God’s Works are not Forgotten
CLASS 4 ISSUES
– Study: Judges 17: 1 – 6; 18: 18 19, 27
Background: Judges 17 – 18
Devotional: Deuteronomy 6:10 – 16
Lesson 5 October 24, 2026
Key Verse
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6
INTRODUCTION
Remembering your past is not always easy. This is a human trait. It exists because we like to protect ourself against what we consider to be memories that are painful. These memories will make us depressed and so forgetting is a mechanism that we adopt to get ourselves.
But forgetting can also harm us for our hearts which are existing in a state of sin more often than not forget the good things that have been done to us. People there have a great problem when it comes to showing gratitude to others for what has been done for their benefit.
It is as if even in those instances where good has been done to us we do not like to think that we owe anything to others. We forget what they have done for us.
But what is even worse is that we tend to forget what God has done for us. He has given us life, health, security, and has blunted the attacks of Satan on us. Our life is literally in His hands, and He determines how long you will live and what will happen to you. Human beings can never override His wishes, His will, and what He has determined for you. The beautiful thing about God is that he is a God of love,, mercy, kindness, understanding and compassion, and He is dedicated to doing what is absolutely the best for you.
He never forgets what he has done for you. He will always be faithful to you even if you are unfaithful to Him.
He told us the truths that we should know so that we can live a happy and fruitful life. He also has told us what would happen to us if we forget these truths.
But the people that God created slipped into sin and so they tried to hide from God and His instructions. They tended to go in their own way, interpreting what God has told them is best for them in their own way even if it contradicts what God has plainly said. Men all can go in the opposite direction to what is best for them.
This of course is unrighteousness and we are warned by the prophets of God, the apostles and by Jesus that suppressing the truth of God in unrighteousness is never going to be good for you. It will lead to disaster and your personal spiritual degradation.
Jesus likens that state to building your house on sand. This is not a good thing. It makes no sense; the flood will sweep away the house for it is not built on a good foundation.
The best way to live therefore is to build your house on the solid Rock so that when the floods come the house will not be damaged. It will stand firm. You and your house will be saved from destruction.
The truths told us by God therefore is for our benefit.
We often ignore these truths and we forget them because we seem to prefer to live in ways that are destructive. We like to follow other gods, other non-truths even though they are not good for us.
In doing so we forget the great things that God has done for us.
The people of Israel found themselves in that position for God had promised them the land of Canaan which was a beautiful and Bountiful land with all the good things of life that they could wish, and God had protected them all the way to Canaan and helped them to overcome their enemies and take possession of the Promised Land.
But after the death of Moses, their great leader, and the death of their leader Joshua these people slipped into the Non-truths that they strangely seemed to like. So they suffered.
What they went through therefore is most important for us to learn. Avoiding what they did will work for our own benefit.
Our Study Lesson is one of the most heart- wrenching Lesson in the series in the Book of Judges. Though Judges 17 and 18 is the final major section of the Book, the previous 16 Chapters traced Israel’s repeated descent into idolatry, distress, and deliverance through Judges raised up by God whose deliverance which was very temporary.
The final two Chapters however give us a clear picture of what the flesh does. The flesh leads to rebellion which is an integral part of the old nature. Accordingly these two Chapters shows us how deeply estranged the people of Israel were from God, their self love, and the virulent spiritual disease that exists at a very deep level within all of us
This Study should bring to mind the penetrating question that Jesus asked so that we do not fool ourselves about the very serious problem that we have, given that our hearts are more desperately wicked and more self-serving and more willing to use religion without meeting God than we want to admit. So Jesus asks the question in Luke 6 and we should keep this question by Jesus at the top of our minds as we look at this Study Lesson Scripture. Jesus asked:
“ And why do you call me,, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words, and acts upon them I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood rose, the torrent bursts against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great”.
Jesus therefore is tellingus about the personwho has come to Him, hears His words and acts on them and so that person’s life is stable and obedientlife for he or she is obedient.
The problem of the ancient people of Israel in the Book of Judges is that there was no possibility of having a stable life that honoured God because they did not act on what they had heard.
They had words that were spiritual words; they had shrines such as at Shiloh; they had prophets and prophecies such as that of Moses, Miriam, Deborah and others. They had priests who told them about the curses and the blessings, and of religion in all its glory. But despite their sometimes good intentions, probably doing the best that they could do to accomplish anything worthwhile, they failed and they suffered.
So we so need to be sure that we have the firm conviction that Jesus is Lord, and that when we say to Him, “Lord, Lord” we are ever willing to go through the process of learning to do what Jesus says.
