Judg 18:3+4, When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there, and said to him, "Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?" And he said to them, "Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest."
In our last deliberation, we were left with the chilling declaration of the Prophet Hosea, in Hos 4:9. Hos 4:9, And it will be, like people, like priest; So I will punish them for their ways, And repay them for their deeds. 
The Lord sets before His people the choice of their desires or His will. When the people, the fellowship of believers, are themselves seeking the corruptness of this world, more concerned about their monetary gain and the comforts of this age, they will gather to themselves those religious preachers and teachers which tickle their ears. They will go here and there until they find someone who will tell them the things that encourages their selfish ways rather than the way of death to self and all its desires and corruption. They will not listen to the Word of the Lord which puts forth the reality that selling our souls for the gain of the world is anathema to the will and the plan and the purpose of God in His chosen people. …like people, like priest…
As we take a closer look at what should be the true course of every minister, we need to keep in mind that we will get the teacher and the preacher that we deserve. When we choose the way of this world, we will not hear anything other than what promotes that course of action. 
If, on the other hand, we are desirous after the heart of God and the depths of the yearning to please Him with the every decision and step of our walk on this earth, then we will not settle for anything less. We will hold our ministers and our teachers to the course of death to self for the Life of Jesus Christ to be the fruit of our fellowship together. 
Accordingly, we are in the midst of our consideration of the difference that is in place within those who participate in ministry simply as a job, or profession, as opposed to those who are responding to the call of the Lord. There is a very core element of disparity in place within the minds and the hearts that is centered in this distinction. 
	Those, who are simply doing a job, have no real inherent magnitude attached to the flock whom they are shepherding. They simply punch the clock, so to speak, checking out at the end of their shift, leaving the care of those in need to someone else who may currently be on shift. It is simply the manner of making sufficient funds to meet the desired livelihood, day to day and week to week. When issues arise and needs are exposed, these will be those who quickly abandon the care of that local community and look for another area in which to ply their trade. This will be in order to protect their own self interest. 
	The shepherd, whom the Lord calls, however, is not so ready to flee the troubles and the cares of the flock over which this responsibility has been invested. The concern is for the course in which the needs of those beloved can be met and can be alleviated. The needs of the flock take priority in the heart of such a called caretaker of those whom the Lord has made the people of this gathered and hungry flock. This chosen one lays down his life for the sake of those whom he is called to pastor and to guide and to feed and to lead to the water of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a job, it is a mission of passion and utmost responsibility.  
	That is the difference as illustrated in the passage of this morning. The priest was easily charmed away, first by Micah to come into this home for the yearly wages and comfort provided by that situation. Later, when he had the possibility of expanding his wealth and fame by becoming a more important individual as the priest of the much larger tribe of Dan, he plied his trade elsewhere. This was rather than just being the priest of one man and his limited family. This priest chose the way of increasing his portion, selling himself and his service for more sordid gain. 
What was at the heart of everything was how he could make a better living for himself rather than what would be of service to the Lord. There was really no thought of what God wanted and unto whom the Lord would have him be of service. It was all centered on how he could make a better and more comfortable life for himself as opposed to seeking out those whom he could help.
	Our Lord Jesus Christ has much to say concerning this as we can read together in John 10:7-18. This is something which every minister, pastor, missionary, teacher, deacon, and biblical parent needs to have embedded into the depths of each being. 
When we are called of the Lord, it is much more than a job or even a career. It is a matter of complete sacrifice of any desire for self-promotion or self-exaltation. It is a course of life that requires setting aside earthly desires and goals and thoughts of personal ambition in order to be ready to meet the every need of each of the members of the flock of the Lord’s chosen assembly.
	John 10:7-18, Jesus therefore said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. "All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. "He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd. "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." 
	God chooses those under-shepherds who will take the flock into their hearts and souls on the same basis as the Lord does for all the sheep. Each smaller gathering of the people of God is precious to Him. He makes every provision to meet their needs of fellowship and instruction and guidance and feeding upon the Word. 
This happens as the Lord places His call within the hearts of those who will respond and as well offer their lives as a sacrifice for the sake of His glory and His honor in the care and feeding of His people. These called ones do not try to take the flock away from the Lord. They, rather, fully seek to be constantly steadfast to the True Shepherd Whom they cherish. They desire to please Him in the every manner of their dealings with His sheep. They know that this is a privilege which the Lord has bestowed. They want only to make every opportunity of service that which will bring glory and honor to Christ Jesus.
	As a warning to all of us, we have the example of what humanity will do when witnessing the Hand of the Lord in operation through the faithful dealings of the feeding of the flock. Please turn to the account of Simon given in Acts 8:9-24. 
