Judges 18
In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself a territory to live in; for until then no territory among the tribes of Israel had been allotted to them. 2 So the Danites sent five valiant men from the whole number of their clan, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it; and they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” When they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they stayed there.3 While they were at Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” 4 He said to them, “Micah did such and such for me, and he hired me, and I have become his priest.” 5 Then they said to him, “Inquire of God that we may know whether the mission we are undertaking will succeed.” 6 The priest replied, “Go in peace. The mission you are on is under the eye of the Lord.”
7 The five men went on, and when they came to Laish, they observed the people who were there living securely, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing on earth, and possessing wealth. Furthermore, they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with Aram. 8 When they came to their kinsfolk at Zorah and Eshtaol, they said to them, “What do you report?” 9 They said, “Come, let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, but enter in and possess the land. 10 When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is broad—God has indeed given it into your hands—a place where there is no lack of anything on earth.”
11 Six hundred men of the Danite clan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, 12 and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim. 13 From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land (that is, Laish) said to their comrades, “Do you know that in these buildings there are an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? Now therefore consider what you will do.” 15 So they turned in that direction and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and greeted him. 16 While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate, 17 the five men who had gone to spy out the land proceeded to enter and take the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim. The priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war. 18 When the men went into Micah’s house and took the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Keep quiet! Put your hand over your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one person, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” 20 Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol, and went along with the people.
21 So they resumed their journey, putting the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them. 22 When they were some distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the Danites. 23 They shouted to the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter that you come with such a company?” 24 He replied, “You take my gods that I made, and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then can you ask me, ‘What is the matter?’” 25 And the Danites said to him, “You had better not let your voice be heard among us or else hot-tempered fellows will attack you, and you will lose your life and the lives of your household.” 26 Then the Danites went their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.
The Danites Settle in Laish
27 The Danites, having taken what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, put them to the sword, and burned down the city. 28 There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with Aram. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city, and lived in it. 29 They named the city Dan, after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was formerly Laish.30 Then the Danites set up the idol for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the time the land went into captivity. 31 So they maintained as their own Micah’s idol that he had made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.
What does the passage say?
Judges 1-16 is a history of wars and deliverance. The remaining chapters (17-21) are often called an appendix. The period related to these chapters is referred to as “when there was no king in Israel.” The events of this period did not follow the death of Samson (Judges 16), but more likely followed the death of Joshua.
What does the Passage say?
V. 1-6 Five Danites were on a journey to search for more land. Even though they received their lot, somehow they didn’t completely occupy the land. During the quest, they pass through Micah’s house and meet the Levite, who attends the idol Micah made. They inquire God’s will through the Levite, and he blesses them.
V. 7-13 The five return to their hometown with the report about Laish. With 600 warriors, they start the war to conquer Laish. Then they approached Micah’s house.
V. 14-31 They go into Micah’s house to steal the idol, ephod, and all other that Micah build. The Levite priest tries to stop them but is soon lured by their words. “Hush! Don’t make a sound. Come with us. Be our father and priest. Which is more important, that you be a priest to one man or that you become priest to a whole tribe and clan in Israel?”(v. 19 The Message). Micah comes after the bandits but has to return because they were too powerful for one individual to stand against.
What does the passage say to you and me?
“In those days there was no king in Israel” (v. 1 The Message).
Chapter 18 starts with helping us understand why these people, from the tribe of Dan, do such things. They were to follow God as a king, but instead did what they wanted to do. They do inquire God’s will, as they approach Micah’s house, but it doesn’t mean that they were following God’s will.
Before they inquired God’s blessing they already were set to explore more land. As they saw the shrine that Micah built, with their background, they couldn’t pass by. For them, it was a traditional act to receive God’s blessing before a big event.
We need to understand the difference between following God’s lead vs. taking our own lead and adding God in my ways. We need to be careful not to fall into that trap. We need to inquire the lead of the Spirit, daily, so we can faithfully follow our true king.
Let’s Pray
Lord, help us to seek your will in every moment of our lives. Becuase we tend to act before we listen to your ways. Show us your way. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
What are your thoughts?
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