Thursday, September 4, 2008

Ambition and Opportunity

The stories out of the book Judges are ancient, and at one time there may have been more information surrounding the stories until they where compressed for canonization – or previously to the canonization process, who knows. The story of Samson was the last story within the book to describe the downward spiral in leadership that arouse periodically within the tribes of Israel.

The next story after Samson is of a rich Ephraimite that distorts the worship of Yahweh. In the process of things a young Levite comes to be a personal priest for the rich Ephraimite. Some spies within the tribe of Dan comes through the area on their way to scope out some land that the tribe might plunder, and spends the night with the rich Ephraimite. The tribe comes back through the area and basically steals the Ephraimite’s young Levitical priest. This priest establishes the cultic center for the tribe of Dan, in a city called Dan, and this place of worship becomes the foundation for one of the primary worship sites for the Northern Kingdom. The worship of the Northern Kingdom eventually becomes severely apostate.

The sin and success of Dan to some degree goes against the blessing and curse covenant in Deuteronomy. For a while a sinful agenda can succeed. The teaching of this text should teach to Christians that success of a church in its’ various endeavors is not a clear sign that one is right with God. The opposite could be the case. Time and time again God raised up a leader in the tribes during the time of the Judges, but once success came, each time the leader directed the fruits of success toward establishing an easy life for themselves. God is only called upon when things go ill. When things go right, He is forgotten. There is nothing new under the sun.

The young Levite leaves the rich Ephraimite because he is offered an opportunity to be the spiritual overseer of an entire tribe, instead of just a rich hamlet. The problem of a preacher being offered to pastor a small thriving church, or megachurch is not new. When it comes to ambition and opportunity, again, there is nothing new under the sun.

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