite instead of Levite/Aaron)

However, his son is quickly exchanged for a Levite.

The long form of Micah (Mi-Ki-Yahu) means, “who is like our God?” …that would be no one

AND YET…Micah is here forsaking the Lord and mixing the faith of Israel with that of the Canaanites

No King (17:6)

Judges 17:6 ESV

6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

6a - There was no king in Israel

6b - EVERYONE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES

Abruptly in the middle of our text, the author puts the point of this collection of stories…

the people of Israel are doing whatever they want in complete disregard for the commandments of the Lord.

Levite of Bethlehem meets Micah (17:7-13)

Judges 17:7 ESV

7 Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

7 - Young man of Bethlehem in Judah, who was a Levite

Judges 17:8 ESV

8 And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.

8 - The man sojourned to find a place in Ephraim and came to house of Micah

***Israelite abandoning their inheritance*** - “we’ll come back to this theme next week”

Judges 17:9–10 ESV

9 And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place.” 10 And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.” And the Levite went in.

9a - Micah: Where do you come from?

9b - Levite: I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah sojourning to find a place

10a - Micah: Stay with me and be to me a father and a priest.

I will give you ten pieces of silver a year

a suit of clothes

your living

10b - Levite accepted

Judges 17:11 ESV

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.

11a - Levite was content to dwell with the man (Micah?),

11b - The young man (Micah? his son?) became like one of his (Levite?) sons

Judges 17:12 ESV

12 And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

12a - Micah ordained the Levite

12b - the young man became his priest

12c - the young man lived in Micah’s house

Judges 17:13 ESV

13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”

13 - Now I know the LORD will prosper me because I have a Levite as priest. (!?!?)

GO WITH THIS...

The sin of the people of Israel in the time of the Judges is the mixing of the incomparable inheritance they received from the Creator and Savior of the Universe, Yahweh, with the sensually appealing religion of the Canaanites...

The Body of Christ in 2024 AD is in just as much danger to this very sin, as the people of Israel were in 1200 BC...

Unique question for me (and any other church leader): Am I a priest like Micah’s priest?

Am I here for the benefits?

Do I do it for the money? nah. LOL

But do I glorify (pat myself on the back) my suffering? sometimes. :( Well I’m right with God…see I’m struggling I must be right.

Unique question for the membership of our churches: Are you a Micah?

Be my spiritual cover and I’ll give you

Salary

Clothes

Home

Then…I’ll do what I want.

Are we like Israel just adding our religion to our beliefs? Is Christianity our religious PRACTICE and do we actually BELIEVE something else?

What we actually believe is the driver of the actions we take.

There is a lot of deep work that we, myself included, can do we reflect on the WHY of what we have done or are doing.

The people of Israel failed to see God as their King

Gideon recognized this truth when the Israelites tried to install him as king...

Judges 8:23 ESV

23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

The Lord had revealed this truth in giving the Law saying...

Exodus 19:6 ESV

6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Deuteronomy 33:5 ESV

5 Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.

The Body of Christ

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Christ is our King -