Joshua 17
Judges 17 is the chapter that introduces the incident of “Micah’s idol of the house of Micah,” and it shows a glimpse of the turmoil in Israelite society during the time of the judges as well as the blending of religious beliefs. This chapter can be divided into two main parts. First (verses 1–6), it tells how Micah made an idol with his mother’s silver and kept it in his house. Second (verses 7–13), it describes the process of appointing a Levite young man as a family priest. The repeated phrase, “Since there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (verse 6), appears, highlighting the moral and religious disorder of this period.
1verseThis was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.
2verseSo this was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, for the children of Helek, for the children of Asriel, for the children of Shechem, for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida. These were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.
3verseBut Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4verseThey came to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the princes, saying, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.
5verseTen parts fell to Manasseh, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan;
6versebecause the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
7verseThe border of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethath, which is before Shechem. The border went along to the right hand, to the inhabitants of En Tappuah.
8verseThe land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh; but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.
9verseThe border went down to the brook of Kanah, southward of the brook. These cities belonged to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh. The border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook, and ended at the sea.
10verseSouthward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Manasseh’s, and the sea was his border. They reached to Asher on the north, and to Issachar on the east.
11verseManasseh had three heights in Issachar, in Asher Beth Shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns.
12verseYet the children of Manasseh couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
13verseWhen the children of Israel had grown strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn’t utterly drive them out.
14verseThe children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, because the LORD has blessed us so far?”
15verseJoshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest, and clear land for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”
16verseThe children of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. All the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth Shean and its towns, and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.”
17verseJoshua spoke to the house of Joseph, that is, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people, and have great power. You shall not have one lot only;
18versebut the hill country shall be yours. Although it is a forest, you shall cut it down, and it’s farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.”
Key Characters and Event Descriptions
- Micah: A man living in the hill country of Ephraim. When his mother finds the silver she had lost, he confesses that he stole it. His mother says she will make an idol out of that silver for the LORD, and as a result, Micah comes to possess the idol and the teraphim.
- Micah’s mother: Hearing her son’s confession, she gives the silver—200 pieces—to a craftsman so he can make idols. Her faith mentions the LORD, yet it also shows a mixed form that allows idol-making.
- the Levite young man: A Levite who came from Bethlehem and entered Micah’s house. Micah appoints him as a household priest, expecting prosperity and blessing for his family.
The Overall Meaning of the Chapter
Judges 17 clearly shows the time when the people of Israel did not follow God’s commands and priestly system, having lost the center of their faith, and instead lived their religious lives according to what each person thought was right. Rather than acting according to God’s law, the widespread presence of faith mixed with human methods points to the reason that disorder and spiritual decline eventually affected society as a whole.
Points for Reflection
- Let me check whether my faith today is also something I live by according to “my own eyes.”
- I should examine whether I have not mixed external religious practices or the values of the world with my faith.
- I should think once more about what true worship and a life centered on God really are.
Apply It to Me
| Check bad habits | Isn’t the standard of my faith leaning more toward my thoughts or experiences than toward God’s Word? |
| Restoring the essence of faith | Am I truly worshiping God alone and acknowledging that He is the Lord of my life? I can check whether, in daily life, I do not compromise unconsciously or allow a mixed form of faith. |
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