And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-Judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
A young man steps into the story here with two identities: he is a Levite, yet he is tied to Bethlehem in Judah and only staying there. He will soon become the priest of a household idol, and the closing chapters of Judges record how that happened.
One writer explains what these closing chapters are there for:
The chapters that follow (Judges 17-21) do not stand in the historical order of this book. They lift the veil to show us some scenes from the inner life of this people, whom God patiently bore with for so long... They were self-willed, and nothing held them back, since they had no king. So every kind of loose living had room to spread.
The verse ties a man of Levi's tribe to a town in Judah. One reference work traces his family line and explains why that pairing is odd:
Son of Gershom and grandson of Moses or Manasseh... Though he was only a Levite, he acted as priest in the house of Micah, who had a carved image, an ephod, and household idols. Later he became priest to the tribe of Dan... He was called "a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah." This may mean that he had only lived there for a time. Bethlehem was not a Levite town. He had been staying wherever he could in those troubled times.
Bethlehem was not one of the Levites' towns, so this man was living away from his appointed place. The word "sojourned" marks him as staying for a while, not settled. One writer draws out what that wandering cost him:
The Levite himself is another sign of the times... He walks with the restless foot of a stranger in the very place where he could have claimed an inheritance, and he is ready to make his home where he should have been a stranger.
Bethlehem's name means "house of bread." So leaving it was more than a change of address. One writer sets this man beside Elimelech, who also left that town:
Here is a man who leaves the place that answers to faith in God's truth. He comes in all the restlessness of discontent, looking for something better for himself. You see it in Elimelech, who left Bethlehem, the house of bread, because he wanted food. You have the same thing here: a man leaving the house of bread to improve his position... Restless discontent will always take someone away from blessing, and it will certainly bring him lower than he ever thought he stood before.
Nothing in the verse says that God directed this journey. One writer makes that silence the lesson:
At this time a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, was traveling, looking for a convenient place to stay (v. 7). A Levite at the very least should have asked God to guide him about where he should be. Instead he was like some preachers today, who look for a church where they might find a more or less permanent position. One who is the Lord's servant should not be aimless and haphazard in what he does.
A few verses later this wanderer has a salary, clothing, and food — and a title he had no right to:
A Levite of Judah had a connection with the house of the Lord, but no right to the priesthood. He happened to pass that way, looking for a place to stay. Micah got hold of this man, who gave him the appearance of a proper religious line... Micah was doing well. He had installed a genuine Levite in his house. He valued him more than his own son, so he fed him and paid him. This was a ministry that man had set up.
Notice how little it took to win him over:
It took little persuasion. His food, a suit of clothes, a salary — these have won over many people in every age of the world.
God tells this story without adding a word of rebuke, and that restraint asks something of the reader:
He does not criticise, and He does not show anger. He tells the facts and sets them before us. Those who are spiritual discern what God condemns and what He approves. They also learn to keep away, as He Himself does, from every principle that this chapter paints in such a sad picture.
- Restless — discontent drives him out of the house of bread. He leaves blessing to improve his lot, and lands lower than he stood.
- Rootless — a stranger where he could have claimed an inheritance, at home where he should have been a stranger.
- Rudderless — no word of God directs the journey; a servant of the Lord is not meant to be aimless.
- Rented — food, clothes, and a salary win him over. A ministry set up by man replaces one set up by God.
- Recorded, not scolded — God lays the facts before us. The spiritual reader must discern what He condemns and stay clear of it.
And the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn where he might find [a place]. And as he journeyed, he came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah.
An unnamed Levite leaves Bethlehem in Judah and travels to the hill country of Ephraim, looking for somewhere to settle. Why was a man of Levi wandering at all, and what was he looking for?
Bethlehem means "house of bread." One commentator reads the Levite's departure as the move of a discontented heart, not of need.
Here is a man who leaves the place that answers to faith in divine truth. He comes, in all the restlessness of discontent, seeking something better for himself. You see the same in Elimelech, who left Bethlehem, the house of bread, because he wanted food. Here too a man leaves the house of bread to improve his condition. How could anyone improve his condition more than by being in the house of plenty? And yet unbelief always acts in that way. Restless discontent will always take a person away from blessing. It will bring him into a lower place than even he imagined he occupied before.
