JUDGES Chapters 17-21 The following chapters illustrate what happens morally and religiously in a nation when every man does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:21). In these chapters we will find immorality, callousness, apostasy, lawlessness, legalism, and so on. If we depart from the Scriptures, we are bound to become just as backward and darkened in our own thinking. The inconsistently, hypocrisy and overreaction in these chapters, reminds me of the statement made by Jesus, “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23:24).
Chapter 17 17:1 The name “Micah” (MIE kuh), means, “Who is like Yahweh”. It is ironic that a man with a name like that should establish an idolatrous shrine and an unlawful priesthood. 17:2 Here we learn that Micah had previously stole 1100 pieces of silver from his own mother! Evidently, Micah had heard that his mother had pronounced a cursed upon the person who had stolen her money and he was frightened into confessing his guilt. “In tune with the moral chaos of the day, a man named Micah stole a substantial sum of silver from his own mother. The eleven hundred shekels—about twenty-eight pounds—is an amount also mentioned in 16:5. Compared with the yearly wage of ten shekels (verse 10), its value represents a fortune. No wonder Micah’s mother cursed the thief!” (Gaebelein p. 480). 17:3-4 Both Micah and his mother are two superstitious individuals. “He is a thief but at least he is an honest thief” (Inrig p. 267). Apparently the blessing pronounced by his mother was intended to cancel out the effect of the curse she had uttered. Note that his mother never really condemned Micah and there is a good reason for that: “She was a thief too. Look at what she said in verse 3. ‘I wholly dedicate the silver…to the Lord.’ But then, in verse 4, we read that she paid out 200 silver pieces for
the idols and gave them to Micah. What happened to the other 900 pieces she had promised to the Lord?” (Inrig p. 267). When God’s Word is ignored, people cannot help but behave foolishly. Making idols brought a real curse! (Deuteronomy 27:15). “Thus again the author is pressing home his consecrated sarcasm. Micah’s mother was attempting to negate a human curse by bringing her son under a divine curse!” (Smith p. 198). “Religious syncretism involves the blending together of different religious attitudes and ideas into one system. This trend was observable in the lives of Micah and his family as they were affected by the popular trends of their day. According to verse 1, Micah was a Ephramite. This fact is significant because the tabernacle was set up at Shiloh which is in the Ephraimite territory. However, as we study the story of Micah, it becomes clear that Shiloh had lost its spiritual influence among many of the families and clans within the tribe of Ephraim” (Davis p. 143). Micah’s mother failed to to see the difference between “the Lord” (17:3) and graven images (4). And it isn’t as if there was only one passage in the Law which condemned idolatry (Exodus 20:4-5). “A quick look at a map reveals the fact that Shiloh was in the hill country of Ephraim, only a short journey from Micah’s house. Micah’s idolatry had nothing to do with the unavailability of God’s house” (Inrig p. 272). 17:5-6 Not content with graven images, Micah also constructed a priestly garment and ordained one of his sons as priest of this household sanctuary. “So Micah boldly set up a shrine right in his home. It was a sad perversion of the true worship, leading the author of Judges to bemoan the fact that in those days everyone did as he saw fit” (Gaebelein p. 481). The inference appears to be, “If there had been a righteous king, he would have put a stop of Micah’s nonsense”. “Those times of the judges were hardly the ‘good old days’ (Dale Ralph Davis p. 201). 17:7-8 Here we encounter a wandering Levite. This may suggest that the Levites were not being properly supported at the time. Or, it may suggest that this Levite was an opportunist, he was looking for a better deal then what the tabernacle could offer him. “The law had specified that priests were to come from the tribe of Levi; so Micah was quick to ‘upgrade’ his religious establishment when the opportunity arose….The Levites were doubtless scattered because of lack of support, a situation that prevailed all too often in Israel’s history (Nehemiah 13:10)” (Gaebelein p. 482). 17:9-12 Consider what happens when two men without any principles get together! The fact that this Levite actually accepted this job offer (instead of rebuking Micah), reveals that the apostasy in Israel ran deep.
