Bible

 

Soudců 17

Studie

   

1 Byl pak muž nějaký s hory Efraim, jehož jméno bylo Mícha.

2 Kterýž řekl matce své: Ten tisíc a sto stříbrných, kteříž vzati byli tobě, pro něž jsi zlořečila a mluvilas přede mnou, hle, stříbro to u mne jest, já jsem je vzal. I řekla matka jeho: Požehnaný jsi, synu můj, od Hospodina.

3 Navrátil tedy ten tisíc a sto stříbrných matce své. I řekla matka jeho: Jižť jsem zajisté posvětila stříbro to Hospodinu z ruky své, a tobě synu svému, aby udělán byl obraz rytý a slitý. Protož nyní dám je tobě.

4 On pak navrátil to stříbro matce své, z něhož vzala matka jeho dvě stě stříbrných, a dala zlatníku. I udělal z nich obraz rytý a slitý, kterýž byl v domě Míchově.

5 Měl pak ten Mícha chrám bohů, i udělal efod a terafim, a naplnil ruce jednoho z synů svých, aby mu byl knězem.

6 Toho času nebylo krále v Izraeli; jeden každý, což se mu za dobré vidělo, to činil.

7 Byl pak mládenec z Betléma Judova, totiž z čeledi Judovy, kterýž, jsa Levíta, byl tam pohostinu.

8 Odšel tedy člověk ten z města Betléma Judova, aby byl pohostinu, kdež by se mu koli nahodilo. I přišel na horu Efraim, až k domu Míchovu, jda cestou svou.

9 Jemuž řekl Mícha: Odkud jdeš? Odpověděl mu: Já jsem Levíta, z Betléma Judova beru se, abych byl pohostinu, kdež by mi se koli nahodilo.

10 I řekl jemu Mícha: Zůstaň u mne, a buď mi za otce a za kněze, a buduť dávati deset stříbrných na každý rok, a dvoje roucho i stravu tvou. I šel Levíta.

11 Líbilo se pak Levítovi zůstati u muže toho, a byl u něho mládenec ten, jako jeden z synů jeho.

12 I posvětil Mícha rukou Levíty, a byl mu mládenec ten za kněze; i bydlil v domě jeho.

13 Řekl pak Mícha: Nyníť vím, že mi dobře učiní Hospodin, proto že mám toho Levítu za kněze.

   

Komentář

 

Exploring the Meaning of Judges 17

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

The Story of Micah’s Idols

In this chapter, the story moves from the various judges of Israel to an anecdote that illustrates the overall worsening spiritual situation in the land. The people turn from the Lord and do more and more wrong among themselves. The last verse of the book of Judges is very telling, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” The same words come in the present chapter, in Judges 17:6.

In this story, a man named Micah (not to be confused with the prophet Micah) took a lot of silver money from his mother. He confesses that he did this, and returns the money to her. She says, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” She finds a silversmith to melt down the silver money to make an idol which gets set up in their house. One of Micah’s sons is then appointed as the priest to serve this idol.

The spiritual meaning of this is that an idol of any kind is a falsifying of our own worship and sense of the Lord. An idol is a ‘thing’ in a ‘place’, vested with power, whereas our worship and sense of the Lord is that he is fully everywhere and in everything. (Arcana Caelestia 3479, 3732) The essence of idolatry is that it emphasises external forms with no attention to the place and purpose of internal forms and realities. Our ‘idols’ can be whatever we love or desire or feel is important to us, over and above the Lord.

The story then shifts to a wandering Levite, a priest of Israel, who came from Bethlehem in Judah, and is looking for any place to stay. Israel had appointed six cities for Levites to live in, but this Levite is a wanderer. He eventually meets Micah, who takes him into his house and makes him a paid priest. Micah feels important because of this development.

This part of the story depicts the decline of Israel from its worship of the Lord to a state of allowing anything to be done if it seems right in someone’s eyes. The Levite is a trained priest, trained in the law of Moses, someone who should know the commandments of the Lord and also their prohibitions. This Levite is ‘looking for a place to go to’ which describes his apparent falling away from true priesthood. (See the description in Apocalypse Explained 444, about the Levites, and in Doctrine of Life 39 about priests.)