What is missing from the account is any mention of God. The man travels to find a place; he does not ask for one.
A Levite at least ought to have consulted God and let God guide him as to where he should be. Instead he was like some preachers today, who look for a church where they might find a more or less permanent position. One who is the Lord's servant should not be aimless and haphazard in what he does.
Levi owned no share of the land like the other tribes. Something better stood in its place.
The Levites have their cities marked out. They have no inheritance in the land as the other tribes do, because Jehovah is their inheritance.
So this man had a claim he never pressed. He went looking for a welcome where he had no business settling down.
He is one of the Levites of Judah. He stayed for a while in Bethlehem in Judah, and has wandered away again to find another temporary resting place wherever he can. He has the restless foot of a stranger where he might have claimed an inheritance. He is ready to find a home where he should have been a stranger. Little persuasion works on him. Food, a suit of clothes, a salary — these have worked on many in every age of the world. So the Levite exchanges his ministry for priesthood in the house of Micah, where the idolatry of the place is made to look holy by using Jehovah's name... The Christian world has shown every detail of this change: a manufactured priesthood for manufactured gods, covered with a fair name of orthodoxy. And men do what is right in their own eyes with great satisfaction!
Micah wanted a Levite in his house. The traveller wanted a living. Both got what they wanted.
A Levite of Judah had a connection with the house of the Lord, but no right to the priesthood. He happened to pass that way, looking for a place to stay. Micah got hold of this man, who brought him a semblance of religious succession... Micah was doing well. He had installed a genuine Levite in his house. He valued him more than his own son, and he supported and paid him. This was a ministry of man's appointing, set up on the same principles as what we have all around us in our days.
Micah is as eager as the Levite. One commentator traces that demand to the human heart itself.
Is it not the minister wanting to take the place of the priesthood? And on the other side, a people quite willing and eager that he should take that place? For you know the heart of man does not like to be in close contact with God. It likes very well to have somebody come in between him and God. That is how priesthood starts. It is very nice to have a man who will handle the more sacred and delicate parts of religion. He leaves you with a satisfied conscience, free to go on as you please.
Scripture reports the hiring and adds no comment. The silence is part of the lesson.
He does not criticise or express anger. He recounts the facts and places them before us. Those who are spiritual discern what God condemns and what He approves. They learn also to keep away, as He Himself does, from every principle in the sad picture this chapter gives us. The carnal man continues in his blindness.
- Discontent. The Levite leaves the house of bread to improve himself. Discontent always leads away from blessing to a lower place.
- No guidance. He looks for a place instead of asking God for one; the Lord's servant should not be aimless and haphazard.
- Forgotten portion. Levi's portion was the Lord Himself, and Levi had cities to live in. This man wandered as a stranger where he could have claimed his own.
- Cheap price. Food, clothing and a salary were enough to persuade him. The result was a ministry of man's appointing, with only a semblance of succession.
- Silent record. God records it all without comment. He leaves the spiritual to see what He condemns and to keep clear of it.
And Micah said to him, Whence comest thou? And he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem-Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].
Micah has made his own gods, and now a man arrives who can serve them. He is a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, with no home of his own, and his answer to Micah sets up the bargain that follows.
He names two things: Bethlehem, and the tribe of Levi, set apart to serve at God's house. Those two facts sit oddly together. One reference book explains why, and traces his family line.
He was the son of Gershom and the grandson of Moses — or of Manasseh. Though he was only a Levite, he acted as priest in the house of Micah, who had a carved image, an ephod and household idols. Later he became priest to the tribe of Dan. He asked the Lord for them, and gave an answer as if God had spoken to him. Judges 17:7-13; Judges 18:1-30. He was called "a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah." This may mean that he had only lived there. Bethlehem was not a Levitical city. He had been staying wherever he could in those troubled times.
Of all towns, he left Bethlehem — a name that means house of bread. One writer sets him beside Elimelech, who left the same town looking for food.