The problem for many in the nation of Israel and the problem among us is that we do not believe that our old nature is as rebellious and destructive as it really is and so we do not give it enough credit for that. We do not realize that this is a virulent spiritual disease that exists at a very deep level within us. This Lesson deals with such a serious matter that we had better pay close attention to what it is telling us. One writer spells out how this lesson in the Book of Judges is arranged. So we quote;
“Although these chapters stand at the end of Judges, they are not necessarily the latest events chronologically. Judges 18: 30 identifies the Levite as Jonathan, a descendant of Moses, and Judges 20: 28 places Phinehas son of Eleazar serving before the Ark.
Those details strongly imply that the closing episodes occurred relatively early in the period of the Judges.
Their literary placement is theological: after showing the failures of the judges, the book looks directly into Israel’s homes, worship, tribes. and relationships.
The disorder was not limited to foreign oppression or usually bad leaders. It had spread throughout the nation”.
Clearly then we are not in these Chapters looking at the foreign oppression that plagued the nation, but we are looking at what was going on inside the nation because of who they had become, what they were, and what motivated them.
This is of course a great lesson for us for we can see the opposite relationships that you would expect from the nation of trust, beauty, and life giving. This relationship did not exist. There was the very opposite and the relationships show that clearly.
Let us remember that the Scriptures tell us that essential human relationships must be characterized by caring and giving, and that is of course exhibited in the 10 Commandments. But this caring and giving is epitomized as the relationship between mother and her sons. This mirrors the connection between God and His people. So the prophet Isaiah stated the mind of God:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. I have engraved you on the palm of my hands”.
The point God is making, is a point which stresses the greatness of His love and therefore He points to the greatest of relationship between humans and that between a mother and her child and God says, and we paraphrase what God said,
“I love you even more than that”.
We therefore looks at the connection between this powerful relationship of mother and her child with the relationship we expect from the most trust filled relationship between the spiritual Shepherd and the seeker of God. The person therefore who has taken on themselves the responsibility to speak for God has to give life to those whose hearts are broken, and is one who should call for compassion, because he wants those that come to God to truly worship God. In obviously in that relationship there must be giving, trust honesty and hope.
The priest or pastor must have the relationship with the seekers of God just as the mother and child have between them.
The two relationships that God expects are focused here.
But the stories are filled with manipulation and self-serving and they’re exactly the very opposite of what they ought to be. This is the tragedy of the human heart and we see this where the two relationships have gone totally berserk.
But let us remember that God is faithful and His compassions fail not. God does not forget His works, and He does not forget His people.
WHAT A WONDERFUL GOD!
So let us look at this story carefully for everyone featured in it is a user. The mother is going to use her son Micah to her advantage when he steals money from her for she probably suspects that it’s him and pronounces a frightening curse that terrifies him into giving the money back. One writer comments that she never confronts him with the theft or goes to him in honesty appealing to him to be honest.
It appears she doesn’t expect him to change his evil ways and so she just scares him into giving the money back. Once she receives the money from her evil son she takes the curse off him by announcing a blessing and then uses Micah to gain 900 pieces of silver for herself, for even though she says the money will be dedicated to the Lord she only takes 200 of it and has an idol made and gives Micah the idol and keeps the 900 pieces of silver for herself.
Note what she does for she gives Micah the idols, keeps the 900 pieces for herself, but she brings God into the picture and gives Micah the responsibility of keeping Him happy by having a shrine in the yard. She just protects herself from Micah or anybody else taking the money again. There is no real love, life building effort about her relationship to the son Micah.
Then we turn to Micah for he is a thief who sees that his mother has some money and he makes off with the money but he’s forced by terror to give the money back. Then when he is caught he uses the opportunity to create a “centre of God”, a shrine dedicated to God, in his backyard.
Then even though he is a few miles away from Shiloh where the sanctuary is and there are priests there, he puts his son in the place of the priesthood.
But when he gets a chance to get a better priest, a Levite no less, he throws out the son, dumps him and installs this Levite into his shrine.
This man will use his mother, his son and the Levite from Judah, whoever he can get his hands on to create prosperity for himself. And verse 13 tells us that he is a user. The tragedy is that he probably learned it at his mother’s knee from an early age.
So what about the Levite the third person in the story for he is a man who has the aura of spiritual leadership, for the Levites were the tribe that were to serve as spiritual leaders of the people. Some would serve in the sacrificial system in the sanctuary while others would live in the country and encourage the people to learn about God and to follow God.
But this Levite has no intention or desire of serving God though he has the religious vocation, he has the Levite trade, he has opportunity and standing. But all he’s interested in is finding a place of security for himself. He’s not waiting on God to tell him how to act but he’s acting in his own self-interest and jumps at the opportunity to live in Micah’s house and run his idol worship. It’s no problem for him.
But note that this man will abandon Micah at the drop of a hat, steal all his religious articles and take off with the group of Danites that offer him a better deal. See this in Chapter 18.
