The Book of
Judges 18
31 verses≈ 7 min2 peopleBSB
Images are artistic interpretations.
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In this chapter
Where we are
- 1–2Not finishedThe land left half-taken
- 3–5The cycleSin, oppression, a deliverer
- 6–10Gideon and afterA weak man, a strong God
- 11–16Jephthah and SamsonFlawed deliverers
- 17–21No king in IsraelEveryone did as he saw fitChapter 18
The Danites Settle in Laish
In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
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So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
The five men
And while they were near 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? Why are you here?”
The young Levite
“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
The five men
Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.”
The young Levite
And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
The LORD is watching over your journey.
Judges 18:6
So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
The Danites
When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
The five men
They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land! When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”
So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day. And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
Question
Quick question
Five men went to look. Then the tribe sent its fighting men.
How many armed men of Dan set out from Zorah and Eshtaol?
The Danites Take Micah’s Idols
Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
The young Levite
When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
The five men
“Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people. Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.
After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.
The Danites
When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
Micah
He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
The Danites
The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have?
Judges 18:24
So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.
Reflect
What else do I have?
Micah’s gods were carried off down the road by stronger men, and he was left standing in the dust asking, “What else do I have?” A god you make can always be taken from you. What are you leaning on that could be lost in a day: money, a reputation, a person, a plan? Write it down, and then write what would still be yours if it were gone.
After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city. There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob.
And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.
They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
Stylised map · locations approximate
On the map
Dan moves north
Dan’s first lot lay in the low hills toward the coast, around Zorah and Eshtaol. The six hundred camped at Mahaneh-dan, west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, then went north through the hill country of Ephraim, past Micah’s house, to Laish at the foot of Mount Hermon, by the springs of the Jordan and far from Sidon on the coast. There they rebuilt the town and named it Dan, and it became the northern edge of Israel’s land. Eshtaol’s site is uncertain, and Beth-rehob’s is unknown.
The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
0:07
Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
Pray
A God no one can steal
The Danites set up “Micah’s graven image” in their new town, while the house of God stood at Shiloh the whole time. Thank God that He is not a thing anyone can carry off, buy or hide, and that He carries His people instead. Ask Him for a heart that follows Him and not the better offer, and that seeks Him where He has promised to be found. Lord, You are the living God; keep me from the gods I could make for myself. Amen.
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Judges 18
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A verse to carry with you
He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have?
Judges 18:24
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