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JUDGES

CHAPTER 18

1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

The tribe of Dan never conquered their inheritance, and fear kept them from entering the area assigned to them. The Philistines heavily inhabited that particular area; so the Danites lived mainly in Zorah and Eshtaol.
But finally, they decided they needed an area of their own. Notice that no counsel of God is taken before they send the spies to search for land.

2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

They sent 5 men who knew about war and how to face danger. These men had a specific task: to find an area of land which the tribe of Dan could take over easily. When they came to Micah's house (see chap. 17), in the area of the Ephraimites, they spent the night there.

3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

Somehow, they recognized the Levite who had moved into Micah's house. And they inquired as to why he was there.

4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

He told them that Micah had hired him to be a priest for his household.

5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

Since the Levite mentioned this fact, these 5 men now ask for counsel from God. Some people will not genuinely pray and ask God for guidance; but when facing a difficult situaation, will gladly want someone else to pray for them.

6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.

Now, I believe we can readily see the fakery in this Levite. One who genuinely knew God, would have said, "Stay in the land which the Lord God has given you."

7 Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

These 5 men went far north of the tribal areas given to the nation of Israel by God. About 30 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, they found a town called Laish. The town had no governor, and no government or army.

8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. 10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth. 11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

The 5 spies returned and told their brethren in Zorah and Eshtaol that the land was good, and would be easy to conquer. So the tribe sent some 600 warriors to capture the land.

12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-je'arim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjath-je'arim. 13 And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.

First they made camp in Kirjathjearim, which is only about 6 or 7 miles East of Eshtaol. Then they went to the house of Micah again (in Ephraim's territory).

14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. 15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. 16 And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. 17 And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. 18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? 19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

The 5 men who had done the spying told the army of 600 about the Levite and about the images, the ephod and teraphim. The war party decided to TAKE the idols and paraphernalia with them. When the Levite asked them about it, they invited him to join them and become a priest to a whole tribe. This excited the priest. After all, a large congregation is better than a small one isn't it?
This is a terrible beginning for a new land. Instead of being content to have the Omnipotent God with them, they coveted these idols. What good is an idol which one can steal, and has no power to move itself? What good is a corrupt priest?

21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. 22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?

The little army had wives and children which they put in front. And they put the idols and the Levite in the middle. The warriors then were at the rear. It seems as if they expected trouble. Micah did gather some of his neighbors and pursue them. It woas quite easy to overtake a slow-moving group.

23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? 24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? 25 And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. 26 And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.

Micah claimed the idols and the Levite belonged to him. But the Danites stated that they would keep them by force if necessary. So Micah went back home.
Now think about this: We don't possess god, He possesses us! Although God goes with us (His Presence is promised), it is HE who propels us, not we who propel HIM!
If you are worshipping a god who will go anywhere you want to go, and answer according to what you WANT - then you are worshipping an idol and not the LIVING GOD!

27 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. 28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. 30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

This part of the tribe of Dan captured the town of Laish and renamed it DAN. Then they set up the idols and used Jonathan, the Levite, for their priest.
The Bible says this idolatrous practice continued in this people until "the day of the captivity of the land" (Verse 30). And that would be 722BC. Therefore, for some 400 years or more they practiced idolatry!
There are some sordid stories in the book of Judges. But they serve to remind us how the human race behaves sometimes. And these stories remind us that even God's people act very wrongly when they desire to have their own way and not God's way.

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