Jonathan and Micah, two names found often in the Bible. The two best of each we may come up with are Micah the minor prophet and Jonathan, the son of Saul.
Who would be the worst two? Possibly those found in Judges 17 and 18
Famous names, infamous deeds.
⁃ Jonathan the Levite:Bethlehem to Micah’s house in the mountains of Ephraim. (Micah has idols in his house as their objects of worship and Jonathan becomes his household priest to help them to worship these idols. )
⁃ Daniel spies: Zorah to Micah’s house to Laish and back home.
Why is this story here? There were no judges. Men did what was right in their own eyes. The story starts out bad and ends up worse.
1. The folly of self-centered religion. No one in this story ever asks I wonder what God wants us to do. Micah takes down the army of Dan and his main concern is the theft of the gods he has made. He is fixated on his own personal loss.
2. The power of generational decline. The Law of Moses has apparently been forgotten. It’s like old songs that haven’t been led in years and years that go by the wayside. Similarly, the current generation hasn’t heard a lot of the same sermons some of us who have been in the church for 30-40 years.
3. The impossibility of competing on worldly terms. Jonathan was attracted by the things Micah offered as his priest – a suit of clothes and 10 pieces of silver. When the Danites came along they merely upped the offer – you can be a priest over a whole tribe, not just one house. When we decide to serve God with a congregation, what criteria do we use? The singing? The friendliness of the group? Instead, how about we are here because God has given us His will and we are committed to honoring Him and we ask in everything we do – what does God wants us to do?
4. The receptiveness of outcomes. The success of the Danites on their journey had nothing to do with their devotion to God. Same with Micah. His circumstances were not a sign of anything at all. Confirmation bias is a term for one to see what they want to see, and overemphasize the things we believe to be so. The idolatry of Dan continued for hundreds of years and eventually came to nothing.
5. The danger of settling for the easy way. The Danites faced a challenge and looked for the easy way out. Why face conflict when there may be an easier way? When truth needs to be defended, don’t take the easy way out.
There is a king in Israel. Do what is right in His eyes!
Sermon by Erin Percell
