Judges 18:14-31 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Judges 18:14-31. Let’s go!
Judges 18:14-20 (NIV)
14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do.”
15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him.
16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance to the gate.
17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance to the gate.
18 When these men went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
19 They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?”
20 Then the priest was glad. He took the ephod, the other household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.
On verses 14-20: Earlier when this priest needed a place to stay, Micah gave him a home and a job. Now, upon being offered more opportunity and prestige by the Danites, this priest quickly abandons Micah and even takes Micah’s idols with him. Micah must have felt utterly betrayed and sucker punched by this priest’s lack of loyalty and low EQ, as he did not even discuss the matter with Micah.
What’s the lesson here?
– Before you decide to make a significant investment in someone as Micah did in this priest, make sure you get a good sense of that person’s character. Otherwise, you may end up betrayed and sucker-punched the way Micah was by this priest.
– Be a loving and loyal team member at the place where you work. That doesn’t mean you can’t explore other opportunities elsewhere, but be careful in how you go about doing so, showing respect for your current boss/team/workplace that took you in. Beware dropping one job at the sight of a more lucrative one if it means you’re going to pay for it by compromising your character or hurting your reputation.
Judges 18:21-26 (NIV)
21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.
22 When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites.
23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”
24 He replied, “You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?'”
25 The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some hot-tempered men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.
On verses 21-26: Both in their dealings with Micah (v14-26) as well as with the people of Laish right after (v27-31), it seems that, at least for the short-term, those Danites who believed that “might equals right” had won. But God is just. In the long-term God will not allow bullies to prosper. God, who is much stronger than any bully, will one day hold every bully accountable for their actions.
Judges 18:27-31 (NIV)
27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a peaceful and unsuspecting people. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city.
28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there.
29 They named it Dan after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel–though the city used to be called Laish.
30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.
31 They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.
On verses 27-31: Why were the people of Laish helpless against the Danites? It’s because they were “a peaceful and unsuspecting people” (v27) and they “had no relationship with anyone else” (v28).
What can we learn from this?
– While we want to be peaceful, we also want to be alert, shrewd and on guard against our enemy Satan, lest we be attacked unsuspectingly.
– The danger of having “no relationship with anyone else” (v28) is that when trouble comes you’re on your own. God didn’t make us to live that way. God made us to be connected in community with others so that you have a support network and people to call on in times of trouble. Satan loves to prey on those who aren’t connected to others in meaningful ways.
Father, please help me always to be alert and on guard against the enemy’s tactics, and also shrewd and careful in my dealings with people, that I would not be an unsuspecting victim. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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