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Judges 17 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
If you have been following along in Judges, then you know that Israel’s decline has been building. Chapters 2-16 are the meat and potatoes of this book, describing the foreign threats to Israel, the backslide into sin, and God’s calling of particular individuals as judges. The last several chapters are considered appendixes, though the timeline of events is confusing. To fully make sense of them, we must understand when they actually occurred.
For whatever reason, the author decided to include them later in the book when they are actually dated earlier in the period of Judges. We know this because certain biblical characters (i.e. Phinehas) are still ministering in roles described earlier in Numbers and Joshua. In every chapter from here on out (except 20), we read the phrase, “there was no king in Israel.”
Judges 17:6 NASB In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
When putting the two above points together and placing this theme before the stories of the judges, we can see the overwhelming message the writer is communicating. It is inferred to the reader that a king would have been ideal to keep Israel away from sin. We can read into Samuel and beyond to know this isn’t true, but it still highlights the cold hard truth – Israel (and humanity) couldn’t stop rebelling against God.
The climax of this idea that every man did what he wanted is found in the character of Samson who was supposed to be set apart as a Nazarite and judge. Instead, he did what he desired, leading to his own death among the Philistines.
It was not just Samson, though. There were many. Take Micah, for example. He decides to set up his own private worship center, which was a perversion of the worship practices that were set by God previously. Not only that, but he recruits a Levite priest to legitimize his sanctuary. In Joshua 21, when land was distributed, the Levites were not given a share, but rather, were given 48 cities scattered around the tribes with the responsibility of ministering and teaching.
This young Levite was from Bethlehem, which was not one of the 48 cities, so it’s possible he had already compromised on his duties. He accepts this position as priest over Micah’s sanctuary, compromising both his purpose and his God-given ministry.
Things were beginning to break down. Man did what he wanted while ignoring God. One final note that is easy to miss… remember in verse 5 when Micah consecrated his own son to be priest?
Judges 17:5 NASB And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.
I wonder, what happened to him? We read at the end of the chapter that Micah welcomes this Levite as a priest and they become like father and son. Did he just abandon his son from earlier? Was he demoted? This only speaks further to the fact that this generation was corrupted by the lusts of the eye. If Micah was willing to abandon his commitment to his son as soon as something “better” came along, it’s very telling of how bad the times were.