Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Judges Chapter 17 mean?

Beginning with this chapter, the book of Judges shifts its focus. Chapters 3 through 16 described how God routinely saved Israel from oppressive enemies through His deliverers: the judges (Judges 2:16–19). The rest of the book discusses the everyday lives of Israelites during this time before Israel had kings. The final chapters show how far the people of Israel had fallen from faithful service to the Lord.

The first story is about a man named Micah and his family. They live in the hill country of Ephraim. Micah is introduced by his confession to his own mother. He admits that he has stolen a considerable sum of money from her. His motive for confessing is selfish: he overheard her speaking a curse on the thief. He seems to want her to ask for a blessing from the Lord for him instead of harm. She presumes to declare a blessing on her son on behalf of the Lord. She also dedicates part of the stolen silver to creating at least one idol. The purpose of the image is apparently to provide Micah with a protective sacred object of blessing in his house shrine. This home-arranged temple was apparently filled with other religious objects and relics (Judges 17:1–5).

This passage indicates that even if Micah and his mother have some respect for the One True God, Yahweh, they also disobey most of the basic commands given by the Lord. This single incident involved covetousness (Exodus 20:17) leading to dishonor for a parent (Exodus 20:12), theft (Exodus 20:15) and likely lies (Exodus 20:16), followed by the creation of idols (Exodus 20:4–5) and the worship of false gods (Exodus 20:3). More importantly, this is not an isolated incident. In this phase of Israel’s history, they were without a monarch or other centralized government. But the people were also in a state of spiritual anarchy: there was no king and everyone simply did as he chose without regard to God’s will (Judges 17:6).

One day, a man from the tribe of Levi arrives at Micah’s house. The Levites were the priestly tribe of Israel with no territory of their own (Numbers 3:5–10). The law allowed them to live in designated cities throughout Israel (Joshua 21) or, if led by God, to settle elsewhere. The young man has left behind his previous home in Bethlehem of Judah and is traveling around, looking for somewhere new to live (Judges 17:7–8).

When Micah learns the young man is a Levite, he offers him a job. The position is to become Micah’s personal family priest. Micah uses the term “father” in the context of a revered spiritual leader (Genesis 45:8). For the price of clothes, room and board, and a salary, the Levite agrees to become the leader of the family’s own personal religion. As a member of the tribe of Levi, he should have known better. Whether he does, or does not, he makes no effort to correct this gross violation of God’s plan for Israel’s faith (Judges 17:9–11).

Micah “ordains” the Levite as his priest. Despite all his violations of God’s commands, and his nonsensical approach to faith, Micah is convinced God will give him prosperity, simply because he has a genuine Levite priest (Judges 17:12–13).

As it happens, this Levite will not prove to be a wise investment, nor will his presence bring an overall benefit to Micah or his family (Judges 18:19–20).

Chapter Context
Judges 17 marks a new direction for the book. Having completed the stories of the judges themselves, the focus shifts to everyday Israelites. A man confesses to stealing from his mother, and she donates the silver to make an idol. The man puts this in a shrine in his house along with other religious objects. He hires a Levite to be the family priest, which he assumes will guarantee blessings from God. The same priest will willingly leave with a group of raiders from the tribe of Dan (Judges 18). This leads to one the Bible’s most disturbing stories, involving an abused woman whose fate sparks a civil war within Israel (Judges 19—20).

Verse by Verse

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

This chapter begins the third part of the book of Judges. Some commentators think of this as epilogue. Samson (Judges 16:28–31) is the last of the true judges (Judges 2:16–19), or deliverers, to serve Israel. What follows Samson’s death are stories from the heart of Israel. These show how far the Israelites had moved away from the will of God. They had become as spiritually senseless and reckless as their Canaanite neighbors and oppressors.

The first of these stories is about an Israelite man named Micah. In early references, his name is provided in a longer form: Mikāyehu. This literally means “Who is like Yahweh?” In later verses (Judges 17:5) he is known by the shorter version, Mikāh’. The name suggests parents who had some respect for the Lord. The actions taken by Micah and his mother in the following verses challenge this, however. His story is not an example of sincere devotion to God. Rather, it’s a picture of confused and selfish superstition while borrowing elements from legitimate faith. This spiritual corruption is deeply rooted at the family level, leading to inevitable disaster (Psalm 11:3).