Here is a man who leaves the place that stands for faith in God's truth. He comes in all the restlessness of discontent, looking for something better for himself. You see the same thing in Elimelech, who left Bethlehem, the house of bread, because he wanted food. Here too a man leaves the house of bread to improve his position. How could anyone improve his position more than by staying in the house of plenty? Yet unbelief always acts this way. Restless discontent will always take a person away from blessing, and it will surely bring him lower than he ever thought he was before.
He only wants somewhere to stay. One writer reads that aim, and the small price that satisfied it, as the mark of a whole generation.
The Levite himself is another sign of the times. He belongs to the Levites of Judah. He has lived for a while in Bethlehem in Judah, and now he wanders off again to look for another temporary resting place. He walks as a restless stranger where he could have claimed an inheritance, and he is ready to make a home where he should have been a stranger. It takes very little to persuade him. His food, a suit of clothes, a salary — these have won over many people in every age. So the Levite trades his ministry for a priesthood in Micah's house, where the local idolatry is made to look holy by the use of the Lord's name. Christendom has shown every detail of this change: a manufactured priesthood for manufactured gods, all covered with the fair name of orthodoxy, and men doing what is right in their own eyes with great satisfaction.
Micah already had his images, and one of his own sons served as his priest. What he lacked was a Levite.
A Levite of Judah happened to pass that way, looking for a place to stay. As a Levite he had a link with the house of the Lord, but no right at all to the priesthood. Micah got hold of this man, who gave him the appearance of religious succession… Micah was making progress. He had installed a real Levite in his house. He valued him more than his own son, so he fed him and paid him. This was a ministry appointed by man, set up on the same principles as what we see all around us today.
The exchange reads like a job interview. One writer brings the parallel into the present.
Micah asked where he came from. When he learned that the man was a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, Micah saw a wonderful chance to have a Levite as his priest instead of his son (vv. 9-10). He offered him 10 shekels of silver a year, plus his food and lodging and a suit of clothes. People still strike such bargains in Christian circles today, hiring preachers on agreed terms. Scripture gives this no support at all, yet it looks reasonable to unspiritual people.
- Place, not portion. The Levite wanted only somewhere to stay. Bethlehem was not a Levitical city, so he had been living wherever he could.
- Leaving bread. Restless discontent moved him out of the house of bread. That discontent always carries a person away from blessing, and leaves him lower than before.
- A cheap price. Food, clothing and a yearly wage were enough to move him — terms that have moved many in every age.
- A borrowed name. Micah wanted a Levite, not the word of God. The man had a link to God's house but no right to the priesthood, so Micah bought only the appearance of succession.
- Still on offer. The same arrangement stands today wherever people hire a preacher on agreed terms. It looks reasonable to unspiritual people, yet Scripture gives it no support.
And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give thee yearly ten silver-pieces, and a suit of garments, and thy victuals. And the Levite went in.
A man in the hill country of Ephraim has already built himself a shrine, made images, and ordained one of his own sons. Now a travelling Levite passes his door, and Micah offers him a wage, clothes, and food to take the job instead. What makes a man a priest, and what price will buy one?
The Levite in this story was not sent; he was drifting, and that is what made him available.
He walks with the restless foot of a stranger in the place where he might have claimed an inheritance. And he is ready to make his home where he should have been a stranger. It takes little persuading to win him. His food, a suit of clothes, a salary — that offer has won over many in every age of the world. So the Levite exchanges his ministry for priesthood in the house of Micah, where Jehovah's name makes the idolatry of the place look holy.
Micah was not hiring a stranger off the street. Note what this man was, and what he agreed to become.
A Levite of Judah had a connection with the house of the Lord as such, but no right at all to the priesthood. He happened to pass that way, looking for a place to stay. Micah got hold of this man, who brought him a semblance of religious succession. "Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living" (v. 10). Micah was doing well. He had installed a real Levite in his house. He valued him above his own son, and he fed him and paid him. This was a ministry of man's appointing, set up on the same principles as what we have all around us in our own days.
The title Micah offers is the heart of the verse. The demand for such a man comes from both sides at once.
Is it not the minister wanting to take the place of the priesthood? And on the other hand, a people quite willing and eager that he should take that place? For you know the heart of man does not like close contact with God. It likes very much to have somebody come in between him and God. That is how priesthood starts. It is very nice to have a man who will look after the more sacred and delicate parts of religion. He leaves you with a satisfied conscience, free to go on as you please.
