Judges 18:1-11, 13b – 20, 27-30a
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. 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. 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?’ He said to them, ‘Micah did such and such for me, and he hired me, and I have become his priest.’ Then they said to him, ‘Inquire of God that we may know whether the mission we are undertaking will succeed.’ The priest replied, ‘Go in peace. The mission you are on is under the eye of the Lord.’
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. When they came to their kinsfolk at Zorah and Eshtaol, they said to them, ‘What do you report?’ 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. 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.’ Six hundred men of the Danite clan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol…From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.
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.’ So they turned in that direction and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and greeted him. While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate, 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. 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?’ 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?’ Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol, and went along with the people…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. 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. They named the city Dan, after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was formerly Laish. 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.
Reflection
This story tells of the migration of the Danites from the area between Judah and Philistia (recall the Samson stories) to the far north of Israel. It implies that the sanctuary at Dan, one of two established in the Northern Kingdom, was corrupt from the outset.
The story is told from the perspective of Judah, the kingdom that survived the Assyrian invasion in the 8th century bce. Judah regarded everything about their northern neighbours (Israel) as ‘bad’ and contrary to God’s will, whereas Judah was ‘good’, the faithful people of God. Are we ever guilty of viewing other Christians or faith groups in such biased ways?
We’re reminded that there’s no king as a group of Danites are sent to seek a suitable territory for the tribe. They travel through Ephraim and reach Micah’s house (yesterday’s story). Discovering he has a shrine served by a Levite, they ask him to inquire of God about their mission; and he gives them assurance. They travel on to Laish, a city of peaceful, unsuspecting, people in a well-resourced area and then report back to their tribe.
An army of Danites accompany the group back to Micah’s home where they seize the idol and religious vessels. They’re challenged by the Levite; but they persuade him to go with them, arguing that it’s better to serve a tribe than an individual! They reach Laish, slaughter its citizens and burn it down – because Laish has no deliverer. The city is rebuilt, renamed Dan; and the idol is set up as the Danite’s ‘god’.
The text suggests that God approves Dan’s search for a new homeland, watching over their mission (v.6); but God neither authorises nor condones the annihilation of Laish. The Danites claim divine sanction (v.10) but all their decisions and actions are taken without seeking God’s will. The territory was ‘broad’ and fruitful – its peaceful people might have welcomed Dan to share the good things of God, if only they had followed the ways of God and arrived in peace.
A warning against self-justification!
Prayer
Forgiving God, we are amazed that you still love us despite the failures of your people, our forebears, through human history.
We confess that their stories too often show us ourselves and our attitudes towards others who are also your much loved children.
Help us to grow into your likeness as the body of Christ and to do your will, not our own, that justice and peace might prevail. Amen.