HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 604
J U D G ES 1 8
place to live, and as he traveled, he came to the
hill country of Ephraim. He happened to stop
at Micah’s house as he was traveling through.
9 “Where are you from?” Micah asked him.
He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in
Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.”
10 “Stay here with me,” Micah said, “and
you can be a father and priest to me. I will give
you ten pieces of silver* a year, plus a change
of clothes and your food.” 11 The Levite agreed
to this, and the young man became like one of
Micah’s sons.
12 So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah’s house. 13 “I
know the Lord will bless me now,” Micah said,
“because I have a Levite serving as my priest.”
Idolatry in the Tribe of Dan
Now in those days Israel had no king.
And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a
place where they could settle, for they had not
yet moved into the land assigned to them when
the land was divided among the tribes of Israel.
2 So the men of Dan chose from their clans five
capable warriors from the towns of Zorah and
Eshtaol to scout out a land for them to settle in.
When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah’s house and
spent the night there. 3 While at Micah’s house,
they recognized the young Levite’s accent, so
they went over and asked him, “Who brought
you here, and what are you doing in this place?
Why are you here?” 4 He told them about his
agreement with Micah and that he had been
hired as Micah’s personal priest.
5 Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our
journey will be successful.”
6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the
Lord is watching over your journey.”
7 So the five men went on to the town of Laish,
where they noticed the people living carefree
18
• Priorities
JU D G E S 1 7 :6
In the days of the judges of Israel, the
people had lost their sense of priority.
They had also lost leadership, which
could have helped them manage their
priorities. Without good leaders and
correct priorities, people allow urgency
or personal desire to run their lives.
We must keep our focus on God’s
will, or we will end up doing whatever
we feel like doing at any particular
moment. This kind of reactive living
goes off course whenever there is a
slight change in circumstance.
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lives, like the Sidonians; they were peaceful and
secure.* The people were also wealthy because
their land was very fertile. And they lived a great
distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby.
8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What did you
find?”
9 The men replied, “Come on, let’s attack
them! We have seen the land, and it is very
good. What are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate
to go and take possession of it. 10 When you get
there, you will find the people living carefree
lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile
land, lacking in nothing!”
11 So 600 men from the tribe of Dan, armed
with weapons of war, set out from Zorah
and Eshtaol. 12 They camped at a place west
of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, which is called
Mahaneh-dan* to this day. 13 Then they went on
from there into the hill country of Ephraim and
came to the house of Micah.
14 The five men who had scouted out the land
around Laish explained to the others, “These
buildings contain a sacred ephod, as well as
some household idols, a carved image, and
a cast idol. What do you think you should do?”
15 Then the five men turned off the road and
went over to Micah’s house, where the young
Levite lived, and greeted him kindly. 16 As the
600 armed warriors from the tribe of Dan stood
at the entrance of the gate, 17 the five scouts entered the shrine and removed the carved image,
the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the
cast idol. Meanwhile, the priest was standing at
the gate with the 600 armed warriors.
18 When the priest saw the men carrying all
the sacred objects out of Micah’s shrine, he
said, “What are you doing?”
19 “Be quiet and come with us,” they said. “Be
a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be
a priest for an entire tribe and clan of Israel than
for the household of just one man?”
20 The young priest was quite happy to go
with them, so he took along the sacred ephod,
the household idols, and the carved image.
21 They turned and started on their way again,
placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them.
22 When the people from the tribe of Dan were
quite a distance from Micah’s house, the people
who lived near Micah came chasing after them.
23 They were shouting as they caught up with
them. The men of Dan turned around and said
to Micah, “What’s the matter? Why have you
called these men together and chased after us
like this?”
24 “What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’”
17:10 Hebrew 10 [shekels] of silver, about 4 ounces or
114 grams in weight. 18:7 The meaning of the Hebrew is
uncertain. 18:12 Mahaneh-dan means “the camp of Dan.”