Judges 17

Comments Judges
Then there is the mother of Micah (Judges 17:2) who uttered an adjuration (see Leviticus 5 when eleven hundred pieces of silver were stolen from her.
To fail to speak up about a crime is an iniquity seperate from the crime. This would be about the hue and cry of a society? Legal charity reverses this process. But the mother spoils the son rather than admonishing him. Fearing the power of this curse, Micah confesses to his mother that he stole the money. Her son stole but he was given funds after confessing not for conscience sake but out of fear?
Instead of punishing him, she blesses him and uses the silver to make a carved image. If people do not know the function of the carved image they may not identify the issues that Micah was actually doing.
The Levite from Bethlehem mentioned in Judges 17, originally seeking work as a Levite, but he became a hired, personal priest for Micah in Mount Ephraim. He was consecrated by Micah to manage an illicit, private shrine featuring idolatry. This would start to corrupt more people.
This former Levite priest(Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses) was hired by Micah to be (For the father and the priest לאב ולכהן), an Abimelech priest in Judges 17-18. He did not abide by the limitations for Levites put on them by God. He did not belong to God but was hired by Micah to serve him through this Graven images reserve fund.
The idea of being hired empowered him (just as many Bishops would be hired by the pay of Constantine and they). He was abandoning his private role to become the priest for a man.
Levite's "heart was glad," for the power of Father. Power corrupts.
He ultimately took Micah’s stolen silver as an idol to Laish, establishing an idolatrous cult for the Danites that lasted until the time of the captivity. So, he willingly stole the graven images and ephod from Micah to serve the Danites.
What Micah choose to steal was stolen from him because his repentance was provoked by his fear of the curse of his mother's adjure rather than the righteousness of conscience.

Where ever there is an elected or appointed Father there is the potestas^[1] and imperium of the natural father vested in a civil Father by consent.

Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses compromised his calling by serving a private, idolatrous shrine. Final Outcome: When Danite spies/warriors passed through, they convinced the Levite to leave Micah and become a priest for their entire tribe. The Levite complied, taking the idols with him. This story highlights the spiritual anarchy of the period, where people did "what was right in their own eyes".
Jonathan from the tribe of Levi, continued as priests for this Danite, idol-worshipping community until "the day of the captivity of the land," interpreted as the Assyrian exile. While the text highlights his role in idolatry, some Jewish interpretations, identifying him with Shebuel in 1 Chronicles 26:24, suggest he later repented, returned to God, and took up a position in the Temple.

Questions

The Levite priest hired by Micah to be (For the father and the priest לאב ולכהן), an Abimelech priest in Judges 17-18 did not abide by the Levite limitations put on them by God. He did not belong to God but was hired by Micah (just as many Bishops were hired by the pay of Constantine and they), abandoning his private role to become the priest for the tribe of Dan, seeking higher status. He ultimately took Micah’s stolen idols to Laish, establishing an idolatrous cult for the Danites that lasted until the time of the captivity.



[1]

Micah restores what he stole

1 ¶ And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

2 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears,(see Leviticus 5) behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

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.

4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

A house of gods and priests

5 And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

All kings but not all good

6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

8 And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

9 And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.

A father and a priest

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.

11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.

↑ Potestas, in the law of the Latins, "signifies generally a power or faculty" of authority by which we do anything." Patria Potestas originally signified the authority which a father had over of his children, grandchildren, and other descendants. When this right or power was eventually vested in the State the agency of government became the father of the people and this not only weakened the people but reduced their liberty. See Parens Patriae or "Call no man Father".

[lpotestas-1] Potestas, in the law of the Latins, "signifies generally a power or faculty" of authority by which we do anything." Patria Potestas originally signified the authority which a father had over of his children, grandchildren, and other descendants. When this right or power was eventually vested in the State the agency of government became the father of the people and this not only weakened the people but reduced their liberty. See Parens Patriae or "Call no man Father".

[1]

Judges 17

Contents

Micah restores what he stole

A house of gods and priests

All kings but not all good

A father and a priest

Navigation menu

Judges 17

Micah restores what he stole

A house of gods and priests

All kings but not all good

A father and a priest

Navigation menu

Search