So this is what it means when the Scripture state that everybody is doing what is right in their own eyes.
But note carefully that they did not start out by saying they are going to do something completely terrible but they were really trying to do what came to them as the best thing to do.
Micah probably thought he is going to inherit his mother’s money so it doesn’t matter if he steals it from her. He’s a thief but that is how he explains the fact that he is not really a thief. He is doing it because it’s right in his own eyes and it makes sense for him to do it.
One writer tells us that before we condemn him we should remember that when we go to sports games and we see the referee making a mistake because of incompetence or just human error we want the referee to feel bad and so we denigrate him, and we scream at him telling him that he’s a loser and that he’s just plain bad.
If we are at the game or in front of our TV screens we curse the referee for his mistake.
So right then the tragedy is that we will think that what we are doing cursing the referee is right even though it is filled with unrighteousness.
I am sure you can pick out all kind of other examples in your life where because you think that something is right in your own eyes, not in the eyes of God, you can be deep in awful ways to others, and make all kinds of judgments about them without showing any kindness mercy, understanding or compassion.
So let us hope that this Study Lesson teaches you that the problem we have is as one writer says vicious, deadly and awful. He points out that it’s only when we read about this in the Book of Judges that we can see ourselves as in fact we are for the Book of judges is a mirror for us.
What is most troubling however is the behaviour of the Levite for he is involved in spiritual leadership and he has spiritual standing and the respect associated with Jewish or Christian leadership. But this man uses his office to get rich and not to serve you. His advantage is for himself and not to you.
The tragedy is that this kind of behaviour and rejection of responsibility is commonplace in the church and it comes easily without anybody realizing what they are doing.
Many use the role of Shepherd not to benefit the sheep but the shepherd
So it remains for us the saints of God to ensure that we follow biblical standards when people are aspiring to spiritual leadership. And even then we are to ensure that we do all we can to make sure that they love God after have been called by Him to the ministry. They might not do it perfectly but we have to assist them.
Remember that the Ministry of Leadership is to respond to what God has asked them to do and anyone in leadership needs to be the kind of person who wants to please God more than he or she wants to do anything else.
The responsibility of the Saints is a tremendous one for saints can go astray.
We read about the behaviour of the Danites in Chapter 18 who are seeking a place to live. But we know that in fact they had been given a possession because when Israel conquered the land the tribe of Dan were supposed to live in a region between Ephraim and Judah. But we know this was an area filled with enemies, but the tribes of Ephraim and Judah were more powerful than the Danites and the tribe of Dan obviously didn’t like the deal that they were given and they were never successful in conquering the territory allotted to them. So now they decided to get a different inheritance and they sent out spies going north to look for a different place for them. And that is why on their way they heard a man with an accent that suggests he was not an Ephraimite but was probably Levite and so they started a discussion with him realizing that he was what is called a “ rent-a- priest” and so they engaged him in their venture.
This Levi doesn’t ask God for any direction or God’s approval but tells them that they should go and do what they had planned to do even though they were outside of the will of God. The powerful men from the tribe of Dan go away with the Levite priest and Micah’s idols that they had all stolen.
Now when we look at this situation we should remember that Jacob had given an assessment of the tribe of Dan. This assessment was not pleasant and we will quote this assessment found in Genesis 49: 16. Maybe we are like them. But we hope and pray that we are not like them and will not suffer the end that they suffered.
“Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan will be a serpent by the way, and other in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backwards”.
In looking at the future of this tribe Jacob can only declare:
“ I have waited for thy salvation O LORD”.
These people of the tribe of Dan in Chapter 18 went to a people quiet and secure who did not live in the territory of conquest and so their city was undefended and they did not cause any trouble to anybody but the tribe of Dan has to kill them for they did not like the deal that they were given in the South where they had to involve fighting off enemies like the Philistines and Ammonites. So they killed these innocent people in Laish which was not part of the Promised land of Israel.
This was in modern terminology in the Golan Heights, and that was outside of the Promised Land. But they did not care.
Rather interestingly the tribe of Dan had a tendency to act so wickedly that they are hardly listed in the Book of Revelation among the tribes of Israel listed. See Revelation 7and 21.
There is of course in all this a powerful lesson for parents. This is a very important lesson for young people for they too will grow up and become parents. One writer comments about the sins of motherhood which we should certainly avoid;
“A history of getting off the hook would explain Micah’s willingness to confess. He’s a mama’s boy, all right,, and in her eyes he can do no wrong.