Context Summary
Judges 17:1–6 begins a new focus in the book of Judges, showing lack of commitment to God in the lives of everyday Israelites. A man named Micah confesses to his mother that he stole from her. She blesses him and has the stolen sliver made into an idol. Micah has a house shrine with household gods and totems and ordains one of his own sons as his priest. In just a few verses, the family manages to violate almost all of God’s primary Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–7). This summarizes Israel’s profound lack of leadership and spiritual maturity during that era.

Verse 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.”

The book of Judges has moved on from telling stories of deliverers sent from the Lord to save Israel (Judges 2:16–19). It concludes by telling heartbreaking stories of the lives of everyday Israelites. These people had moved closer to the ways of Canaan and further from the ways of Israel’s God.

Micah—first described by his extended name, Mikāyehu—lives with his family in Ephraim (Judges 17:1). His story begins with a confession. An enormous amount of money was stolen from Micah’s mother. He overhears her speaking a curse against the thief. Fearing that curse, he confesses that he stole the silver. Whatever his mother said in the curse went beyond speaking harshly. She likely made a request of some deity to harm whoever had taken so much from her.

This confession serves two purposes. First, Micah may want to make things right with his mother. Second, he believes her curse could really bring harm upon him. He wants her to reverse it, or cancel it somehow, by blessing him. Micah’s mother shows mercy and forgiveness despite the nature of his theft. She immediately declares a blessing upon her son. She blesses Micah “by the Lord.” In other circumstances, this might indicate deep commitment to the God of Israel. Unfortunately, it’s just part of the family’s pattern of misunderstanding—or rejecting—what the Lord really wants from His people.

In Exodus 20:1–17, God establishes his core ten rules for the people of Israel, known as the Ten Commandments. In just the first few verses of this chapter, this family accomplishes the tragically impressive feat of breaking most of these commandments. So far, Micah has already failed to honor his mother (Exodus 20:12) and stolen (Exodus 20:15) out of what was likely greed or covetousness (Exodus 20:17).

Verse 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.”

An odd scene is unfolding in an Israelite family. A man named Micah confessed to his mother that he stole a huge sum of money from her. He was concerned because he overheard her pronouncing a curse against the thief. This was probably some prayer asking a deity to do harm to the person responsible. She also seems to think the curse has power, as she quickly forgives him and announces a blessing (Judges 17:1–2). Both assumptions are arrogant. There is no reason to think her idle curse had supernatural power (Proverbs 26:2), or that she was in any position to cancel such a thing through her own blessing.

Now Micah’s mother goes beyond her verbal blessing, hoping to make sure that her son is not cursed. When Micah hands the silver back to her, she declares the silver to be dedicated to the Lord, on behalf of her son. That might be a good step, except that she immediately plans to create idols with the silver. Her words include the phrase “a carved image and a metal image,” which are the exact terms used in a condemnation from the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 27:15).

This is yet another violation of God’s basic expectations for the people of Israel. Micah has already dishonored his mother (Exodus 20:12), coveted her money (Exodus 20:17), and stolen (Exodus 20:15). There’s a good chance his theft required some dishonesty (Exodus 20:16). Now his mother plans to create idolatrous images (Exodus 20:4). If she’d called on some other god in her curse, that would have also been a violation of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3). The family’s commitment to Yahweh seems completely broken. They either do not know or do not care about the details of the Law of Moses.

Micah’s mother imagines that the best way to worship the God of Israel is to do as the people of Canaan do. They make carved images and keep them in their homes. She believes she is honoring Yahweh and offering her son protection from curses by giving him these supposedly sacred objects. This exemplifies the heart of Israel’s problem during this period of history. Even when they claimed to worship Yahweh, they ignored the commands He had given to them, preferring to do as other nations did (Nehemiah 9:16; Leviticus 18:24–30).

Verse 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.

Micah’s mother has shown mercy and forgiveness to her son (Judges 17:1–3). Instead of punishing him further for stealing a huge sum of money from her, she has proclaimed a blessing on him. She offered this “by Yahweh”—supposedly, in the name of the God of Israel—to replace the curse she uttered against the thief. She then proclaimed that the silver was to be dedicated to the Lord.

Rather than stopping there, she demonstrated the problem with Israel’s worship during her era. She gives a portion of the silver to an artist, who creates at least one idol from it. The phrasing “a carved image and a metal image” could mean two separate objects, or a sculpture overlaid with a thin layer of precious metals. It’s most likely two items, given later descriptions of Micah’s shrine (Judges 18:17–18). Using this precise set of words seems like a direct reference to Deuteronomy 27:15 which explicitly condemns those exact things. Whether one item or two, the product of the artist’s work is placed in Micah’s house, along with other supposedly sacred objects.