Here, we have a man who accepted the Gospel and was baptized. He was a believer, yet he was not called to shepherd the flock. He was trying to make a profit in the course of dealing with the people of God. This was rather than setting himself under the Hand of Yahweh to be instructed and taught and fed by those whom the Lord had chosen.
	Acts 8:9-24, Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God." And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. And even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip; and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." 
	There was rebelliousness active in the heart of Simon. He wanted the power of God for the sake of enriching himself. This was what he had done before with his magic which had added to his fame and fortune. He was willing to pay money to get that which he thought would enrich him to an even greater measure. This did not mean that he was not a true Christian believer. He was, however, taking Christianity and mixing it with his concepts of how to gain fame and fortune within the life that he was living. 
	That is often something that is seen within assemblages of the flock of the Lord. There are those who try to take Christianity and combine it with the principles that have worked within the fabric of their successful business models or manners of self-promotion and money making schemes. The trust is put into that which is proven in terms of this world’s methodology. This is without the growth into the trust and the faith and the complete and absolute reliance upon the Lord to take care of those whom He so fully and completely loves.
	That is an utter difference between those to whom ministry is a livelihood and those to whom it is the very life of Christ being manifested for the sake of His beloved people. The Apostle Paul highlights this as he declares the truth of his ministry as an apostle of Christ Jesus in Acts 20:18-35.
	Acts 20:18-35, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. "And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. "And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see my face no more. "Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" 
	Inherent in this is the need for each member of the Body of Christ to be on guard. The fellowship of believers has a responsibility to guard each heart and mind and to seek to be true to the Lord. Accordingly, there should be no seeking after those teachers who just tell us what our lustful and sinful hearts may want to hear. The church must diligently respond to The Lord and desire to be fed by those shepherds who honor Jesus, Alone. They will be the ones who will feed the flock with the nutritious Word that is required for growth into the full stature of Jesus. This will be despite the fact that it may be difficult to hear or will require immense effort to digest.  
That complete commitment to be to the absolute service of God for the care of the flock no matter what the cost, is what sets apart true ministers of the Word from those people for whom it is simply a job with set hours and precise paychecks. The comprehensive trust of any true man or woman of God must be concretely and unconditionally set into the bedrock reality that is proclaimed in Gal 2:20. 
Gal 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. 
	The Apostle goes on to give the measure of the one who is called to so serve in his letter to his protégé, Timothy. This is recorded in 1 Tim 3:1-6. 
1 Tim 3:1-6, It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?); and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 
	In his letter to Titus, Chapter 1, verses 10-16, the Apostle Paul made it very clear how important it was to be called of the Lord, rather than to just try to make the teaching of the scriptures into some kind of earthly profession. There is no doubt how utterly vital it is that the one who teaches the Word is fully seeking after the ministry of the Holy Spirit to bring forth the life of Christ in the feeding of His people.
	Titus 1:10-16, For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach, for the sake of sordid gain. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them severely that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed. 
	The urgency for the care of the flock of the Lord is also highlighted by the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 2:1-17. Here is the detailing of why the Holy Spirit must be the source and the means of the feeding and the defense of His people. There are many and varied attacks upon the holiness and the safety and the guidance of those who belong to the Lord. Therefore it is vital that the ministry is not one of self-seeking and self-promotion, looking out only for the comfort and the provision of the teacher. It is necessary that the one who teaches is called, and being called, lays down his or her life as did Christ, most literally and selflessly for each one of the Lord’s flock.
	Because we are dealing with those beloved saints of the Lord, whom He purchased with His own death and resurrection, every care must be in place for all that is required on their behalf. The Lord will exact that which is just and proper and appropriate upon those for whom His flock is merely a means of earthly gain at the expense of true feeding and care and loving kindness.
	2 Peter 2:1-17, But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 
	It is crucial that every Christian seek after The Lord in the course of our walk on this earth, to hold utterly true to Him in the midst of all the flashy and tawdry temptations of this age. We are not to seek after the sordid gain of this realm, selling our souls for gold or silver or anything else that has absolutely no eternal value.
	We belong to Christ Jesus, purchased by His precious blood. Accordingly, we are to seek to please Him and not ourselves in the manner of our conduct on this earth. As well, we are to be on our guard that we do not just seek to hear that which we want to hear, going hither and yon until our ears are pricked by one who speaks the language of our lustful hearts. We need so much to ask the Lord for His provision as teacher and as student in His instruction of His Word no matter what the cost in our earthly lives. This is the way that He will meet the need of each day. 
We are to love Him, His Word, and His people, laying down our lives unto Him. This will mean that we are completely satisfied on whatever road He leads us. We will cherish every opportunity to honor and to please Him wherever He has placed us, dealing with whomever He brings into our lives, showing forth His Life to His glory, Alone. So be it!
And he said to them, "Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest." Amen.

This morning’s benediction is 1 Tim 3:16. And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. Amen.