We swim in the cultural waters of success, external appearance, money, and influence. If we are not careful, every person we interact with can become a commodity in our system of advancement. And it’s easy to justify. Doesn’t God want us to have bigger and better influence, to be in the room where everything happens? Then off we go, leveraging people for our own ends. And this can often take place in church or ministry settings. This is especially true in our social media-driven culture. Who is being seen with whom? Who is speaking where? Who was backstage or front row at that event? Who had a viral moment?
It’s a constant jockeying for access, publicity, and influence. But is God in it? Much of it is being done in His name and for His kingdom, but is He ultimately empowering this cycle and is He actually receiving glory? This phenomenon isn’t new. Social media, YouTube, and conference culture have only allowed us to scale and 10x it all. We’ve idolized the stage, physical or virtual, and the influence the stage can yield. But to what end? The New Testament writer James addressed the sin of partiality in his day, the giving of preference to rich people versus the poor. There’s also an interesting case study of the lure of money and influence in the Old Testament book of Judges.
After a focus on the twelve judges of Israel, the narrator of the book of Judges then highlights how Israel’s apostasy had trickled down to individuals within the tribes. Chapter 17 begins with the story of a man named Micah who stole quite a bit of silver from his wealthy mother, confessed to her, and restored it to her. She even blessed Yahweh as a result (17:1-2). But then she wanted him to use some silver to make an idol for Yahweh, so Micah made household gods, an ephod, and a shrine in their home. He even ordained one of his sons to serve as a household priest.
Micah’s story shows the depth of how Canaanized Israel had become in their efforts to syncretize true worship of Yahweh with unacceptable practices of false worship. They violated God’s command to have no idols (Ex 20:40-5). They disregarded the laws about where worship should take place and about who was to serve as priests (a role reserved for those from the tribe of Levi). This is why the narrator reminds the reader, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jgs 17:6).
A second incident involving Micah elaborates on Israel’s apostasy. An actual Levite traveled through Micah’s town and interacted with him. This felt like a sudden, golden opportunity. Micah recruited this Levite and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse—to live in Micah’s home and be his personal priest. Unfortunately, this Levite seemed to have no sense of divine calling and no responsibilities, so he took the path of least resistance and accepted the job. This newly appointed priest-for-hire was now set with a place to live, a position, an expense account, and some fancy new outfits. And, Micah thought he had followed God’s rules by hiring a priest from the tribe of Levi. “Now I know the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest,” he exclaimed (17:13). For Micah, this was a chance to capitalize on a religious leader, one susceptible to money and prestige, to essentially manipulate God.
But chapter 18 of Judges details how quickly this opportunity for Micah changed. A group of Israelites from the tribe of Dan heard of Micah’s wealth and traveled to take his idol, household gods, and other idolatrous paraphernalia. They even lured Micah’s priest away with the promise of more money and a broader exposure for his “ministry” (18:19-20). Then the Danites, for purely humanistic reasons, decided to destroy the people of the town Laish, who were known as quiet, wealthy, and safe (18:7). After burning Laish to the ground, these men changed the name of the city to Dan in honor of their tribe, took Jonathan the Levite for their priest, and set up Micah’s idol for themselves (18:29-31).
Everyone indeed was doing what was right in their own eyes and no king remained in Israel.
Religious syncretism, mentioned in several of these devotionals, is dangerous. Micah and his mother appeared to try and worship Yahweh but used unacceptable and idolatrous means. They were sincere but still pagan. This version of syncretism is becoming more prevalent today—Individuals believe in God and respect Jesus but also look to Buddha or astrology for enlightenment and guidance. They might even attend a Bible-teaching church but also consult a horoscope each morning. The God of the Bible, the one true God, is jealous and demands that His people be exclusively devoted to Him. This may sound harsh and restrictive, especially in our increasingly tolerant society, but it’s true and biblical nonetheless. It’s helpful for us to remember that we cannot truly worship God while worshiping other gods or with means that are unacceptable, regardless of how sincere we might be.
Take a minute to think about the role of pragmatism and opportunism in this passage. Micah attempted to gain favor with God by gaining favor with religious leaders. But the Levite was willing to go along with and take advantage of Micah’s man-made religious system. They both were pragmatists and opportunists for their own advantage. It appears Micah treated his personal, in-house religious leader like a good luck charm, a means of trying to manipulate God to bring blessing and success. And the relationship appealed to the priest’s ego and ambition as well. The religious leader was driven by pragmatics, not by theological conviction. His “spiritual service” was not based on the call of God, but rather on the opportunity for personal gain.
This same kind of arrangement can happen easily in churches today-– successful business people or political leaders courting the closeness and favor of their pastors to supposedly curry more favor from God. And, pastors showing partiality to the rich, wealthy, and celebrities to take advantage of the opportunity for personal gain. Access, publicity, introductions, book deals, VIP seats, expensive gifts. But external “success” is not necessarily a sign of God’s blessing or an indication that we are doing something right. Sometimes it is the opposite. Often, this kind of “success” is the direct result of man-made efforts to gain power and influence, usually at the expense of others.
Part of wisdom, living in light of reality, is to examine our own hearts and motives.
What is driving us? Why are we so enamored with wealthy people and celebrities? Why do we want to be close to them and then let everyone else know of that closeness, even if it is just a chance meeting or casual interaction? What does our infatuation with being famous and successful reveal about our hearts? If we are honest, gaining access to celebrities or successful people is often an effort to make ourselves look good, to in some way reflect their status onto ourselves.
If you are considered a ministry leader or pastor, how do you decide who to spend time with? Do you first calculate a quick cost-benefit analysis? “What potential return or benefit can I expect to get for spending time with this person?” Perhaps they are just a strategic means of getting access to someone they know. Perhaps they are just a means of accomplishing your agenda and vision, not theirs. Do you see the challenge with this? Do you see the need for discernment?
May God graciously shine a light on our souls and give us the wisdom we need to avoid trying to manipulate Him.
[Written by Dr. Bobo Beck, the author of Wisdom Calling and host of The Wisdom Calling Podcast, where he helps Christian professionals think more critically and live more strategically, all from a wisdom-based perspective. This discussion is adapted from Volume 1/Devotional 26, Ministry LLC, which is part of the Wisdom Calling devotional series. For more information, visit www.wisdomcalling.org.]