Even the priestly tribe had forsaken God. The word “father” in verse 10, probably means “spiritual father” or “spiritual advisor”. 17:13 Micah actually thought that God approved of this entire process! “For Micah worship was private business. He wanted to do his own thing. He bought into the philosophy that as long as one is sincere strict compliance to God’s word was not necessary” (Smith p. 199). Micah is a classical example of the person who “feels” that God is with them because they are doing “religious things” and they are having “strong religious feelings”. Micah was interested in spiritual things—but he is serving the devil! The Levite is an example of self-promoting service and compromise for the sake of getting a better position. “Are you content to be what God wants to be, where He wants you? Or are you….climbing the ladder of ‘Christian’ promotion, wanting prominence, wanting attention, wanting praise?” (Inrig p. 276).
Chapter 18 18:1 “In spite of the fact that the tribe of Dan had a military potential of 64,000 men (Numbers 26:43), they were unable to occupy the territory that was allotted to them. The reasons for their frustration and their interest in other territory (v. 1) is given in 1:34 of this book. According to the historian’s observation, the Amorites had forced the Danites up into the mountains not permitting them to occupy the larger valleys” (Davis p. 146). “Caught in a squeeze between the Amorites and the Philistines to the west and the territory of Judah to the south, the Danites sought out a new homeland. They clearly felt that the boundary lines had not fallen for them ‘in pleasant places’ (Psalm 16:6). Their desire to move revealed a lack of faith in the Lord who had allotted to them their original territory” (Gaebelein p. 483). “We are not to understand from that statement that Dan had been omitted when Joshua divided up the land. Joshua 19 makes it clear that their assigned portion was between Ephraim and Judah…Dan had refused to trust God by driving out the Amorites….Dan was left with two choices. As a tribe, they could repent of their unbelief and trust God to keep His Word as they entered into battle against their enemies. That was God’s will. Or they could look for a new area, a comfortable place where the natives were unprepared, undefended, and vulnerable to a sneak attack” (Inrig p. 278).
18:2-6 The five warriors sent out to spy “better land” immediately recognized the voice of the Levite whom Micah had hired. “Perhaps they knew him before their journey or they may have recognized him as a Levite by his dress” (Davis p. 146). Note that this Levite is not in the least bit ashamed by what he is doing! 18:7-10 The city of Laish (LAY ish), was located about 100 miles from their original inheritance. “There, at the foot of Mount Hermon, they discovered a highly desirable location, a long distance from potential enemies and furnished with an excellent supply of water….The residents of Laish enjoyed their secure position and had not built any defenses against invaders” (Gaebelein p. 484). 18:11-20 Instead of being shocked at this new worship center, they covet it. “On their journey they easily requisitioned the contents of Micah’s worship center and won over the priest by presenting him with a lucrative call to a new field of mini$try” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 203). Once again we see that this Levite is governed by materialistic considerations. He was happy for the new job, and didn’t have any qualms about the Danites stealing Micah’s idols. “With the prospect of a higher salary and increased influence, he quickly forgot his loyalty to Micah” (Gaebelein p. 486). 18:21-26 Micah’s protest in verse 24 is pitiful. He should have been shamed by his own words. The very fact that men were able to “steal his gods” should have told him something about those gods, i.e. they were powerless. “The apostasy of Micah is further illustrated by his total frustration in the light of these events, for with his idols gone and his priest gone, he said, ‘What have I more?’” (Davis p. 147). It never crossed his mind that he could have the true God! 18:27-31 Here we learn the name of the Levite. Note, the side reference for Manasseh in verse 30 reads, “some ancient versions read Moses”. In the Hebrew there is very little difference between the spelling of Moses and Manasseh, the difference being a single consonant. In years to come Jeroboam would select the city of Dan as one of the places to set up his golden calves (1 Kings 12:28-29). The “captivity” referenced in verse 30 may refer to: The Assyrian captivity of 722 B.C., when the ark was taken captive by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4), or some sort of local captivity in the area around Dan after a border defeat during the latter period of the Judges. The statement about the tabernacle being in Shiloh during all this time, “implies that the worship at the Danite shrine opposed the true worship of the Lord at Shiloh” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 410). “There is no greater danger faced by North American Christians than the love of ease. It is so tempting to carve out a Laish for ourselves---a quiet little island of peace where we can live in affluence and forget all about the needy world outside, and the enemies of the gospel….Why fight when we can sleep? Why sacrifice when we can settle down?” (Inrig p. 278).
