THE ISRAELITES LOST DISCERNMENT

Judges 17:1-13 / Keywords 17:6

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

Micah’s Idols

17:1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels[a] of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.”

Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!”

3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.”

4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels[b] of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.

5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

7 A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way[c] he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”

“I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.”

10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels[d] of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

Footnotes

a. Judges 17:2 That is, about 28 pounds or about 13 kilograms

b. Judges 17:4 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms

c. Judges 17:8 Or To carry on his profession

Judges 17:10 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams

1. The episode of Micah the Ephramite gives us a glimpse of the Israelites who lived without spiritual discernment. One day, Micah confessed to his mother his thievery of her silver and returned it. This was Micah’s effort to make things right. Then, his mother gave him some of the silver to make idols. Those silver idols were added to his family collection in the shrine.

2. Later, a young man came to Micah’s house (7,8). Knowing he was a Levite, Micah invited him to be a priest for their household. Micah felt good about himself as he had a Levite priest living in his house (13). He might have had some respect for the Lord God, yet completely lacked understanding of the law and a right relationship with God.

3. The author points out that the Israelites had no king to guide them (6). Trying to do what feels right does not lead us to be right with the Lord. Without a spiritual leader, they were like lost sheep, unable to tell right from wrong.

Prayer Father, thank you for guiding me each day as my King. I bring my thoughts before you today. Please help me to make the right decisions to follow your will and glorify your name.

One Word God is my King and Shepherd