Judges 17. The first appendix: What is God's prosperity?

Title: Judges 17. The first appendix: What is God's prosperity?

Verse 6 gives the theme of the appendices. "In those days there was no king in Israel." They did not regard Jehovah as their King, nor was there a human king to enforce the worship of Jehovah at Shiloh.

Rather than having a central figure in their hearts as the name of God, or on a throne to enforce the proper worship of the people, we find a mother who blesses and curses in the name of Jehovah, while her actions go contrary to that name. We find a son who has an orthodox name, but commits the ultimate sin against that name by establishing a cult system in his home.

Micah finds a Levite as a new priest.

Jdg 17:7 Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there.

Jdg 17:8 Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.

The unnamed Levite sojourned in Bethlehem of Judah. Since Bethlehem is not a Levitical city [there were 48 cities set aside for the Levites], this man was not born there. He likely ministered his form of idolatry mixed with Jehovah worship in Bethlehem and something happened that ended his employment, so he set out to find another.

Since Israel by this time had become so Canaanized, it is likely that many prominent families had cult systems built up in their own homes, and it is also likely that they were willing to pay handsomely for a Levite to officiate their form of Jehovah/Baal syncretism.

The Levite is in search of employment, which shows us that the people are not supporting them. The Levites were supposed to teach the people and receive sustenance, but this wasn't happening.

We don't have a specialized priesthood in the church. In the body of Christ, all believers are priests. The situation of the priests in Israel at this time would be analogous to the condition of church leaders (pastors, deacons, directors, etc.) in a nation during times of apostasy. Men behave badly in all dispensations, and in times of apostasy in a nation, the majority of the Christian church has left aside the foundation of the NT epistles in favor of selling out to the world for bigger turnouts and greater wealth, just as the Levites had sold out in Israel at this time.  

This account will show that the tribe of Levi was also infected with syncretism. The people are infected and the clergy are infected.

The few of the remnant of the uninfected in every generation must remain diligent.

2Ti 4:1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

2Ti 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires;

2Ti 4:4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.

2Ti 4:5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

2Ti 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

The few of the remnant of the uninfected must remain diligent.

The remnant maintain the truth and love of Christ in their hearts and they must remain diligent to guard and protect it so that when some of the majority are ready for it, God can send one of the remnant to give it freely.

The Levite is in search of work and he is willing to minster to any house despite their cult, idol worship.

Jdg 17:9 And Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to stay wherever I may find a place."

Jdg 17:10 Micah then said to him, "Dwell with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your maintenance." So the Levite went in.

"be a father" - a title of respect. "a priest" - a private priest for the family.

Micah's son, the former priest, must have been sorely disappointed, but we don't hear of anything concerning him.

Not all Levites could be priests. Only those who were direct descendants of Aaron could be priests. As we will see, this man was not a descendant of Aaron and so was not qualified to be a priest.

We find out at the end of the story that his name was Jonathan, and that he was a descendent of Moses and not his brother Aaron, which qualified him minister to the Tabernacle, but not to be a priest.  

Jdg 17:11 And the Levite agreed to live with the man; and the young man became to him like one of his sons.

Jdg 17:12 So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah.

Jdg 17:13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest."

Micah makes an expression of superstition and not of faith. The Levite is his good luck charm. The people and the priesthood have been Canaanized.

A right thing must be done in a right way. Micah seeks prosperity from Yavah, and that is a right and good thing, but he goes about it in a very wrong way.

Roman's says that perseverance produces proven character or testability [dokimazo]. Character is to be free from the love of money. We are to be conformed to the image of Christ and we are to follow his example and the example of the apostle Paul who followed Him.

Right actions done for the wrong reason do not help to build the internal quality or character called virtue. God doesn't want people who follow particular rules, He wants people of a particular character.

It matters whether we do a thing willingly or unwillingly, happily or sullenly, through fear of public opinion or for its own sake. It matters whether we try to do independently from God or whether we rely in faith on the ministry of God the Holy Spirit. It matters if we are looking to the direction word of God in our minds while we do or whether we do according to tradition or human opinion.

Your earthly existence becomes heavenly when righteousness and truth run through your veins through practice.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Php 4:9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.

The verb prasso (to do) is used in the present tense, which means to continuously do, or to practice. It is used several times in the NT in this way.

We are not told that we can pick and choose which things to practice. It is whatever is … (vs. 8).

Unfortunately, very few people, even Christians, want all of Christianity. Most like some bits and parts of it, but few like the whole thing.

This should be expected because Christianity is Christ, perfect from heaven, and man is fleshly from earth. All of us have gone astray and so have departed from Christ. When we are united with Him through faith in the gospel, we retain much that is earthly and fleshly. The majority will take the bits of Christianity they like and then modify the rest that they don't like, and so they don't get very far in the full knowledge of Christ. This is why people will fight for quite opposite things and both will say that they are fighting for Christianity. We must accept it all.