College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Judges 17 - Introduction
A DIGEST OF CHAPTER 17
Micah's image made. Micah stole eleven hundred pieces of silver from his mother. When she uttered a curse concerning it, he confessed that he had stolen it. Nevertheless, Micah's mother carried out her intention concerning the money and paid a founder to forge an image. The rest of the money was probably used to perpetuate the idolatrous worship.
A Levite consecrated to be Micah's priest. A young Levite who lived in Bethlehem-judah was induced to serve as the priest at Micah's pagan sanctuary. Micah was thus satisfied with his wicked arrangements for the establishment of false worship in the midst of God's chosen people.
LESSONS FOR LEARNING
1.
A wicked son is a grief to his mother. Micah stooped so low as to steal money from his mother. Even when he gave it back to her and made confession of his theft, his mother had cause to be grieved; for he plunged deeply into idolatry. Although she herself was involved in the making of the graven image, Micah took the lead in setting up a center of image worship. He consecrated one of his own sons as a priest and became a leader of false religious practices in Israel. Such a son would surely be a heaviness of heart to any righteous mother, even if Micah were not so to his mother.
2.
Counterfeit religion is hard to detect. Micah went to great trouble in order to make a false religion very much like the true religion. He made an ephod, the distinctive garment of the priests of Israel, He secured a young Levite of Bethlehem-judah to be his priest. God had ordered the priestly family to be of the tribe of Levi, More specifically, they were to be descendants of Aaron. The man who became Micah's priest was probably a renegade who wandered up into Ephraim after he left his Levitical city in Judah, but he was still of the family from which the priests were taken. It is the same way with false religions today, They have many features copied from the true religion, but in essence they are only forgeries.
3.
False priests serve for selfish reasons. Ezekiel roundly rebuked the fat shepherds of his day. The word of the Lord came to him saying, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves (Ezekiel 34:2). Jesus once described shepherds who were hirelings as those who fled when the dangers threatened the sheep (John 10:12). Christian workers today who follow the example of the Levite in Micah's day and go wherever they can find the best paying job without regard to the false way of life they must follow thereby are as reprehensible as was the man of Bethlehem-judah in the days of Micah.
TEN QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER 17
1.
Where was Micah's home?
2.
How many pieces of silver did he steal from his mother?
3.
How much did the graven image cost?
4.
Who first served as a priest for Micah?
5.
Where had the young Levite lived before he came to Micah?
6.
How many pieces of silver did Micah promise per year to the Levite?
7.
What other pay did Micah promise the Levite?
8.
Who consecrated the Levite to be a priest?
9.
What other objects did Micah make for his false worship?
10.
Was there a king in Israel in Micah's day?