Chapter 19 19:1 The author informs us that this event also happened during the same general period of time. As in the last account, a Levite is one of the central characters. 19:2-3 Evidently this concubine was unhappy being a secondary-wife, so she committed adultery and then returned to the refuge of her father’s house which was in Bethlehem. Four months later the Levite attempted to recover his concubine, an attempt which includes tender pleading. 19:4-9 The Levite’s attempt to get an early start on both the fourth and fifth day was thwarted by his father-in-law. Apparently the father-in-law was trying to please his son-in-law by extending hospitality which on this occasion got in the way of getting an early start. 19:10-12 Jerusalem or Jebus was located some six miles north of Bethlehem. The Levite refused to stay in a city occupied by the Canaanites and assumed that he would be safe in a city occupied by Israelites. 19:13-21 The city of Gibeah (gibb ee AH) laid four miles beyond Jerusalem. “The city square was an open area just inside the city gate, and it was the logical place for visitors to wait. They would have the spent the night there if no invitation was forthcoming. After the lavish hospitality of Bethlehem, it must have seemed strange that no one offered them lodging” (Gaebelein p. 491). The Levite and his party were ignored until an old man, an Ephraimite who was residing in Gibeah on a temporary basis, offered them food and lodging.
A Second Sodom 19:22-25 This account is very similar in many respects to what had happened in Sodom centuries earlier (Genesis 19). “The use of the expression ‘sons of Belial” (worthless fellows) is significant. This term is reserved for those who have no regard for law or morality. The term literally translated means ‘sons of no profit’” (Davis p. 149). As in Sodom, appeals are made to a crowd of men filled with homosexual lust, the act is called its rightful name (23), and women are offered to satisfy the lusts of these men. From verse 25 one can easily see why the concubine had left this Levite. She was virtually sacrificed to save his skin, and he was the one who threw her out to the mob!
19:26-28 What callousness! “Should he not have shown concern for her long before daybreak? And did he really expect her to be in any condition to travel?” (Gaebelein p. 493). 19:29-30 Finally, it appears the Levite was outraged with what had happened. The purpose of cutting up her body and sending one part of each tribe, was to get each tribe to respond or else risk being struck with the sword themselves (21:10). Give Israel this much credit, they were outraged about what had been done! Evidently, along with the body, the messenger would also announce the nature of the crime.