It’s difficult to imagine how a faithful Israelite could think it was reasonable to make carved idols as part of their worship when God had clearly told them not to do this (Exodus 20:3–5). This is part of the lesson of the last chapters of the book of Judges: the people were either ignorant of God’s commands or didn’t think they mattered. Instead, they made their own rules for spirituality. These fit more comfortably and easily into their times and culture.

Verse 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.

Micah, an Israelite of the tribe of Ephraim, stands as a representative of all Israelites. He may have claimed allegiance to the one true God of Israel, but he completely disregarded the commands given to God’s people. So far, he has coveted (Exodus 20:17), dishonored his mother (Exodus 20:12), stolen (Exodus 20:15), probably lied (Exodus 20:16), and has now created an idol (Exodus 20:4) to keep with his other images of false gods (Exodus 20:3). He and his family appear to have worshipped many gods, alongside Yahweh, creating a self-styled system of religion.

Home shrines have been a common part of human religion across all history and in many cultures. God’s command to the Israelites, however, was not compatible with this approach. He commanded they worship Him, and Him alone, in a single place which He approved (Deuteronomy 12:1–14). Micah’s shrine held his new carved idols, along with other household gods and an ephod he had made. An ephod was a kind of ceremonial breastplate often worn by priests as they carried out the worship of their gods. During this era, ephods sometimes became objects of worship themselves (Judges 8:27), which is likely what happened with this one.

Finally, Micah’s family ignored God’s law about selecting and ordaining priests for worship (Numbers 3:10). He is ordaining one of his own sons, to serve as a false priest, in his own false shrine, with his own false self-selection of gods and sacred objects. Blatant disobedience like this was at the core of Israel’s spiritual disobedience and is what led God to repeatedly subject His people to other nations (Judges 2:16–19).

Before a reader dismisses Micah and his family as superstitious people from a superstitious time, consider the present day. How many people today continue to select which parts of God’s Word they will follow, and which they will ignore? Or, who senselessly decide which pieces and parts of other religious teachings they will add alongside of Scripture?

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

The writer of Judges uses the last few chapters to describe the lives of everyday people in Israel, at the end of the era of the judges (Judges 2:16–19). At this time, Israel had no monarch, or a centralized government. This was intentional. God original intent was for He, Himself, to be the only king of His chosen people. He meant to directly provide leadership through the laws given by Moses, and the religious system established for the nation of Israel.

With no human authority to answer to most of the time, however, the people of Israel mostly did what seemed best to them. This is not meant in an optimistic way: the implication is that people did whatever they wanted, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. This is both a statement of Israel’s politics and a condemnation of their rebellious spirituality: they didn’t submit to any king, even the Lord God.

Rather than making God’s revelation their single standard for living and worship, the people of Israel each chose their own standards. They may have worshiped Yahweh, in a sense. But many or most did so while also worshipping false gods from the Canaanites and other pagan nations (Deuteronomy 7:1–5). The story of Micah and his house shrine (Judges 17:1–5) is just one example of this.

The days of Israel’s kings were coming (1 Samuel 8:4–9), but they would not solve the problem. Good kings would imperfectly lead the people of Israel toward the Lord. Rebellious kings would lead them away. The cycle of rebellion and captivity would continue. Its ultimate end will be a complete devastation of Israel and the exile of her people (Jeremiah 1:14–16; 2 Kings 25:8–12).

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

This introduces a new character into Micah’s story (Judges 17:1–5). Only later will this young man be identified as Jonathan, a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). That the young man is a Levite means he is from the tribe of Levi (Exodus 1:1–3). He lives in Bethlehem in Judah, but is said to have “sojourned” there, meaning he was not from Bethlehem originally.

The Law of Moses assigned the Levites as the priests of Israel, overseeing worship in the places which God approved (Numbers 1:49–53). The Levite tribe did not have its own territory. Instead, they were given cities to occupy scattered throughout Israel so that they could lead the people in the worship of Yahweh. They were to be supported by the offerings of the people (Joshua 21).

Bethlehem was not one of the Levite cities. This means that, at the time this young man arrives in the story, he was neither serving as a priest in the temple nor living in one of the cities appointed for Levites. Deuteronomy 18:6–8 allowed for Levites to travel and settle elsewhere if the Lord led them to do so and still be supported by the people.

