Demise of the Levite Priests

Judges Chapter 17

A man named Micah lived in Ephraim and one day he heard his mother curse the thief who stole eleven hundred pieces of silver. He returned them to her and admitted he had taken them. She blessed him for telling the truth and in his honor she had an image carved and an idol cast to be placed in Micah's house. So Micah's set up a shrine with some household idols and installed one of his sons as the priest. In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

One day a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah arrived in that area of Ephraim looking for good place to live. He happened to stop at Micah's house as he traveled. Micah asked where he was from and the man replied that he was a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah looking for a place to live.

"Stay here with me," said Micah, "and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus one change of clothes and your food." The Levite agreed to this a became like one of Micah's sons. So Micah ordained the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah's house. "I know the Lord will bless me now," said Micah, "because I have a Levite serving as my priest."

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Micah and his mother seemed to be good and moral, but they disobeyed God by following their own desires. The attitude that prevailed in Micah's time was "the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." But God gave them and us standards. Our conduct is not up to us, but to God.
Remember in the past in the Old Testament, the people of Israel were instructed to support the priests and Levites with their tithes ? Well, by Micah's time, they apparently no longer did as God asked. The young Levite probably left his home because the tithe money was not enough to live on. But was he right to do so? No, he accepted money, idols and position in a way that was inconsistent with God's laws. The priest illustrated the downfall of priests and Levites. How sad.

How does this chapter relate to us today? Many of us these days seem to put our own interests first. Many reject God's right way of living. The attitude of "doing whatever seems right" in Micah's day seems to be prevalent in today's society too. But God gave us standards and he has not left our conduct up to us. We can stop society's pitfall if we apply God's life applications to our own lives. To know what is right and have the strength to do it, makes us draw closer to God.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
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