As well as indicating the extent of the spiritual fall of Israel into idolatry and wrong practices, this chapter representatively describes our own scope for moving away from a genuine worship of the Lord into a worship of ourselves and of the world, and the change that comes within us in doing this. It often changes very gradually and inexorably so that it is imperceptible even to ourselves. This is a danger, and the reason for our self-examination and vigilant care.

The name Micah means, “Who is like Jehovah God?” which is an ironical name for someone who turns away from God to substitute an idol made from silver money, in a completely false worship. In genuine repentance, we may ask, “Who is like Jehovah God?” implying that no one is like God, including ourselves, because we are all involved in wrong feelings, thinking and actions, and we know our need of and dependence on the Lord. (Apocalypse Revealed 531)

It is important to note the mother’s first words, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” saying this for his confession and return of the money. She begins her part in the story with the truest of statements, i.e. that the Lord wants to bless us, even while she may just be glad to have all her money back.

“Silver” in the Word can mean truths, truths of faith and truth of good, but in an opposite sense, when used dishonestly, it means falsities. (Arcana Caelestia 1551)

Bible

 

Joshua 21

Studie

   

1 Then the heads of fathers' houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.

2 They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "Yahweh commanded Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for our livestock."

3 The children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance, according to the commandment of Yahweh, these cities with their suburbs.

4 The lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. The children of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot out of the tribe of Judah, out of the tribe of the Simeonites, and out of the tribe of Benjamin.

5 The rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh.

6 The children of Gershon had thirteen cities by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, out of the tribe of Asher, out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

7 The children of Merari according to their families had twelve cities out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun.

8 The children of Israel gave these cities with their suburbs by lot to the Levites, as Yahweh commanded by Moses.

9 They gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are mentioned by name:

10 and they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot.

11 They gave them Kiriath Arba, named after the father of Anak (the same is Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, with its suburbs around it.

12 But they gave the fields of the city and its villages to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

13 To the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah with its suburbs,

14 Jattir with its suburbs, Eshtemoa with its suburbs,

15 Holon with its suburbs, Debir with its suburbs,

16 Ain with its suburbs, Juttah with its suburbs, and Beth Shemesh with its suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.

17 Out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its suburbs, Geba with its suburbs,

18 Anathoth with its suburbs, and Almon with its suburbs; four cities.

19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

20 The families of the children of Kohath, the Levites, even the rest of the children of Kohath, had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.

21 They gave them Shechem with its suburbs in the hill country of Ephraim, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Gezer with its suburbs,

22 Kibzaim with its suburbs, and Beth Horon with its suburbs; four cities.

23 Out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its suburbs, Gibbethon with its suburbs,

24 Aijalon with its suburbs, Gath Rimmon with its suburbs; four cities.

25 Out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its suburbs, and Gath Rimmon with its suburbs; two cities.

26 All the cities of the families of the rest of the children of Kohath were ten with their suburbs.

27 They gave to the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the half-tribe of Manasseh Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Be Eshterah with its suburbs; two cities.

28 Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion with its suburbs, Daberath with its suburbs,

29 Jarmuth with its suburbs, En Gannim with its suburbs; four cities.

30 Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with its suburbs, Abdon with its suburbs,

31 Helkath with its suburbs, and Rehob with its suburbs; four cities.

32 Out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, Hammothdor with its suburbs, and Kartan with its suburbs; three cities.

33 All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

34 To the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with its suburbs, Kartah with its suburbs,

35 Dimnah with its suburbs, and Nahalal with its suburbs; four cities.

36 Out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with its suburbs, Jahaz with its suburbs,

37 Kedemoth with its suburbs, and Mephaath with its suburbs; four cities.

38 Out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Mahanaim with its suburbs,

39 Heshbon with its suburbs, Jazer with its suburbs; four cities in all.

40 All these were the cities of the children of Merari according to their families, even the rest of the families of the Levites. Their lot was twelve cities.

41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs.

42 Each of these cities included their suburbs around them. It was this way with all these cities.

43 So Yahweh gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers. They possessed it, and lived in it.

44 Yahweh gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers. Not a man of all their enemies stood before them. Yahweh delivered all their enemies into their hand.

45 Nothing failed of any good thing which Yahweh had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.