Judges 17
Guided questions at the bottom.
1 During those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
2 A man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver you gave me have been put to good use! I used the silver to make an idol, and here it is!”
3 Then he gave his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, and she put the silver in her trunk.
4 He made a shrine for the idol and also made an ephod and other sacred clothes. Then Micah appointed one of his sons to serve as his priest.
5 But one day a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah came to Micah’s house.
6 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”
“I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” the young man answered.
7 “Please stay here and be my priest,” Micah said to him, “and I will give you ten pieces of silver each year, some clothes, and your food.”
8 So the young Levite agreed and stayed there. Micah thought, “Now I know the Lord will bless me because I have a Levite as my priest.”
9 Micah then installed the Levite as his priest, and the young man served Micah’s family.
10 Micah’s private shrine became his permanent home. The young Levite stayed there and served as his priest.
11 Later, Micah said to the Levite, “Why are you still living here? Go back to your home in Bethlehem.”
12 But the Levite said to Micah, “Stay here, and I will serve you as your priest. I don’t want to leave you now, because you have given me this position.”
13 So Micah gave the Levite ten pieces of silver a year, some clothes, and food for his support.
Questions
Pause and highlight verse 6 - why is this such an important verse?
How does Micah’s creation of an idol and a private shrine reveal the extent of Israel’s spiritual decline during this period?
What parallels can you see in our culture’s approach to spiritual life today?
Why is it significant that Micah hires a Levite as his personal priest in verses 7–13? What does this reveal about Israel’s misunderstanding of true worship and priesthood?
How does Micah justify his actions by saying, “I know the Lord will bless me now” (verse 13)?
What issues or dangers arise when we try to manipulate or bargain with God through religious practices?