Against Micah's invented office stands a simple count.
True ministry of the Word is a blessed thing. But let us remember that there are only two classes of priests. One class has just one figure in it: the High Priest. No one dare take His place. The other class of priesthood has in it all God's people. "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood." The two classes are Christ alone, and all His people. But the man-made priesthood always takes ministry, which should be service, and turns it into priesthood. In the old days, the Levite prepared the sacrifice so that the priest could offer it to God. In the same way, all true ministry prepares the materials of divine truth for God's people, so that they may present them as the sacrifice of their hearts.
Both sides of this bargain are at fault.
The Levite ought to have had sense enough to refuse this. He had all the more reason to refuse, since it tied him to idols and also raised him to the priesthood, which was gross wickedness. But he was blind to the serious evil laid as a snare at his feet. They made the agreement, and then Micah consecrated the Levite as a priest, as he had done with his son. Who gave Micah the authority to consecrate a priest?
The arrangement does not last. Men from the tribe of Dan later rob Micah, and the priest he paid for goes over to them.
The hired priest shows himself to be just that — hired. A greater personal advantage to himself at once outweighs every obligation to his employer. He is "glad" of the robbery he will profit from. For the Danites, as with other priest-minded men today, there is no need to respect the man whose office is supposed to give him the ear of God.
- Drift. The Levite was wandering when Micah found him. A restless man who wants to better himself is what every false arrangement needs.
- Price. Food, a suit of clothes, and a yearly wage were enough to buy him — a sum that has persuaded men in every age since.
- Title. "Father and priest" puts a man between the soul and God. People want that, because the heart prefers a go-between to closeness with God.
- Truth. Scripture knows only two priesthoods. Christ alone is High Priest, and all His people are priests together. Ministry serves that priesthood; it never replaces it.
- End. A hired priest stays hired — when a better offer comes, the man who was bought is glad to be bought again.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.
Micah offered a passing Levite his food, a suit of clothes and a yearly wage to serve as his household priest. This verse is the Levite's answer: he stayed, and the man who had made his own gods now had a real Levite treated like one of the family.
The Levite's contentment here ends a restless journey. He had left Bethlehem, whose name means "house of bread", looking for something better.
Here is a man who leaves the place that answers to faith in divine truth. He comes in all the restlessness of discontent, seeking something better for himself. He leaves Bethlehem, the house of bread, to improve his condition. How could anyone improve his condition more than by being in the house of plenty? And yet unbelief always acts that way. Restless discontent will always take a person away from blessing. It will surely bring him into a lower place than he thought he occupied before.
Notice how little it took to secure him, and what he handed over in return.
Little persuasion works on him. His food, a suit of clothes, a salary — these have worked on many in every age of the world. So the Levite exchanges his ministry for priesthood in the house of Micah, where Jehovah's name makes the idolatry of the place look holy. Christendom has displayed every detail of this change, and it does not seem to have taken long: a manufactured priesthood for manufactured gods, all covered with a fair name of orthodoxy, while men do what is right in their own eyes with great satisfaction.
Micah had already made one of his own sons a priest. Now a passing Levite takes that place — treated as family, paid as staff.
A Levite of Judah came past, looking for a place to stay. As a Levite he had a link with the house of the Lord, but no right at all to the priesthood. Micah got hold of this man, who gave him the appearance of religious succession. Micah was getting on; he had installed a genuine Levite in his house. Valuing him more highly than his son, he supported him and paid him. This was a ministry of man's appointing, set up on the same principles as what we see all around us today.
Nobody in the story asks where Micah's authority came from.
The Levite should have had sense enough to refuse this, especially since it involved him with idols and also raised him to the priesthood, which was gross wickedness. But he was plainly blind to the serious evil laid as a snare for his feet. Then Micah consecrated the Levite as a priest, as he had done with his son. Who gave Micah the authority to consecrate a priest?
The arrangement suited both sides.
Is it not the minister wanting to take the place of the priesthood? And is it not a people quite willing and eager for him to take that place? For the heart of man does not like close contact with God; it likes very well to have somebody come in between. That is how priesthood originates. It is very convenient to have a man who will attend to the more sacred and delicate parts of religion, and leave you with a satisfied conscience, free to go on as you please.