Micah’s mother dedicates the silver to the Lord not to honor him but in an attempt to secure his blessing for her son. She does not give the silver to the priests to help with the corporate worship of the Lord; her interests are much narrower. Like her son, Micah’s mother shows contempt for the 10 Commandments. By commissioning the construction of an idol for her son she violates the second commandment (Secommad Exodus 20:4)…
Micah’s mother recapitulates the sin of the Israelites in the wilderness, who incorporated a golden calf into the worship of the Lord (Exodus 32:-6). Seeking to secure the Lord’s blessing,, she unfittingly invites a curse for Deuteronomy 27: 15, reads “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of skilled hands…”
Seeking to bless her son she only pushes him into idolatry.
To make matters worse, she only parts with 200 shekels, even though she had pledged to dedicate all the silver to the Lord. Who (or what) it’s like the Lord? Not a 200 shekel silver idol, that’s for sure.
The Israelites were instructed to worship in a designated city (that city, Shiloh, was not far away), but Micah sets up shop in his own house, filling it with additional idols; making an ephod, a priestly garment; and installing his own son, not a descendant of Aaron, as his personal priest, all in violation of the law (Deuteronomy 12; Exodus 28; 29:9). Literally Micah has a “house of gods”.
Micah’s mother fits the description of what we would today call an enabler. Ostensibly she seeks to help her son, but in reality she spoils him and makes it easy for him to sin with impunity.
She would decry the sin of someone outside of her family, saying something like, “cursed be the one who took my silver” while at the same time turning a blind eye to the sin of her son, saying, “The Lord bless you my son”.
Seeking to bless their children, such as Micah’s mother in reality bless their children’s sin. Some parents make all sorts of exceptions for their children’s transgressions as long as they keep those grades up.
Of course without knowing it, by rearing a child in such a way and sending him out into the world she is contributing to the environment that she would decry”.
Let us not however think that the blame is to be attached only to mothers. The fathers who do not follow the way of Scripture in bringing up their children, or who simply ignore them are also to be condemned.
Our Lesson Study therefore is a terrifying one for it condemns those that produce a sense of entitlement in their children, those who enable for sin a pseudo priest, those who are in leadership who search for legitimacy in the wrong way, and who like the people of Israel did what they saw fit in their own eyes.
Judges is a fascinating book full of intrigue, drama, pathos and an unending cycle of failures by God’s people; there are national, tribal and personal failures. Therefore, it is not among the favorite of Bible readers and the principle which always explains and described why Israel was defeated is told us in the very last verse of the Book and it reads: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what was right in his own eyes.”
The Book records the story of a nation in fast decline (does that resemble what is happening today in our churches), and not long after their entry into the Promised Land. The deterioration began after their conquest of Canaan under Joshua. After their faithful leader and the old stalwarts from that first generation that entered the Land died, the Israelites increasingly began to move from obedience to their God. The setting for the Book of Judges thus follows the death of Joshua.
The problem was that the people had no objective authority in their life, for they did not take their true king Jehovah seriously.
How would this be? The Book of Judges records the history of Israel “in the Land of Promise”!
One of the first lessons for Christians to which we can point is clear. Victory in the Christian life is not automatic simply because we have been delivered from ‘bondage’ through the risen Christ. Learning about the great truths of Scripture does not mean that these truths are automatically working in our lives and that the joy of victory will be our experience.
Disobedience to the plain words of God led to idolatry, weakness in their spiritual life, eventual forsaking of God and recurring painful bondage. The Book shows that nothing will work out right when God’s word is ignored.
The Israelites ignored God’s warnings that their enemies posed a great threat to them and thus they should expel them from the land and not mingle with them, associate or intermarry with them. They did not believe when God prohibited any covenants with the inhabitants of Canaan but should destroy their altars and their temples. They paid the price for unbelief and it was an exceptionally high price.
This title of the Book is somewhat misleading, because most English- speaking people do not associate the modern concept of a Judge with Israel’s judges. As we shall see, Judges then were very different from Judges now. The Book received its name from its principal characters, as the Book of Joshua did.
Micah’s name means “Who is like Yahweh.” As is true of so many details in this story, Micah’s name is ironic. He was anything but “like Yahweh.”
“It seems that absolutely no one in chapters 17—18 knows what God is like!”
The Judge in Israel was not a new office during the period of history that this Book records. Moses had ordered the people to appoint judges in every Israelite town to settle civil disputes (Deut. 16:18). In addition, there was to be a Chief Justice at the tabernacle who would, with the High Priest, help settle cases too difficult for the local judges (Deut. 17:9). Evidently there were several judges at the tabernacle who served jointly as Israel’s Supreme Court (Deut. 19:17).
When Joshua died, God did not appoint a person to succeed him as the military and political leader of the entire nation of Israel. Instead, each tribe was to proceed to conquer and occupy its allotted territory. As the need arose, God raised up several different individuals who were Judges, in various parts of Israel at various times, to lead segments of the Israelites against local enemies. In the broadest sense the Hebrew word shophet, translated “Judge,” means “bringer of justice.” The word was used in ancient Carthage and Ugarit to describe civil magistrates.
