Micah Bible Study

The Book of Judges
Chapter 17 & 18

Micah Bible Study Lesson
Who Was Micah in the Bible Event

It is certainly nice to have you back at Daily Bread for our study of the Book of Judges. This story takes place when there was no judge or king in Israel.

There was a man from Mt. Ephraim, named Micah, and he confessed to his mother that he stole some money from her and so he gave it back to her.

Now this woman said a very contradictory thing; she said, The Lord bless you my son, I had committed the money to the Lord for you to make a graven image and a molten image (idols), so I'll give the money back to you.

Wow! How can you devote money to the Lord for false gods? I guess that goes to show how things went crooked when there was no judge in Israel. People were actually having idols made and saying that they were for the Lord.

Micah Bible Study Teaching
Who Was Micah in the Bible Strange Story

Well, Micah insisted on giving his mother the money, so she took the money and had the images made, and they were in Micah's house, along with other gods and he also made an ephod (a vestment or apron worn in Hebrew rites or ceremonies) and teraphim (images or Semitic or Jewish household gods) and appointed one of his sons as a priest.

One day there came a young man that resided in Judah who was a Levite, and he traveled in Mt. Ephraim to look for a place to stay. When he met Micah, and Micah asked him to be his priest for certain wages, the Levite agreed and became to Micah like a son. Micah felt like the Lord would bless him now, because he had a Levite for a priest. Remember that God gave the priesthood to the Levites:

Micah Bible Study Truth
Who Was Micah in the Bible Warning

At that time, the tribe of Dan sent five men out to search the land because their inheritance was too little for them, and the five stayed with Micah. When they recognized the young Levite, they asked how he came to be Micah's priest, so he explained.

Then the men from the tribe of Dan asked him to ask God if their search would be successful, and the Levite affirmed that the Lord was with them and to go in peace.

So the five Danites left and when they came to Laish, they noticed that the people there lived very securely, with no worries and no ruler. Though they lived comfortably, like the Zidonians, the city was far from Zidon, and they minded their own business, and were very private, having no business or allies with anyone.

The five spies returned to the tribe of Dan and said, Hurry, let's possess their land. It is very good ... Don't hesitate, nothing is lacking there. God has given it to you.

Micah Bible Study Concern
Who Was Micah in the Bible Timeline

Six hundred soldiers went, and on their way, at the encouragement of the five spies, they came to the house of Micah and stole the images and teraphim and ephod. The priest asked them, What are you doing? And they answered, Be quiet and go with us. Would you rather be a priest to an entire tribe in Israel or to the house of just one man? The priest liked the idea and went willingly.

Micah and his neighbors discovered what had happened and caught up to the children of Dan when they were a good way off. The Danites said to Micah, What's your problem that you come after us with so many people? Micah answered, You took my gods and my priest and stole them away, what else do I own? And you ask me, What's my problem?

The children of Dan said, Don't let your voice be heard among us, lest you make someone angry, and you lose your life, with the lives of your family. Micah realized that they were too strong for him, and he went back home.

The children of Dan then destroyed the people of Laish and there was no one to help them because they had no ties with anyone, and it was far from Zidon ... There was nobody to rescue them.

Time Period Of Micah Bible Study
Who Was Micah in the Bible and What Was His Purpose

So the children of Dan built a city and lived there and called it Dan. They set up Micah's graven image and Jonathan (the grandson of Manasseh) and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity. Micah's graven image was set up and stood all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

There were probably many instances of this type of thing happening when there was no judge or king in Israel.

One thing I'd like to point out is that this story, as well as the next one, may be out of order, chronologically, if you consider that the tribe of Dan probably didn't wait almost 400 years after they inherited their land to decide to go seek more inheritance because of their population, because as time went by, it would become increasingly difficult to find land, unclaimed, to go and possess. Remember, Israel, geographically, is not that big of an expanse.

Micah Bible Study Lesson
Who Was Micah in the Bible Event

It also seems, the way the story begins by saying that there was no judge or king in Israel at that time, that it took place which means it may have occurred at about the same time as the next story, which is shared in the remainder of the book of Judges, which we will study next, and there is even more evidence in that story, that it took place before there were judges in Israel.

Come on along, join in the adventure, and see what I mean real soon, right here at Daily Bread.