Context Summary
Judges 17:7–13 continues the story of Micah (Judges 17:1–2). He exemplifies Israel’s careless, senseless attitude towards God near the end of the era of the judges (Judges 2:16–19). Micah hires a traveling Levite man to be his personal priest. He is convinced that employing an authentic Levite will bring prosperity from the Lord.

Verse 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.

A young man living in Bethlehem in Judah decides to leave there, seeking a new place to settle. He is of the tribe of Levi (Judges 17:7). No reason for this change is given. Levites did not have their own territory (Numbers 1:49–53) and those not actively serving in the temple or some other designated position were allowed to live either in one of the designated Levite cities throughout Israel or to settle where the Lord led them (Deuteronomy 18:6–8).

Only in the following chapter will this young man be identified as Jonathan, a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). For now, his search for a place to settle brings him to the hill country of Ephraim and to the house of Micah (Judges 17:1–5). This was the man introduced in the prior passage, who developed his own customized set of idols and religious icons in his home. Micah will be enthusiastic over the Levite’s arrival.

Verse 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.”

A young Levite is wandering the land of Israel, looking for a place to settle (Judges 17:7–8). Because of his tribe, this young man could have been assigned to priestly service to Yahweh in Shiloh. He could have been living in any of the designated Levite cities throughout Israel (Joshua 21). Or, more ambiguously, the law allowed for Levites to settle wherever the Lord led them (Deuteronomy 18:6–8).

This man seems to be still seeking that place. His wandering has brought him to the hill country of Ephraim. There, he comes across the home of Micah (Judges 17:1–5). This was the family introduced in the earlier passage, who managed to break most of the Ten Commandments in short order. Micah asks where the young man is from. He answers that he is unattached, unemployed, and seeking a new place to settle.

Verse 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.

Religion is clearly important to Micah. He has a flawed, confused belief in the power of Yahweh and other gods. Not only did he fear a curse made by his mother, but he also wanted a blessing from her. That resulted in making a few carved images to place in his home, possibly for his protection (Judges 17:1–4). The prior passage also described a shrine in Micah’s house. There, he keeps household gods and relics, where his son serves as a priest (Judges 17:5). Though Micah might not recognize it, all of this involves direct disobedience of the law of God, given to Moses (Exodus 20:3–17).

Now Micah has met a Levite (Judges 17:7–9), a member of the tribe designated to serve as priests and spiritual leaders over Israel (Numbers 3:5–10). Later, we will learn that this young man is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). He is looking for a place to settle. Micah sees an opportunity for them both in this meeting. Micah offers the Levite a job. Payment will be room and board, a suit of clothes, and an annual salary. The Levite’s duties would be to serve as the family’s personal priest. Micah includes the term “father,” used here as an honorary title implying spiritual guidance (Genesis 45:8).

Any Levite raised to understand God’s law should have rejected this offer immediately and without hesitation. Micah’s house shrine to multiple deities was blatantly against God’s most basic commands. His desire for a personal priest, applying a customized religion, was contrary to his calling as a member of the tribe of Levi. The proper response would be to confront Micah with the truth, calling him to repent and begin to serve the Lord according to God’s commands (Acts 8:18–20).

Sadly, the concept explained just prior to this passage (Judges 17:6) plays out once again. Rather than following God’s will, even at a basic level, this Levite takes the job, selling out his spirituality for the sake of a paycheck (Judges 17:11).

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

According to Exodus 32:25–29, the tribe of the Levites were dedicated to the service of the Lord by Moses when they stood with him against the worship of the golden calf by the people of Israel. At the time, that included purging idolatry and sin from the people of Israel by force. One purpose of the book of Judges is to show how far the Israelites had fallen from their original dedication to the Lord (Judges 2:16–19). Statements such as the one made in verse 6 show that Israel was not merely without a central government—they were spiritually lawless, not submitting to their rightful King, the Lord God (Judges 17:6).

Further examples of this spiritual decay are seen in Micah and the Levite. A young man from the tribe of Levi accepted a job offer from an idol-worshipper (Judges 17:1–5). Instead of serving the Lord, the Levite became Micah’s personal family priest, including a household shrine which included objects of worship to many different gods. Rather than confronting Micah over this obvious disregard for the commands of the Lord, this Levite man is now said to be content. From a worldly perspective, this is a better situation than he had likely dared hope for. All his needs were provided, and he even became part of a family, like one of Micah’s sons.

