Judg 17:10 | KingComments | STEP | The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses ( ). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it. He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” ( ). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life. The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice. But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah. Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man. By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest. In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis. Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God. No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” ( ). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” ( ).

‏ Judges 17:10

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Jdg 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Pro 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1Tim 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25).