The heroic Judges of this book were like a mixture of a mayor, a marshal, a prophet, and a general. God endowed them with certain qualities, and identified them in various ways, as being those whom He had chosen to lead His people. This leadership sometimes involved military command, but not always. As God had raised up Moses and Joshua, and as He would later raise up David (1 Sam. 16:13), so He raised up the udges. He evidently raised them up from eight of the tribes—all but Reuben, Simeon, Gad, and Asher, as recorded in Judges and 1 Samuel.
The Judges” were not persons that passed judgment on legal cases or who settled disputes, as ‘judges’ do in our society, though some of these persons had some kind of judicial function. They were not kings of Israel either or prototypes to the subsequent kings. One writer describes them as follows:
“Judges were primarily “deliverers” from the oppression of Israel’s enemies. They sometimes acted independently, as did Samson, was a kind of “Lone Ranger judge”. Some of the Judges lead the military forces of one or more tribes against their foes. These judges did not lead the military forces of the entire nation, but only certain segments of it. As a rule, they did not have any administrative function, as a king would. God raised these judges up spontaneously, because of Israel’s oppression by their enemies. There was no succession and no dynasty. Usually, the Israelites were free from oppression as long as the Judge lived.”
The Judges delivered the people and:
-Ruled after the time of deliverance,
-Restored the authority of the law and turned the people away from idolatry,
-Showed that Yahweh was righteous and was faithful to His covenant,
-Had the power and authority of God even when they were weak.
The basis for these frequent cycles of events and God’s gracious responses in the Book, was the terms of the Mosaic Covenant. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 spelled out the ‘blessings and curses’ of the Mosaic covenant, and both Moses and Joshua warned the people:
– To always love the Lord their God,
– To watch themselves carefully,
– Not to turn away from God,
– Never to disobey or to break the covenant terms, and
– To resist the temptation to enter into entanglements with the pagan nations in Canaan.
This Study Lesson however is based on the fact that there are promises that God has given the people that belong to Him. These are great promises and they will be fulfilled for God will never forget his promises. He will never forget the works that He has done on behalf of His people, and He will never forget that He will do even greater works for them in their future.
So God promised and has sent the Redeemer that will take the people who come to Him straight to God the Father and they will have eternal life and many blessings in the New Heaven and the New Earth. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King that God promised to rule over his people for all times. His great work will be infinitely greater than the work that ordinary human judges and leaders can do for the people of God in this world.
The principals in today’s Text were not Judges as described above but the recorded incidents were typical of the times. There was outright idolatry mixed with traces of the Mosaic Law, along with ‘one of’ repulsive incidents very much in the character of Canaan.
One clear warning for Christians is that any disobedience to God’s word cracks the door open to a downward spiral into sin.
An accurate understanding of the Book of Judges hinges on knowing the Covenant God established with Israel. God gave instructions for holy living and proper worship. For example, He expressly prohibited the making of carved images and idols (Exodus 20:4; 34:17; Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 5:8; 27:15).
God set up the Tabernacle as the central place of worship for Israel (Exodus 26:1–37; 36:8–38; 40:1–38; Deuteronomy 12:1–14).
He established a priesthood (Exodus 28:1; Numbers 3:5–10). He consecrated and ordained the priests to be the leading instruments in and administrators of the Covenant, overseeing the sacrificial system (Exodus 29:1–9; compare Leviticus 9:22–24; Numbers 1:47–51). God also gave regulations concerning the priests’ attire (Ex. 28; 39:2–31). From all these and others, we see a picture of required faithfulness and obedience through attention to detail.
Today’s Text almost on every count marks a violation from the paragraph just above. As noted, the Book focuses on the Israelites’ repeated apostasy. Apostasy is what happens when faith is abandoned; whether through the willful and outright refusal to conform to the conditions of the Covenant or as a gradual slipping away from obedience and faithful practice.
Micah an Ephraimite is the chief character and the events surrounding his household and the conquest of Laish happened early in the Judges’ era, even though they are not mentioned until late in the book. This is established by comparing Joshua 19:47 (where the town of Laish is called “Leshem”) with Judges 1:34; 18:1, 27–29. Therefore, Micah lived during the days of Othniel, Israel’s first judge, in the mid-1300s BC (Judges 3:7–11).
The writer tells us nothing about Micah’s background except that he lived in the hill country of Ephraim apparently with or near his mother. The tabernacle was at this time located in Shiloh, which was in the tribal territory of Ephraim. But the tabernacle seems to have had no influence on Micah.