The true order runs the other way:
There are only two classes of priests. One class has only one figure in it, the High Priest. No one dares to take His place. The other class of priesthood contains all God's people. "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood." The two classes are Christ alone, and all His people. But the man-made priesthood will always take ministry, which should be for service, and turn it into priesthood. In the old days the Levite prepared the sacrifice so that the priest could offer it to God. In the same way, all true ministry simply prepares the materials of divine truth for God's people, so that they may present them as the sacrifice of their hearts.
His contentment lasted only until a better offer came.
Later on the tribe of Dan came by again, armed. The first thing they did was carry off Micah's gods and take complete possession of his priest. They set the promotion before him in the most dazzling way: "Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?" He got a call to a more influential and better-paid position. The will of God in the matter never entered the priest's mind. His heart was glad when the call came to a new post.
- Restless — he left the house of bread to better himself, and landed in a lower place than before.
- Wanted — people like a man standing between them and God, because it leaves the conscience comfortable.
- Hired — his food, a suit of clothes and a yearly wage bought his service for an office that was never his.
- Installed — Micah prized him above his own son, yet no one ever gave Micah authority to make a priest.
- Sold — a salary holds a man only until someone bids higher, and Dan bid higher.
And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
Micah has already made images and a shrine in his own house. Now he takes a passing Levite and makes him his household priest — and the commentators ask who gave him the right.
So where does a self-made religion find a priest? One writer traces Micah's logic:
It seems an easy thing to do; a man who has made a god can surely consecrate a priest to take care of the god.
Micah acts as though consecration were his to give. Another writer turns that on practice today:
Yet similarly today, people are "ordained" by those who have no God-given authority whatever. In fact, each independent "church" has its own policies of ordaining. They think that God told Moses to consecrate priests from Aaron's line, so they treat that as permission to consecrate priests or pastors or "reverends" as they see fit! … But in the New Testament there is no suggestion of God giving to any man the authority to ordain others to any spiritual position.
The other half of the deal is the young man himself. He had a service of his own, and he trades it away:
The Levite himself is another sign of the times. … He is a restless stranger where he might have claimed an inheritance, and he is ready to make a home where he should have stayed a stranger. It takes little to persuade him. Food, a suit of clothes, a salary — these have won over many people in every age. So the Levite exchanges his ministry for a priesthood in Micah's house, where the Lord's name makes the idolatry of the place look holy.
What Micah gains is the look of legitimacy. One writer explains what a Levite could and could not give him:
A Levite of Judah had a connection with the house of the Lord, but no right at all to the priesthood. … Micah got hold of this man, who gave him the appearance of religious succession. … Micah was making progress: he had installed a genuine Levite in his house. He valued him more than his own son, and supported and paid him. This was a ministry of man's appointing, set up on the same principles as what we have all around us in our days.
One writer notices which part of all this troubled Micah, and which part did not:
The matter of priesthood troubles him. He first consecrates one of his sons as his priest, but he is uneasy about it: some memory of the law will not let him rest. Strange that we find no sign of alarm in his conscience about his rival tabernacle, or even about his carved and cast metal gods! … Conscience may be alive and sensitive on certain points, when on others it seems dead or paralysed. It is often the small thing that conscience feels, while to the greater it gives no response. … Here, as with Micah, the awakened soul is usually quieted again by some half-truth, which is only a perversion of truth. A Levite becomes his priest, and now he is glowing with satisfaction!
Micah keeps the forms, and he uses the Lord's name throughout. One writer refuses to let that count for anything:
What use is the show of the Lord's name, or the form of consecrating a Levite to be priest? Ceremony is easy, and human nature likes it. There is usually most ceremony where there is least power or reality. One thing is certain: the whole business was seriously evil. It was no less evil because Micah settled down convinced, saying, "Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest."
- Made god, made priest. Micah made his images first. Consecrating a priest to look after them was the next easy step in the same self-made religion.
- Made authority. Nobody gave Micah the right to consecrate. Commentators say the same of ordinations today, done by people God never authorised.
- Made bargain. Food, clothes and a salary bought the Levite. He swapped his own service for a priesthood that was never his, and that price has won over many in every age.
