The themes of proper worship, syncretism (blending of gods and religions), and corruption are again emphasized. Micah in Hebrew means “who is like God”, and immediately we see that Micah is corrupt having stolen his mother’s silver – he is not like God. Both he and his mother are shown to be idolaters with a paganized view of God. The religious disorder of the time is clearly shown as Micah appoints his son to be the priest even though members of the tribe of Levi were to serve as priests. The writer suggests that because there was no king, everyone in Israel did as they saw fit.

Danites were Israelite residents of the south, but because of pressure from unfriendly neighbors, most of the tribe relocated to the north. After hiring away (or kidnapping) Jonathan, the Danites set up Shiloh as a sacred place of worship. The great prophet Samuel (the book of Judges is followed by 1st and 2nd Samuel) was raised in Shiloh’s temple by the priest, Eli. Shiloh eventually became the central Israelite worship location; it housed the Ark of the Covenant until the city was razed and the Ark stolen by the Philistines. When David finally reclaimed the Ark, he took it to Jerusalem and affirmed the great city as the central place of Israelite worship.

When the kingdom of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom (c. 930 B.C.), and the monarchy divided, the Northern Kingdom may have reestablished Shiloh as a place of worship.