Worldly culture—both of Micah’s era and of the modern world—would suggest this was a good thing. The typical attitude is something like saying, “What’s so wrong with that? These spiritually open-minded people are happy doing their own thing. Just leave them alone. Why make a fuss?“

That attitude is exactly why God had repeatedly allowed Israel to fall under oppression by their enemies (Judges 2:16–19). He had rescued them from slavery (Exodus 6:6) and set them apart to be His one and only chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:2). He rightly wanted to be their only God. He wanted them to trust in Him alone. He wanted Israel to demonstrate dependence on Him by obeying His commands for life and worship. He wanted them to love Him with all their hearts, minds, and bodies (Deuteronomy 6:5).

However, fallen human beings want to do what feels right in our own eyes (Judges 17:6; Proverbs 14:12). That’s what Micah and this Levite man are doing.

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

Micah is living the goal of so many who want to be “spiritual, but not religious.” Or those who like the general idea of religion, but don’t appreciate the restrictions and limitations of a particular faith. Micah selected gods and sacred objects from various religions and constructed a shrine in his home. As an Israelite, he has forgotten or openly defied most of the basic commands of Yahweh given through Moses (Exodus 20:1–17).

Now he has hired his own priest, an actual member of the priestly tribe of the Levites (Numbers 3:5–10). Rather than being satisfied with the young man’s status as a Levite, however, Micah “ordains” him into his customized religion, which is now complete. He has a system of belief and practice which suits him, even if it’s spiritually incoherent. He even has a priest to officiate over it.

The following verse will show that Micah holds no hostility towards the One True God. He’s not actively opposing God in the same way as some of Israel’s national enemies (Judges 6:31). Instead, he’s acting in some combination of ignorance and self-delusion about what God wants from him. Such ignorance is exactly what someone raised as a Levite in Israel should have been able to help with. Instead, the young Levite is also ignorant of God’s commands or unwilling to give up a comfortable career to stand on principle. Both attitudes exemplify the careless, selfish spirituality of Israel at the end of the era of the judges (Judges 17:6).

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

The verse shows how far knowledge of the Lord and His will had fallen among the people of Israel (Judges 17:6). One reason God commanded Israel to wipe out the idol-worshipping nations of Canaan was to prevent Israel from imitating their moral crimes, such as child sacrifice and sexual depravity (Deuteronomy 12:29–32). Another was to stop Israel from becoming spiritually confused, as Micah seems to be. Results such as what’s described in this passage (Judges 17:1–5, 7–12) are exactly why God was so angry when Israel failed to maintain those standards.

At this phase of the era of the judges (Judges 2:16–19), the people have thoroughly mixed their worship of the One True God with the religious practices of the people of Canaan. This makes them, it seems, clueless of the great sins they are committing by violating so many of God’s commands (Exodus 20:1–17). One generation has not properly taught the next to follow the ways of the Lord. That generation did even less. Over time, the people have been left to make up their spiritual practices according to whatever suits their desires (Judges 17:6).

Micah is thrilled to have found a genuine man of the tribe of Levi. He seems to think using a priest from that line is like owning another magical totem. He is convinced the Lord will be pleased with this and will make him wealthy, healthy, and wise. That’s what gods are for in Micah’s culture: Make them happy, and they will give you a good life. This, unfortunately, is still part of false religion today. Many people delude themselves into thinking that worship is a means to prosperity, and plenty of frauds are ready to prey on that weakness (1 Timothy 6:5–6).

It’s not explicitly stated as to whether Micah’s Levite priest knew better. Had he been trained in the Law of Moses, who is said to be his grandfather (Judges 18:30)? Did he know this house religion of Micah’s was violating God’s commands about worshiping other gods, making carved images to be objects of worship, and worshiping the Lord outside of a central location approved by God (Numbers 3:5–10)? Whatever he might know, this newly hired priest seems happy to leave those concerns unspoken. Most likely, he fears causing offense to his new employer over inconvenient truths related to the Lord.

End of Judges 17

Please Note:

The material use in this post, video is from BibleRef.com which is from Got Questions Ministries and is posted here to be read by Immersive reader in the Edge Browser. If you copy this material please follow these rules:

•Content from BibleRef.com may not be used for any commercial purposes, or as part of any commercial work, without explicit prior written consent from Got Questions ministries.

•Any use of our material should be properly credited; please make it clear the content is from BibleRef.com.

•BibleRef.com content may not be altered, modified, or otherwise changed unless such changes are specifically noted.