This is a story from the book of Judges, (17:7-13) a very up and down book to say the least. The time of the Judges came about after the death of Moses, the death of Joshua and no apparent leader to take the place of these two giants of leadership. The people of Israel were at loose ends due to no leader and what we see in the book are cycles of prosperity, indulgence and sin, falling away from God, judgment from God, conquering by a foreign nation, captivity, eventually back to prosperity, etc., etc. There are seven cycles like this throughout the book. It ends with these words, which I personally believe exemplify OUR day: “and because there was no leader in Israel, every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This story is about a man named Jonathan. He was a Levite, who was living in the town of Bethlehem, no one of the designated towns for priests to live in. He was probably there because the Israelites were not supporting the Tabernacle and it’s ministry as God had commanded them to do. (you can read about how God intended His work to be funded, especially OT times in the Pentateuch, particularly Exodus-Deuteronomy.) When God’s people grow indifferent to spiritual things one of the first evidences of their apathy is a decline in their giving to the work of the Lord! Instead of seeking the mind of God for his future, Jonathan set out to find a place to work and live even if it meant abandoning his calling as a servant of God. The nation was at a low ebb spiritually, and quite possibly he could have done something to bring them back to God. It was his responsibility to do just that. Even though he was only one man, that’s all God needs to begin a work that can change a nation. Instead of being available to God, he was agreeable to men. He eventually found himself a comfortable home and job with a man named Micah. If Jonathan was typical of God’s servants in that time period, it’s no wonder the nation was confused and corrupt. He had no appreciation for his high calling as a Levite…he was a chosen servant of God! The Levites were to assist the priests in ministry, they were to teach the law to the people, be involved in the sacred music and praises of Israel. Numbers 3:6-13; Nehemiah 8:7; 2 Chr 17:7-9; 35:3; Ezra 3:10.
Jonathan gave it all up for comfort and security in the home of an idolater. Now bear in mind, Jonathan’s ministry with Micah wasn’t a spiritual ministry at all. He was a hireling…not a true shepherd, Judges 18:4; John 10:12-13. He didn’t serve the true and living God; he worked for Micah and his idols. He wasn’t a spokesperson for the Lord, he gave people what they wanted to hear, Judges 18:6. When he was offered a new and more favorable position, more money and people, and he took it. He then assisted his new employer in stealing his former employers gods!
Whenever the church has a “hireling ministry” God can’t bless. We need true and faithful shepherds who are called of the Lord, and are actively and completely serving Him…and doing it His way. He is not doing it for personal gain but out of love for his Lord and Savior. He knows he is called to stay with the flock, feed them, protect them, and lead them to the best of his ability. He will stay with that flock until God tells him otherwise, not making a move until He tells him so. True shepherds receive their calling directly from God, it is not a job opportunity, read Galatians 1:6. It must grieve god to see His people worshipping the idols of ministerial success statistics, buildings, entertaining programs and music, reputations, and more worldly ideas. What makes it worse, these hirelings will call what’s happening the blessing of God. Jonathans and Micahs will always find each other.
God should have been King in Israel and His Word, law…but the people preferred to do their own thing, Judges 21-25. Take for instance the tribe of Dan, who didn’t accept the assigned the assigned (by God) territory, but coveted another’s place. Joshua 19:51 was to oppose the divine will. Isn’t it the same today??? We aren’t willing to accept what God gives and instead want what somebody else has, and will do almost anything to get it, James 4:1-3. The corruption that is in the world is fed by “evil desires,” 2 Peter 1:4. The elders of Israel should have put a stop to the men of Dan as they moved north to conquer another’s territory. Covetousness is strong, and once people get an appetite for “something more” it is difficult to control them. When the Danites met up with Jonathan, they asked his counsel and he told them what they wanted to hear. He told them about Micah’s collection of god’s and the spies invaded the shrine and stole them! The Danites then hired Jonathan thus silencing him, he was always ready for a better job! When Micah discovered the shrine had been vandalized, he called his neighbors and they pursued them. But it was useless and Micah had to go home defeated. In verse 24 Micah says “what else do I have?” This reveals the folly and tragedy of “religion” apart from the true and living God.
The tribe of Dan was the first tribe to adopt an idolatrous system of worship. Their house of worship was in Shiloh, but they preferred their images and idols. Years later when the kingdom divided, Jeroboam 1 set up golden calves in Dan and Beersheba and encouraged the whole nation to turn away from the God of Israel, I Kings 12:25-33. the story of Micah, Jonathan and the Danites is more than a story, it is the revelation of the wickedness of the human heart and the hopelessness of human society without God. We truly should be mindful of this story in our day…we are proceeding to do the same thing!
MORE TOMORROW
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