Judg 18:3 | KingComments | STEP | When the Danites come to Micah’s house, the Levite stands out by his way of talking. Apparently he doesn’t belong here. To satisfy their curiosity, they ask him a few questions. These questions could have opened the Levite’s eyes to the wrong he did and the false position he is in. At question one, the honest answer should have been that his own will had brought him here. But that question is not answered. The other two questions are answered correctly. He exercises the priesthood for Micah, who gives him money for it and allows him to enjoy other benefits as well ( ). The Levite is a by men consecrated priest and must do what Micah expects of him. We know this phenomenon today. In 2 Timothy 4 it says that there will be a time when people will be “[wanting] to have their ears tickled, … accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” ( ). In this time we live. For practicing their religion, people are looking for people who can speak nice and good, as long as their conscience is not addressed. They have to talk about the pleasant things of life. They may quote the Bible, as long as they explain it in the way they like. What is said must not condemn them, because then they choose another preacher. The norms and values given by God in the Bible should not be too clear. As a result, professing Christianity today shows no other image than the time we have before us in the book of Judges. The introduction of a clergy into Christianity began very early. It has been forgotten that it is not men who can appoint someone to a particular service, but that the Lord Jesus Himself has given gifts to His ‘body’, that is the church. We read “and He gave some [as] …” ( ), and “but now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” ( ). This does not involve negotiations on employment conditions, as is currently the case with the clergy. The gifts are for the whole church, not for a separate group. No group can claim a gift for itself. By the willful actions of man this is denied and pushed aside. Each group has its own prominent leaders. Also in this respect there is nothing new under the sun. This evil is already found in the church in Corinth. The apostle Paul addresses this matter in his first letter to them directly in the first chapter ( ).

‏ Judges 18:3

Question and Answer

When the Danites come to Micah’s house, the Levite stands out by his way of talking. Apparently he doesn’t belong here. To satisfy their curiosity, they ask him a few questions. These questions could have opened the Levite’s eyes to the wrong he did and the false position he is in.

At question one, the honest answer should have been that his own will had brought him here. But that question is not answered. The other two questions are answered correctly. He exercises the priesthood for Micah, who gives him money for it and allows him to enjoy other benefits as well (Jdg 17:10). The Levite is a by men consecrated priest and must do what Micah expects of him.

We know this phenomenon today. In 2 Timothy 4 it says that there will be a time when people will be “[wanting] to have their ears tickled, … accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2Tim 4:3). In this time we live. For practicing their religion, people are looking for people who can speak nice and good, as long as their conscience is not addressed. They have to talk about the pleasant things of life. They may quote the Bible, as long as they explain it in the way they like. What is said must not condemn them, because then they choose another preacher. The norms and values given by God in the Bible should not be too clear.

As a result, professing Christianity today shows no other image than the time we have before us in the book of Judges. The introduction of a clergy into Christianity began very early. It has been forgotten that it is not men who can appoint someone to a particular service, but that the Lord Jesus Himself has given gifts to His ‘body’, that is the church. We read “and He gave some [as] …” (Eph 4:11), and “but now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1Cor 12:18). This does not involve negotiations on employment conditions, as is currently the case with the clergy.

The gifts are for the whole church, not for a separate group. No group can claim a gift for itself. By the willful actions of man this is denied and pushed aside. Each group has its own prominent leaders. Also in this respect there is nothing new under the sun. This evil is already found in the church in Corinth. The apostle Paul addresses this matter in his first letter to them directly in the first chapter (1Cor 1:10-13).