Judges
Chapter 17
THE ISRAELITE CONFEDERATION
Micah, the Idol, and the Levite
Micah lived in the mountains of Ephraim.
One day, he said to his mother:
“The eleven hundred pieces of silver taken from you and about which you uttered a curse, well, I took that silver. And now, I return it to you.”
His mother answered:
“May the Lord bless my son!”
So he returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother.
But his mother told him:
“I personally consecrated this money to the Lord so that my son could cast a statue in metal with it. Therefore, I am returning this silver to you.”
He, however, returned the silver to his mother, who set aside two hundred pieces for the silversmith, who made a statue cast in metal.
This was placed in the house of Micah so that Micah had a house of God. He also made an ephod to consult the Lord as they cast lots and some small idols and consecrated one of his sons as his priest.
There was no king in Israel, and each did what seemed right to him.
A young Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, a descendant of Moses who lived there as a foreigner,
left Bethlehem one day and set out to see where he could live as a guest. He came to Micah’s house in the mountains of Ephraim.
Micah asked him:
“Where do you come from?”
He answered:
“I am a Levite, and I have come walking from Bethlehem; I am searching for a place to stay as a guest.”
Micah told him:
“Stay in my house and be a father and priest to me; I shall give you ten pieces of silver a year, clothing, and food.”
So the Levite went into his house.
The Levite agreed to stay in Micah’s house and became like one of his sons.
Micah consecrated the Levite, and this young man became his priest and remained in Micah’s house.
And Micah said:
“Now I know that the Lord will bestow favors on me, for this Levite has become my priest.”
Commentaries
Micah, the Idol, and the Levite – The Danites.
With Samson’s death, the series of judges and heroes concludes. The book’s epilogue highlights two horrible acts committed by the children of Israel in the mountains of Ephraim. The lack of authority allows priests to act freely. Remember that the men of the tribe of Levi were dedicated to worship (Num 3). As the story unfolds, the epilogue shows that there was no king in Israel at that time. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Each new section begins with the expectation of the worst, as God remains “silent,” and the Israelites are unable to seek justice. There is no leader with the moral strength to unite the tribes in worshiping the Lord. What happens when we attempt to live without God, each of us doing what seems reasonable in our own eyes?