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Richter 17

Estudio

   

1 Und es war ein Mann vom Gebirge Ephraim, sein Name war Micha.

2 Und er sprach zu seiner Mutter: Die 1100 Sekel Silber, die dir genommen worden sind, und worüber du einen Fluch (Vergl. 3. Mose 5,1) getan und auch vor meinen Ohren geredet hast, siehe, das Silber ist bei mir; ich habe es genommen. Da sprach seine Mutter: Gesegnet sei mein Sohn von Jehova!

3 Und er gab die 1100 Sekel Silber seiner Mutter zurück. Und seine Mutter sprach: Das Silber hatte ich von meiner Hand Jehova geheiligt für meinen Sohn, um ein geschnitztes Bild und ein gegossenes Bild zu machen; und nun gebe ich es dir zurück.

4 Und er gab das Silber seiner Mutter zurück. Und seine Mutter nahm zweihundert Sekel Silber und gab sie dem Goldschmied, und der machte daraus ein geschnitztes Bild und ein gegossenes Bild; und es war im Hause Michas.

5 Und der Mann Micha hatte ein Gotteshaus; und er machte ein Ephod und Teraphim und weihte einen von seinen Söhnen, und er wurde sein (Eig. ihm zum) Priester.

6 In jenen Tagen war kein König in Israel; ein jeder tat, was recht war in seinen Augen.

7 Und es war ein Jüngling aus Bethlehem-Juda vom Geschlecht Juda; der war ein Levit (Die Leviten wurden betrachtet als dem Stamme angehörend, in dessen Gebiet sie ansässig waren) und hielt sich daselbst auf.

8 Und der Mann zog aus der Stadt, aus Bethlehem-Juda, um sich aufzuhalten, wo er es treffen würde. Und indem er seines Weges zog, kam er in das Gebirge Ephraim bis zum Hause Michas.

9 Und Micha sprach zu ihm: Woher kommst du? Und er sprach zu ihm: Ich bin ein Levit aus Bethlehem-Juda; und ich gehe hin, mich aufzuhalten, wo ich es treffen werde.

10 Da sprach Micha zu ihm: Bleibe bei mir, und sei mir ein Vater und ein Priester, (Eig. zum Vater und zum Priester) so werde ich dir jährlich zehn Sekel Silber geben und Ausrüstung an Kleidern und deinen Lebensunterhalt. Und der Levit ging hinein.

11 Und der Levit willigte ein, bei dem Manne zu bleiben; und der Jüngling ward ihm wie einer seiner Söhne.

12 Und Micha weihte den Leviten; und der Jüngling wurde sein (Eig. ihm zum) Priester und war im Hause Michas.

13 Und Micha sprach: Nun weiß ich, daß Jehova mir wohltun wird, denn ich habe einen (O. den) Leviten zum Priester.

   

Comentario

 

Exploring the Meaning of Judges 17

Por 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)

La Biblia

 

Deuteronomy 8

Estudio

   

1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

   

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