Meditate

18. Danites Settle in Laish

The Migration of Dan

18

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.²So 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.³While 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?”⁴He said to them, “Micah did such and such for me, and he hired me, and I have become his priest.”⁵Then they said to him, “Inquire of God that we may know whether the mission we are undertaking will succeed.”⁶The priest replied, “Go in peace. The mission you are on is under the eye of the Lord.”

⁷ 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.⁸When they came to their kinsfolk at Zorah and Eshtaol, they said to them, “What do you report?”⁹They 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.¹⁰When 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.”

¹¹ Six hundred men of the Danite clan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol,¹²and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.¹³From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴ 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.”¹⁵So they turned in that direction and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and greeted him.¹⁶While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate,¹⁷the 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.¹⁸When 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?”¹⁹They 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?”²⁰Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol, and went along with the people.

²¹ So they resumed their journey, putting the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them.²²When they were some distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the Danites.²³They shouted to the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter that you come with such a company?”²⁴He replied, “You take my gods that I made, and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then can you ask me, ‘What is the matter?’ ”²⁵And the Danites said to him, “You had better not let your voice be heard among us or else hot-tempered fellows will attack you, and you will lose your life and the lives of your household.”²⁶Then the Danites went their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.

The Danites Settle in Laish

²⁷ 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.²⁸There 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.²⁹They named the city Dan, after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was formerly Laish.³⁰Then 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.³¹So they maintained as their own Micah’s idol that he had made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

6. Doing Good to All

Final Admonitions and Benediction

¹¹ See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!¹²It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.¹³Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh.¹⁴May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.¹⁵For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!¹⁶As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body.

¹⁸ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

59. Psalm 59

Psalm 59

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.

1

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

protect me from those who rise up against me.

2

Deliver me from those who work evil;

from the bloodthirsty save me.

3

Even now they lie in wait for my life;

the mighty stir up strife against me.

For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,

4

for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!

5

You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.

Awake to punish all the nations;

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.Selah

6

Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

7

There they are, bellowing with their mouths,

with sharp words on their lips—

for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”

8

But you laugh at them, O Lord;

you hold all the nations in derision.

9

O my strength, I will watch for you;

for you, O God, are my fortress.

10

My God in his steadfast love will meet me;

my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

11

Do not kill them, or my people may forget;

make them totter by your power, and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield.

12

For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,

let them be trapped in their pride.

For the cursing and lies that they utter,

13

consume them in wrath;

consume them until they are no more.

Then it will be known to the ends of the earth

that God rules over Jacob.Selah

14

Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

15

They roam about for food,

and growl if they do not get their fill.

16

But I will sing of your might;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.

For you have been a fortress for me

and a refuge in the day of my distress.

17

O my strength, I will sing praises to you,

for you, O God, are my fortress,

the God who shows me steadfast love.