THE TEXT
Verse 1. And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
Mount Ephraim does not refer to a specific mountain peak but rather to a hilly, forested region that extends from Bethel to the plain of Jezreel (Joshua 16:5–9). The name is associated with the tribe of Ephraim, named after one of the sons of Joseph (Genesis 41:52). The region spreads approximately sixteen miles from north to south and twenty-seven miles from east to west. Ephraim’s locality is central to the land claimed by God’s people.
The name Micah means “Who is like the Lord?” In naming their son in association with the Hebrew God, Micah’s parents identify themselves as Israelites. There is more than one individual named Micah in the Old Testament, and we should not get confused about which one the Text refers to here. The Micah of today’s lesson is not the Micah of the biblical prophetic book that bears that name; that Micah will not come on the scene for another five hundred years or so.
Verse 2. Micah’s story begins midstream with a verbal response to a spoken curse. A large sum of silver was stolen from Micah’s mother, and in reaction, she condemned the person who took it. She harbors a desire for retribution and wishes injurious harm on the thief, whoever he is.
… “The 1,100 pieces of silver … represent remarkable wealth. It is one hundred ten times more than the annual stipend offered to Micah’s priest (Judges 17:10).
In terms of weight, 1,100 shekels weigh more than twenty-three pounds! Additionally, this specific and sizable amount matches what each Philistine ruler paid Delilah to betray Samson in the previous chapter (Judges 16:5). There is no direct link between the two events or amounts (Delilah’s total is multiplied by five). Still, readers naturally connect the figures and are meant to do so. In both instances, the sum is linked to betrayal, faithlessness, and grand liberality.
… you uttered a curse and also spoke it in my hearing … might point a finger at a suspect in the mind of the mother.
… , the silver is with me; I took it … Micah admits that he heard his mother’s curse and that he is the thief. Presumably, he does so because he wants her to withdraw the denunciation. Otherwise, he fears it spells his doom. People throughout the ancient Near East understood such declarations as effective in revengeful power.
Micah may be assumed to be the head of this household because the narrative does not mention his father.
… Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. Micah’s mother quickly blesses him, hoping to reverse the curse she previously pronounced. As with curse formulae, residents in the ancient Near East believed declarative blessings like this to be effective in power. She invokes the name of the Lord, suggesting her devotion to the God of Israel.
The Lord’s name is used similarly, however, even in non-biblical writings of the time, alongside the fictitious gods of other nations. Ancient artifacts like scrolls of magic and stone inscriptions named deities in such ways. So, we can’t assume the level of this woman’s fidelity from her words alone. The Law of Moses addresses this irreverent use, warning the Israelites not to take the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11). Micah’s mother is doing everything she can to revoke her earlier wish for harm.
While Yahweh’s name comes up in the Text we should not credit those speaking as this is the ‘time of the Judges’.
3. And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.
Maybe to further avoid the repercussions of the curse, Micah returns the money, and his mother claims that it was dedicated to the Lord. In the process of making idols, it was considered necessary to first dedicate (or sanctify) the materials used. They were consecrated, or set apart, for this particular use.
Micah’s mother’s words are confusing because they twist the idea of things declared holy unto the Lord with an action expressly forbidden by the law. Silver can certainly be sanctified for the Lord’s purposes, as with offerings for use in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:3; 26:19–21; 31:4; 38:19–27). But the law prohibits making idols (Exodus 20:23; Deuteronomy 7:25). Nevertheless, the Israelites frequently struggle against forming idols—or worse, they don’t struggle against doing so (Exodus 32). Such figurines were common in the ancient Near Eastern cultures that surrounded them.
… I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord … make a graven image and a molten image … Syncretistic practices as we see here is blatant but Christians similarly engage in many subtle ways when we engage with the ‘world’.
While idols of various types could be either graven or molten, the description of the image made here denotes both a sculpting process and the overlay of molten metal. Ancient idol makers often carved an image out of wood and covered it with bronze, silver, or gold (Jeremiah 10:2–4; Revelation 9:20).
The Text mentions two restorations: Micah returns the silver to his mother, and then she states she will return it to him. It is unclear whether she is communicating that she intended the silver for use in constructing an idol before it was stolen or that her intention is new. If the purpose is new, Micah’s mother desires the idol’s creation as an additional protection against the curse she declared.
Verse 4. After Micah returns the funds, his mother moves forward with her plan and uses a portion of the money to make the idol. The difference in sums is not clear. Although the mother claims she’s dedicated the full amount to making an idol, she ultimately uses only two hundred shekels. The remaining nine hundred units disappear from the story.
The term founder signifies a worker who specializes in refining metal, (foundry). These craftsmen purified, poured, shaped, dipped, and cast metals
(Isaiah 40:19). Occasionally, Scripture refers to the Lord utilizing a similar refining process as He molds, shapes, and purifies His people, (Psalm 66:10; Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:3).
