Judges 17:10
And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.
Micah offered a young Levite a home with him with food, a suit of clothing, and ten shekels of silver a year to live with him as his father and priest, and the Levite agreed, set apart to that work irregularly by one who had no authority to do so. The service he was hired for was household worship before Micah's molten images, a private rival sanctuary marking Israel's early turn into idolatry that was later carried to Laish and established at Dan until the captivity. It stands in a pitiful record of turning away from God into suffering, oppression and servitude, then turning back to God into forgiveness and deliverance, ending in disgrace and punishment. It shows the perversity, unbelief and deep religious and moral decline of the people against the long-suffering, mercy and goodness of God, who labored to restore them from their constant lapsing into idolatry amid the demoralizing influences they had let remain in the land. In hiring a true Levite for his images Micah betrayed the evasiveness of the human heart, supposing even idolatry would be acceptable to God if clothed with the ordinances of religion, to justify a transgression already done and to cover a sin of commission, for which there is never excuse, and the same evil is seen today.
Verse Setting and Transaction
Judges 17:10 stands in chapters 17-21, which are placed last in the book but record events from the early part of the judges' history. The main narrative of the book ends with chapter 16, while chapters 17-21 come chronologically before chapters 11-16.
The lessons of the book carry through chapter 21, and chapter 17 is to be read with chapters 2, 18 and 19. The book records the deeds of leaders raised up by God from time to time in great national crisis when the nation had gone into captivity, who are called saviours, the last of the line being Samuel. Comparison of Judges 17:1 with Judges 18:1, 31 places its writing about the time there was a king in Israel, with Samuel or Nathan as writer.
The verse records Micah offering a young Levite lodging with him, food, a suit of apparel, and ten shekels of silver by the year to dwell with him and serve as his father and priest. The Levite readily accepted, irregularly appointed by one with no authority to set him apart for that work. The offer of annual payment, clothing, and food made the Levite Micah's hired household priest, an arrangement that paralleled a ruler choosing a priest to support his authority.
That hired service was household worship centered on Micah's molten images, a private and rival sanctuary established in the days of the Judges. It marks Israel's early departure from God into idolatry beginning with Dan. It belongs to one of the book's two closing accounts recording the establishment of a sanctuary at Dan, which the Danites later carried to Laish where it became established at Dan and continued until the captivity of the ten tribes.
Backsliding and Its Lessons
Judges 17:10 belongs to the composite record of Judges 3 to 17 showing backsliding from God followed by suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude, then returning to God followed by forgiveness and deliverance. It is part of a pitiful record of backsliding and consequent disgrace and punishment. The verse displays the perversity and unbelief of the people against the long-suffering and goodness of God. It must be read with the awful moral surroundings of Israel and the demoralizing influences of the tribes they permitted to remain in the land of promise.
It belongs to one of the book's two closing accounts, which record the establishment of a sanctuary at Dan. These closing chapters describe serious religious and moral decline in Israel, alongside God's mercy and goodness. It is part of one of two stories of awful idolatry told in the latter part of Judges that show the sad record of God's people's transgressions, their constant lapsing into idolatry, and God's effort to restore them from it. By hiring a true Levite to be father and priest for his molten images, Micah showed the evasive nature of the human heart. He thought even idolatry would be acceptable to God if attended with the ordinances of religion, in an attempt to justify an actual transgression already committed and to cover a sin of commission.
There is never excuse for the sin it shows, and the same evil found in the closing chapters of Judges is seen today. The hiring of a Levite to serve as priest for payment, clothing, and food parallels a ruler choosing a priest to support his authority.