October 20, 2020
Ten Shekels and a Suit
Judges 17-18
Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Jonathan, the grandson of Moses, sold his soul for ten shekels and a suit. The introduction of apostasy into Israel was an infamous thing, It all began in a small way. A man named Micah stole 1,100 shekels of silver from his mother. Frightened by her curses, he confessed and restored the money. His mother took 200 shekels and had them made into idols, and Micah put them in a shrine.
About this time, a wandering Levite from Bethlehem showed up. Micah saw an opportunity to legitimize his false religion. He propositioned the Levite. “Come and dwell with me,” he said. “I will promote you from being a mere Levite to being my priest. I will feed you, and I will give you ten shekels of silver and a suit.” The Levite’s name was Jonathan (Judg. 18:30). His father was Gershom, the son of Moses (I Chron. 23:15). He was a contemporary of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, who is mentioned in his capacity of high priest as making inquiry before the Lord at a time of national crisis.
Thus early did apostasy rear its head in Israel. It seems incredible that Moses’ own grandson should be at the heart of this infamous thing. Once Micah had installed Jonathan as priest of his new religion, he felt he had legitimized it: “Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to [be] my priest,” he said (Judg. 17:13). He and his hired Levite had forgotten the second commandment: ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exod, 20:4-6).
Thus idolatry took root. It was an infamous thing, It was also an infectious thing. It started as a family affair but soon became a tribal affair. The tribe of Dan still had not settled in the territory assigned to it by God. It so happened that a band of landless Danites came across Jonathan, the Judean Levite. It seems that they knew: him, and they were curious about his new occupation and intrigued by his reply. The six hundred armed Danites were swift to make up their minds. “Forget this fellow, Micah, they said. “Come with us. We’ll make you priest to a whole tribe, Go and get the fellow’s gods.” The apostate Levite, a grandson of Moses, called of God to defend the Mosaic Law, was delighted. “The priests heart was glad,” the Holy Spirit says (Judg. 18:20). His fortune was made! And his judgment was sute.
Thus idolatry proved itself an infectious thing. The Danites “set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh” (v. 31).
Ten shekels and a suit! How cheaply an apostate Levite sold his soul and seemingly prospered. Soon the infection of apostasy spread to the whole nation of Israel. The days of the Judges saw the virus incubate and spread. It was cleared up by David, but broke out again under Solomon, and in the end it doomed the monarchy. It all began with ten shekels and a shirt. Now then, Jonathan, go and explain yourself to Moses and to God on the judgment side of death.