… who made them into a carved image and a cast metal image … the metal worker specifically makes a carved image for Micah’s family. The creation of this idol goes directly against God’s second command to Israel: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”
(Exodus 20:4).
The specific form of this image is unknown, but idols in the region often took anthropomorphic (human-like) shapes (Psalm 115:4–7; Isaiah 44:13). The family not only commissions the creation of the false god, but then they set it in a prominent place in Micah’s house! This idolatry is carried out with aplomb; no mention of fear or sanctions.
… they were in the house of Micah … suggests some permanence.
Verse 5. And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols, and consecrated one of his sons, so that he might become his priest.
.. household idols …. was a sacred space in an ancient Near Eastern home that was designed for the residence of a deity. A shrine like this one, on a family’s property, is thought to be a way to secure divine favor. The Hebrew phrase translated house of gods here is the same as is used to refer to the tabernacle at Shiloh (Judges 18:31).
The Lord prohibited setting up sanctuaries like Micah’s as alternatives or even supplements to His designated place of worship (Deuteronomy 12:1–7). There was to be a single place of worship for the Israelites as a protection against the pagan worship practices of the surrounding nations. Despite his family’s relative proximity to Shiloh and God’s instructions, Micah creates a personal shrine.
… he made an ephod … the sacrilege goes on: Micah makes an ephod. This is a garment the priests wore while serving in the tabernacle (Exodus 28:2–14; 39:2–7). Micah’s replication of this priestly attire copies pieces of God’s instructions but is a departure from God’s stated intentions. The exact use of such an item outside of the tabernacle is unclear but a clear act of disobedience.
The KJV has the word teraphim the exact meaning of the word is unclear. It is a plural Hebrew word that elsewhere refers to idols (example: 1 Samuel 15:23). The most common interpretation is that they were representations of ancestors who maintained a link with the family beyond the grave. This veneration of the dead was yet another prohibited practice (Leviticus 19:28; Deut. 14:1–2).
And consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
The word consecrated translates a Hebrew idiom also found in Leviticus 16:32. It refers to what may be called ordination; the same term also appears, with slightly different Hebrew spelling, in Exodus 29:9. The expression is literally “filling the hand,” symbolizing endowing the person with authority. Either physically or metaphorically, Micah places the idol(s) in his son’s hands, installing him as a priest over their household cult.
If as we assume Micah is the head of the household, among other sins he brought his entire household into idolatry. This was no isolated incident during this period, (Judges 6:25).
Verse 6. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
This verse summarizes the core problem: Israel lacked a central authority, and the people choose to dismiss God’s laws in favor of personal options. It is the first appearance of a refrain that echoes throughout the book (18:1; 19:1; 21:25).
God explicitly declared that the Israelites were not to live this way—“every man [doing] whatsoever is right in his own eyes”—after entering the promised land (Deuteronomy 12:8). Rather, God calls His people to do what is right in God’s eyes (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 12:25–28; 13:18). Micah, his family, and the Israelites as a whole were mired in a forbidden place.
Judges 18:18–19, 27
A lot happens in the twenty-four verses that intervene between our Lesson Texts. A Levite from Bethlehem travels into the hill country and encounters Micah (Judges 17:7–8). Micah invites him to stay, and the opportunistic Levite is inducted into priestly service for Micah in the household shrine. Micah pays him an annual salary plus room and board (17:10–12). Micah believes the result will be to encourage the Lord’s blessings (17:13).
Eventually, spies from the tribe of Dan show up at Micah’s house (Judges 18:2). They are on a scouting mission, looking for a new place for their tribe to settle (18:1). The Danites have been assigned land like the other tribes (Joshua 19:40–48), but they have been unable or unwilling to take possession of it by overcoming the Amorites, the present occupants, (Judges 1:34). Therefore, the tribe looks elsewhere for suitable territory.
While spending the night in Ephraim, the spies recognize the Levite’s voice (accent) and ask him to inquire of God whether their journey will be successful (Judges 18:3, 5). The Levite tells them what they want to hear (18:6). So, the spies return home, gather six hundred troops, and head back into the region of Ephraim to acquire the land (18:9–11). En route to their destination, the Danite army stops at Micah’s house and loots his sanctuary (18:17).
Judges 18: 18–19, 27
18. When these men entered Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod,household idols, and the cast metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
The Danites are no more attentive to the commands of God than Micah. Instead, they approach Micah’s house as pillagers.
… these … refers to the five men who initially visited Micah’s house and shrine (Judges 18:2). They observe the standard practice of conquerors in the ancient Near East as they strip the “temple” of its valuables. The Danites take Micah’s idols as talismans of favor for their mission. With a “might makes right” mentality, they act with impunity because they have six hundred armed men guarding the entrance (18:16–17).
