Transcendence 4

Seventeen: Israel's Internal Destruction

Israel was hanging by a thread! They had no king, everyone did as they saw fit. Theft, rape, murder, idolatry. Israel was destroying themselves. So much internal violence, the enemy had become Israel itself. God's chosen people had lost all sense of direction. They worship idols, practice sexual immorality. They were raiding each other as though they were enemies, not relatives. They were selfish and lacked respect for anyone other than themselves.

There was one man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim. He, like all the others, had lost all respect for everyone, even his own parents. But his heart was beginning to change. He knew his mother was very upset about some silver that had went missing. He admitted his sin when he went to her and exclaimed, "I took the eleven hundred shekels of silver that you were looking for. I stole it from you." The boy then returned the silver to her.

Instead of punishment for his sin she said, "The Lord bless you my son." She was so happy to have it back she said, "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol."  She took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith who made them into the image and the idol. She gave them back to Micah and he put them in his house.

Now Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest. ( Having the idols was one problem, but installing a priest who did not come from a Levite priest family shows some of the other problems of this period.) 

When a young Levite from Bethlehem, who was staying in Judah, left his own town in search of somewhere else to live Micah saw him as he was passing through and asked, "Where are you from?"

The man said, " I am a Levite from Bethlehem and I am looking for a place to stay."

Micah knew a Levite should be priest over his family rather than his own son so he said to the young man, "Live with me and be my father and priest and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and food. So the young man agreed and lived with him and became like one of Micah's sons. He said, "Now I know the Lord will be good to me since this Levite has become my priest."

In those days there were some Danites who had not yet come into an inheritance in the tribes of Israel. So they were seeking a place of their own to settle. The tribe sent out men to spy out some land. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah where they spent the night. While there they talked to the young Levite who was staying with him and asked how he ended up there. He told them how Micah had hired him to be his priest. The men then asked him to inquire God and ask if their trip would be successful. After doing so the Levite told them to go in peace, that their journey had the Lord's approval.

The Danite spies left Micah's home and went on to the land of Laish. There they saw the people living in peace and safety. They saw they were unsuspecting and secure. They noticed the land lacked nothing. The people were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. They liked all they had found out so they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol to their brothers and exclaimed, "Come quickly. Let's attack the people of Laish. The land is very good! Don't hesitate. The people are unsuspecting and the land is spacious. A land that God has put in our hands. A land that lacks nothing!"

Six hundred Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. The original spies who had been there previously told the others that there at Micah's house was a ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol. So the armed men turned and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the carved image, the ephod and the other household gods and the cast idol while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance to the gate.

The priest saw them enter into Micah's house to steal the items and asked them, "What are you doing?"

They replied, "Don't say a word! But rather come with us and be our father and priest. Isn't it better for you if you serve a tribe and a clan rather than just one man's household?"

The priest was glad for their offer and went with them.

When they had gone some distance the men who lived near Micah was called together and they went in pursuit of the Danites. When the Danites saw them coming they called to Micah asking, "What is wrong with you? Why have you called out your men to fight?"

Micah replied, "You stole the gods I made and my priest. What was I supposed to do?" (Here is a man going after idols that couldn't protect themselves nor him. It was a sad state of mind the Israelites had came to: believing idolatry, and allowing it to become such an important thing.)

The Danites were stronger than Micah and they said, "We will attack you and you and your family will lose their lives!" Micah knew they were stronger then him so he turned back and let them go.

The Danites went on to Laish and attacked the peaceful unsuspecting people there. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. There was no one to rescue them because they lived far from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else.

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. They named it Dan after their forefather who was born to Israel. Once settled there the Danites set up for themselves the idols and the priest, who was in the lineage of Moses. They continued to use the idols Micah had made all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. 

(Life Question: Do you have an idol? Something you put before God? Did you know it can even be something like nature? If you are putting anything before God it is your idol.  Most people imagine money, or evil of some sort, or even food. But an idol can be anything at all!)