And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
Micah set apart the young Levite to be priest in his own house, though he had no right to appoint him, hiring him for food and clothing and ten shekels a year. He put the hired man in religious charge before his carved and molten images, turning his house into a rival place of worship. The act belongs to a pitiful history of backsliding that brought disgrace, oppression and captivity until the people returned to God for forgiveness and deliverance, showing both the perversity of the people amid corrupting influences and God's long-suffering goodness in seeking to restore them. In doing so he acted as if adding religious ordinances could make idolatry acceptable to God, and took the mere presence of a Levite in his house as proof that he was religious, though it did not make him true or save him.
Place in Judges
The verse stands in the book that takes its name from the leaders God raised up from time to time in great national crisis when the nation had gone into captivity. Those leaders are called saviours, with Samuel as the last of the line, and the book was written about the time there was a king in Israel.
The verse stands in Judges 17-21, which is grouped for study with Joshua 23-24 and Judges 1-10. In that grouping Joshua near death rehearses God's dealings with Israel, charges Israel to choose whom they will serve, and declares that he and his house will serve the Lord. Chapters 17-21 record events that occurred in the early part of the history of the judges though placed at the end of the book, whose real story ends with chapter 16. Chronologically they belong before chapters 11-16.
The chapter is background to the first apostasy associated with Dan and to the omission of Ephraim, with Joseph named instead, in the tribal lists. The episode illustrates the early departure of the tribe of Dan from God into idolatry. It is recorded alongside the building of the sanctuary at Dan as part of the book's account of Israel's spiritual backsliding.
Micah's Irregular Priesthood
Micah set apart the young Levite on his own irregular authority to be his household priest, though he had no authority from the tribe of Levi to make such an appointment, and the Levite accepted Micah's terms of food and clothing and ten shekels a year. He installed this hired Levite to minister with religious authority before his idols and molten images in his house, giving a hired man a priestly standing in his household idolatry. In this way his house became a rival place of worship in the days of the Judges and Samuel, with a Levite installed as its priest. The act is described as a ruler consecrating a man to minister before him as priest in the ruler's household.
The verse belongs to one composite record of backsliding from God followed by consequent suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude, then returning to God, forgiveness and deliverance. It shows the perversity and unbelief of the people amid awful moral surroundings and the demoralizing influences of the tribes permitted to remain in the land of promise, and the long-suffering and goodness of God in seeking to restore them. It is recorded alongside the building of the sanctuary at Dan as part of the book's account of Israel's spiritual backsliding. It belongs to one of two stories of awful idolatry in the latter part of Judges, showing the sad record of God's people's transgressions and constant lapsing into idolatry and God's effort to restore them, a record not delightful to dwell upon.
It belongs to a pitiful record of backsliding that brought disgrace and punishment. The closing chapters show a time when conventional hospitality was put above female virtue and loyalty to a tribe was put above rendering justice, a wrong still seen today, for which there is never excuse for sin. The backsliding shown must not be taken to mean that one can backslide with impunity.
Micah acted as though adding religious ordinances could make idolatry acceptable to God, using religious forms to evade guilt rather than obeying God. He treated the presence of a Levite priest in his house as evidence that he was religious, though this did not make him a true Christian or save him. The verse is applied to a ruler choosing and consecrating a learned, influential man to minister before him as priest in his household.
Micah set apart the young Levite to be priest in his own house, though he had no right to appoint him, hiring him for food and clothing and ten shekels a year. He put the hired man in religious charge before his carved and molten images, turning his house into a rival place of worship. The act belongs to a pitiful history of backsliding that brought disgrace, oppression and captivity until the people returned to God for forgiveness and deliverance, showing both the perversity of the people amid corrupting influences and God's long-suffering goodness in seeking to restore them. In doing so he acted as if adding religious ordinances could make idolatry acceptable to God, and took the mere presence of a Levite in his house as proof that he was religious, though it did not make him true or save him.
Place in Judges
The verse stands in the book that takes its name from the leaders God raised up from time to time in great national crisis when the nation had gone into captivity. Those leaders are called saviours, with Samuel as the last of the line, and the book was written about the time there was a king in Israel.
The verse stands in Judges 17-21, which is grouped for study with Joshua 23-24 and Judges 1-10. In that grouping Joshua near death rehearses God's dealings with Israel, charges Israel to choose whom they will serve, and declares that he and his house will serve the Lord. Chapters 17-21 record events that occurred in the early part of the history of the judges though placed at the end of the book, whose real story ends with chapter 16. Chronologically they belong before chapters 11-16.
The chapter is background to the first apostasy associated with Dan and to the omission of Ephraim, with Joseph named instead, in the tribal lists. The episode illustrates the early departure of the tribe of Dan from God into idolatry. It is recorded alongside the building of the sanctuary at Dan as part of the book's account of Israel's spiritual backsliding.
Micah's Irregular Priesthood
Micah set apart the young Levite on his own irregular authority to be his household priest, though he had no authority from the tribe of Levi to make such an appointment, and the Levite accepted Micah's terms of food and clothing and ten shekels a year. He installed this hired Levite to minister with religious authority before his idols and molten images in his house, giving a hired man a priestly standing in his household idolatry. In this way his house became a rival place of worship in the days of the Judges and Samuel, with a Levite installed as its priest. The act is described as a ruler consecrating a man to minister before him as priest in the ruler's household.
The verse belongs to one composite record of backsliding from God followed by consequent suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude, then returning to God, forgiveness and deliverance. It shows the perversity and unbelief of the people amid awful moral surroundings and the demoralizing influences of the tribes permitted to remain in the land of promise, and the long-suffering and goodness of God in seeking to restore them. It is recorded alongside the building of the sanctuary at Dan as part of the book's account of Israel's spiritual backsliding. It belongs to one of two stories of awful idolatry in the latter part of Judges, showing the sad record of God's people's transgressions and constant lapsing into idolatry and God's effort to restore them, a record not delightful to dwell upon.
It belongs to a pitiful record of backsliding that brought disgrace and punishment. The closing chapters show a time when conventional hospitality was put above female virtue and loyalty to a tribe was put above rendering justice, a wrong still seen today, for which there is never excuse for sin. The backsliding shown must not be taken to mean that one can backslide with impunity.
Micah acted as though adding religious ordinances could make idolatry acceptable to God, using religious forms to evade guilt rather than obeying God. He treated the presence of a Levite priest in his house as evidence that he was religious, though this did not make him a true Christian or save him. The verse is applied to a ruler choosing and consecrating a learned, influential man to minister before him as priest in his household.