The Levite protests the theft and sacrilege, blind to the irony of his complaint. His question, What do ye?, could be asked of him too, as an illegitimate priest administering a household cult.
Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes; it is the time of the judges!
19. And they said to him, “Be silent, put your hand over your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”
The Danites make to the same offer to the Levite as the one Micah made—be a father and a priest to us (Judges 17:10). The position of a father means acting as an authoritative voice and advisor (Genesis 45:8). They ask him to halt his objection and then offer him a deal, which the opportunistic Levite takes
(Judges 18:20). The Danites’ offer amplifies the Levite’s perceived influence.
Verse 27
27. Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire.
Micah realized his idols and priest are gone and called his neighbors together, hoping to fight the looters (Judges 18:22). After catching up to them, the Danites easily convince Micah to return home, lest he suffer worse loss (18:25–26).
As the army arrives at the town of Laish, the men are well beyond the area designated as Dan’s inheritance (Joshua 19:40–47). Their position marks the northernmost part of Israel.
The army’s pillaging continues. The Danites overpower the people of Laish and eventually settle there themselves (Judges 18:28, not in today’s text). At first glance, their actions toward the city resemble God’s instructions regarding entering the land and taking possession (Deuteronomy 7:1–5). Yet the Danites act against the Law of Moses, as Judges 18:28–31 indicates.
CONCLUSION
It is very important for us to ask the question, What is the antidote for our wicked hearts?
What is right in God’s eyes? You know what it is because you read it in the Scriptures?
Do not think that the king who is to come will enable your sins.
Do not therefore acknowledge wrongdoing for the sake of convenience. Should mourn for your sin and bring forth the fruit of repentance.
What are you really doing? Do you like the people of Dan reject the will of the Lord and seem to profit by doing so?
Scripture tells us that eventually a day of reckoning came after they sinned, they prospered. But they did not get away for on the day of reckoning the time of the captivity of the land came when the Lord God raised up Assyria under Tiglath-Pileser III to conquer the Northern kingdom of Israel in 734 B.C.
The tribe of Dan chose to worship in their own way, not in the Lord’s way.
In the end the Danites looked just like the pagans they had displaced. Believers who covet the things of this world will find out that they are not distinguished from those who have no interest in the new creation.
Believers who profess to worship the Lord can show by their lives that they value the things of the world over the God of this world, and they forget that God both gives and takes away. The idols might help us to get the stuff that we crave for such as money, power, corrupting influence, and other things that we so want. But like the Daniteswe will find that investing in the things of the world and prospering in the world will not prosper our souls.
So the question for us is, Did everyone in Judges 18 do as he or she saw fit? The answer clearly is yes.
So the question for us today is what are we doing?
Are we like the Danites abandoning the fight for the Promised land, the New Heaven and the New Earth, and go after the land that is easier to take?
Do not ever forget the advice and teaching of the Apostle Paul,
“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory”. Ephesians 1:13-14.
It is sad to see that Judges 18 shows us how apostasy expanded from the house of Micah to the entire tribe of Dan. Than did have a legitimate inheritance but lacked settled possession after the Amorites and the other tribes pressured them. So they fled and sought some other place and found Laish,, the prosperous, isolated unsuspecting people who lived in peace. They renamed the peaceful place of Liege with the name of Dan but that did not remove their apostasy.
So never forget that the history of Dan shows us the relation between the divine gift and human responsibility God had promised and His promises remain true. Dan was accountable for violating the revealed law of God. Just remember that Scripture does not permit your worldly success or your territorial success to excuse idolatry.
Micah, his mother, the Levite, and the Danites all illustrate the problems associated with each person doing what is “right” in their “own eyes” rather than that which is right in God’s eyes (Judges 17:6; compare Deuteronomy 12:28). There is a danger in establishing one’s own rules—and every person plays a role in either furthering obedience to God or perpetuating degradation and dishonesty.
Unfortunately, the choices of the players in today’s account resulted in a cult being established in the northern region of Israel. Micah’s idol(s) and the illegitimate priesthood led by his Levite are both reiterated and reinforced by later generations (2 Kings 17:32).
Hundreds of years later, first Jeroboam and then Jehu describe Dan as a pilgrimage site for idol worshipers (1 Kings 12:28–30; 2 Kings 10:29).
God’s Covenant (and remember that you are in the Covenant with God) emphasized remembrance and the responsibility each family must take to pass along God’s instructions (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).
Errors occur because of both pride and ignorance. It takes humility to correct and to be corrected. It takes time and intention to teach the ways of God. Believers must positively—not passively—reinforce consistency in faith. True discipleship requires lifelong learning, submission to instruction, regular remembrance, and communal accountability.