Chapter 20 20:1 The entire nation was indeed outraged. Israelites came from as far north as Dan, and as far south as Beersheba. In addition Israelites on the east side of the Jordan also responded. 20:3-11 Ten percent of the troops were set apart to gather supplies in case a lengthy campaign was necessary, and the men pledged themselves to deal with this matter before they ever thought about going back home. 20:12-15 Sadly, the Benjaminites refused to hand over those who were guilty of this terrible crime. What had begun as a punitive action against one city, suddenly had turned into a war against an entire tribe. 20:15-16 Benjamin was outnumbered, but the territory which Benjamin occupied was hilly country, easier to defend than to attack. “Yet it is unlikely that bullheaded Benjamin will be a push-over. They may be far outnumbered but their crack Seven Hundred Unit will have to be reckoned with. This number formed an elite corps of left-handed super-slingers, renowned for their deadly accuracy…if these left-handers could hit a hair they could surely smash a right ear” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 218-219). 20:18 Give the other tribes credit, they made sure that such an attack on their brothers was justified or approved by God. 20:19-28 Even though God was with the other tribes, He allowed Benjamin to win the first two battles. 40,000 Israelites died (10 percent) of the entire army. In spite of losing 22,000 fellow soldiers, the other tribes were still determined to punish these evildoers. They knew that their cause was just and were willing to pay the price. Notice the emotions and outrage over the evil that was done, and yet tears (23), because fighting against their own brethren (even though they were stubborn and sinful) was such a tragedy. The second defeat brings the other tribes to their knees (26-27). The army retreats to Bethel, some eight miles north. At this time the ark was there, and Phinehas, the zealous grandson of Aaron was ministering. In allowing
40,000 men to die, when they were on the right side tells us something about how God works: A. In order to bring about real and genuine repentance, God might allow us or the church to experience some major setbacks. B. Failing isn’t an excuse for not trying, and neither does God give automatic success to those who are right with him. C. The price tag for fighting sin is often expensive and costly. D. Success never depends on numbers of material resources. 20:29-46 The Israelites had learned their lesson. Instead of being overconfident and thinking that they could take the Benjamites head on, they set up an ambush. The arrogant and over-confident Benjamites played right into the hand of God and Israel. Six hundred Benjamite warriors were able to reach the defensible stronghold of the rock of Rimmon (modern Rammun, four miles east of Bethel), where they stayed four months until the other tribes offered them terms of peace. In view of verse 48, it appears that everything that belonged to Benjamin was put under the ban and destroyed.
Chapter 21 21:1 Apparently, before any of the fighting began, all the tribes had sworn at Mizpeh (20:1-2) to forbid the marriage between the men of Benjamin and their daughters. “The low morality exhibited at Gibeah was sufficient reason for banning intermarriage with the tribe” (Gaebelein p. 502). 21:2-4 After the battle, the high price paid became very apparent. One whole tribe had almost been annihilated! Immediately, the other tribes start thinking of a way to prevent the Benjamite tribe from vanishing forever. The only hope for the survival of the tribe of Benjamin would be to find wives for the 600 men who remained. 21:5-14 A search of the war records indicated that the men from Jabeshgilead did not participate in the recent battles, and it was decided that the city should be judged. As a result 400 virgins from this city were given to the surviving Benjamites, which left 200 men without wives. “Some of the Benjamites most likely returned to Jabesh-gilead to settle down, which probably had something to do with later action on the part of Saul (a Benjamite) on behalf of that city (1 Samuel 11:1ff)” (Davis p. 151). 21:1524 The remaining 200 Benjamites were encouraged to take wives from among the maidens who danced during the festivals at Shiloh. “The festival was likely the Feast of Tabernacles since vineyards are mentioned and the grape harvest comes in August and September”. From the fact
that the Benjamites stole the maidens it was reasoned that this absolved the parents from the curse against giving their daughters to Benjamin.
Closing Comments 1. Though Israel suffered under the oppression of many enemies (and justly so), God’s grace was repeatedly evident when the people turned to Him in genuine repentance. The grace and the justice of God are clearly seen in this book. 2. If the word of God isn’t our standard, we are bound to become inconsistent. The punishment of Jabesh-gilead was justified, but did the women and children need to die? That Israel was concerned with keeping an oath to God is commendable, but to do so by trampling on the rights of the Shiloh girls and their families is another thing. 3. Sin cannot be confined to an isolated act. Any sin will send ripples! “There is an old story of a ship that was traveling across the Mediterranean, and one of the passengers cut a hole through the side of the ship. The sailors came to him and demanded to know what he was doing. ‘What difference does it make to you?’ he asked. ‘The hole’s under my own bunk.’…Men go around shouting, ‘Do your own thing’, and demanding the freedom to do what they please, when they please, where they please. Then we wonder why the boat is filling up with water, and we are beginning to go under. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not sin to ourselves” (Inrig pp. 289-290). Sin cannot be kept private and it never remains private. The “private” sexual lives of the men of Gibeah eventually led to and caused a civil war