Men of the Cloth, Bought Off
Men of the Cloth, Bought Off
Judges 18:19-20
“And they said to him, “… be to us a father and a priest. 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?” And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.
I find it tragically ironic that while these Danites think they’ve struck a good bargain in their deal with this Levite, the very handshake that marks the deal’s commencement marks its collapse. For there are two things a man of the cloth who malpractices his sacred vocation can never be: a father and a priest.
Aren’t you deeply troubled, friend, when you see someone blatantly walk away from God but then point to favorable circumstances as a means of claiming God’s approval? Doesn’t it irk you that the path of rebellion is often marked by successes more than failures? The kind that make you step back and say, “That was no coincidence—this must’ve been the hand of God!” That’s what troubles me most about this brief cautionary tale in Judges 18. The fact that, at every turn, as one promotion leads to another, this Levite becomes more and more deceived in his heart, convincing himself that his actions must not be so sacrilegious after all, that the shrine and metal idol he sacrifices beside from day to day aren’t all that bad, and that these men who suddenly show up at his door out of the blue to offer an even better job opportunity are signs that his sainthood is rapidly advancing with his career. The appearance of God’s blessing is a critical condition to this Levite’s gladness here, friend. When he left home all those months ago, maybe he felt ashamed for being on the run; maybe he thought his days of being a Levite were far behind him—as far as Shiloh is from Ephraim. Oh, but then that job offer fell into his lap. Then fortune rewarded his prodigality with a paycheck. And now look at him! He’s a hot commodity. He’s the subject of a bidding war. And by all appearances, he’s got Almighty God wrapped around his finger.
Friend, remember the Scriptural truth that the rain falls on the wicked as much as the godly, and never measure your success on anything other than adherence to God’s Word.