Last week we read the story of the Levite Jonathan, who moved from Bethlehem to the hill country of Ephraim, where, against God's law, Micah made him a priest. Worse still, while claiming to speak for the LORD, Jonathan served idols, first for Micah and then for the Danites who conquered Laish. Today we consider the account of another Levite. The

Judges 2:19 told us that, as we read the book, we should expect to find that each generation that forgets and forsakes the LORD will be more corrupt than the last. That has proven true, and now we come to the history of an event that demonstrates how depraved the Israelites were toward the end of the era of the

After stealing Micah's idols and enticing Jonathan the Levite to come with them, the Danites travel to Laish. Finding the people "quiet and unsuspecting," without allies and far from anyone who might help them, the Danites fall upon them, slaughtering them and burning their city. They then rebuild the city and name it Dan, after their ancestor, the son of

In today's reading, we learn that the six-hundred armed men are not traveling alone. Intending to conquer Laish and settle there, they have brought their families, livestock, and possessions with them. They have made a wicked plan to attack a peaceful people, they have stolen Micah's idols, and they have embraced false religion, enticing Jonathan the Levite to be their

As the Danite force heads north to attack Laish, they come to the home of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim. The five spies tell them of the idols that Micah possesses, and, perhaps believing possession of the idols will aid their mission, determine to steal them. The six-hundred armed men stand guard while the five spies go into

When the five spies report that the city of Laish is vulnerable to attack and that the people there are unsuspecting and have no allies on whom they can call for help, six-hundred men of Dan prepare to leave on an expedition of war. They come from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. Between these towns and west of Kiriath-jearim

After receiving false assurance from Micah's priest, the five Danite spies set out northward from the country of Ephraim in order to find a land in which their tribe can dwell. Travelling in that direction, they would have found that the lands were occupied by the Israelite tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali. Therefore, there is no place

In Judges 1:34 we learned that the tribe of Dan had failed to capture all the land allotted to them. Their settlements were confined to the hill country, while the lowlands near the Mediterranean Sea remained in the hands of the peoples of the land. Now we find that some of the Danites have completely given up on the notion

Thursday we saw that Micah had made idols and built a shrine. Despite having no authority from God to do so, he ordained one of his own sons to be his priest. Today, we read that a Levite from Bethlehem comes to Micah's house and Micah ordains him to be his priest. We might think this is a step up

Today, we read of the general problem behind the events in these last chapters of Judges. In the early chapters of the book, we saw that a pattern was set whereby a generation would turn from the Lord, He would discipline them by letting them fall into the hand of their enemies, they would call on Him for deliverance, He