1. Judges 18:20 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How does the priest’s reaction disappoint?

Judges 18:20 (ESV)

20 And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.

We as readers would hope that the priest would object to being a father and priest of a whole tribe, or of one man’s family for that matter. Neither position brings any glory to the Lord. Instead, we see that the priest’s reaction is immediate and positive: The priest’s heart was glad. He does not give a moment’s thought to Micah, who took him in when he was a jobless vagabond. And he just does not care about God’s calling for priests. Instead, he is after money and status, and the greedy Danites have appealed to his materialism and self-promotion.