- Made peace. The Levite settled Micah's unease about his son-priest, and the images stayed where they were. Conscience was awake on the small thing, asleep on the great one.
- Made nothing. Micah used the Lord's name over all of it. But ceremony is easiest where reality is least, and his confidence rested on a priest of his own making.
Then said Micah, Now I know that Jehovah will do me good, because I have the Levite for priest.
Micah had a shrine in his own house, silver idols in it, and one of his sons acting as priest — then he hired a wandering Levite instead. He sounds completely sure of God — which raises the question: can a man secure God's favour by getting his religious arrangements right?
Micah's confidence rests on having the right man in the job:
What good is the show of the LORD's name, or the form of consecrating a Levite to be priest? Ceremony is easy and attractive to human nature, and there is usually more of it where there is least power or reality. It is at least certain that the whole business was terribly evil, and none the less so because Micah settles down with the persuasion, "Now I know that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest."
Micah had been uneasy — but only about one detail, and the fix silenced him:
The matter of priesthood troubles him. He first consecrates one of his sons to be his priest, but he is uneasy about it; some memory of the law will not let him rest. Strange that nothing suggests any alarm of conscience about his rival shrine, or even about his carved and cast gods! And we often find this strange inconsistency among men. Conscience may be alive and sensitive on certain points, while on others it seems dead or paralysed... And some half-truth easily quiets the awakened soul again — a half-truth that is only a twisting of the truth. A Levite becomes his priest: and now he is radiant with satisfaction, and knows for certain that the LORD will do him good!
Micah supplied every part of his own religion. One writer sets against it the only priesthood God gives:
Here is a man-made god, a man-made worship and a man-made priest... We have but one Priest as the people of God, and that is our gracious Lord. Through His infinite grace He makes all true believers priests with Him. We are a holy and a royal priesthood. Any other priesthood is man-made... Religious service is so much reduced to a commercial basis. And there is the delusion of thinking that the Lord must surely bless and give prosperity.
The Levite came cheap:
He has the restless foot of a stranger where he might have claimed an inheritance. And he is ready to settle down where he should have been a stranger. It takes little persuasion. His food, a suit of clothes, a salary — that has won over many men in every age of the world. So the Levite trades his ministry for priesthood in the house of Micah, where the idolatry of the place is sanctified with the LORD's name.
The Levite wanted to rise, and Micah wanted someone else to carry his religion for him:
He is only a Levite. In his restlessness he had often wished himself on a higher level — wished that he were a priest, a man with not only the right to serve in divine things, but the right of access, standing between God and His people as a channel of communication. Here is the opportunity. Micah invites him into his house, to be a father and a priest to him. He is to take charge of all Micah's religious interests. Micah will then be free from any care or difficulty about them, because he hands them all over to another man who takes full charge of them... the heart of man does not like to be in close contact with God. It is very glad to have somebody come in between. That is how priesthood begins. It is very pleasant to have a man who will attend to the more sacred and delicate parts of religion, and leave you with a satisfied conscience, free to go on as you please.
God never stops to condemn Micah here. One writer explains who is meant to see through the scene:
He does not criticise or express indignation. He states the facts and places them before us. Those who are spiritual discern what God condemns and what He approves. They also learn to keep away, as He Himself does, from all the principles this chapter pictures so sadly. The unspiritual man continues in his blindness. Micah, doing what was right in his own eyes, thought he could win the favour of the LORD!
In the next chapter armed men from the tribe of Dan carry off both his gods and his priest:
Micah did not realise that he was far better off without these things. He had said earlier that he knew the Lord would be good to him because he had a Levite as priest (17:13). But now the Lord was being good to him in depriving him of the priest and his idols.
- Assumed. Micah never asked God anything. He arranged a religion, then announced that God approved.
- Quieted. His conscience troubled him about the wrong priest, never about the idols. Fixing the small thing silenced the large sin.
- Purchased. A salary, clothing and food bought a Levite out of his God-given service into a priesthood God never gave him.
- Convenient. A hired man between you and God leaves the conscience satisfied and the life unchanged. That is why people want one.
- Stripped. Micah's certainty ended with his gods carried away, and losing them was the real kindness God did him.