Judges 18:1

MIGRATION OF DAN AND THEIR APOSTASY

The significance of this chapter is very great. "In the Danite migration, the apostasy of Micah was expanded to the tribal heresy of Dan, and the establishment of a Danite city (and its illegal shrine) in the northern border of Israel provided the framework for the apostasy of the entire Northern Israel under Jeroboam I, whose idolatrous golden calves were no doubt welcomed in Dan."[1] Furthermore, that renegade Levite, Jonathan, a grandson or great-grandson of Moses himself, led the whole tribe of Dan and later the nation of Northern Israel into a syncretistic worship of Jehovah, contrary to all that God through Moses had revealed to Israel. It required the ability of God Himself to redeem the Chosen People from the apostasy which came so near to swallowing them completely.

The date of the events recorded in this chapter, "In all probability took place SHORTLY AFTER the death of Joshua, as we may infer from Judges 18:30."[2]

THE MISSION OF THE SPIES

"In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there. When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what doest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? And he said unto them, Thus and thus hath Micah dealt with me, and he hired me, and I am become his priest. And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we shall go shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before Jehovah is your way wherein ye go."

"The Danites sought them an inheritance" (Judges 18:1). The Danites indeed had been allotted their inheritance in Canaan, but their distress was due to the encroachment against their territory: (1) first by the Amorites (Joshua 3:10 and (2) also by the Philistines (Judges 13:1,5; Judges 14:4; and Judges 15:11). It is a mistake to hold the Danites guiltless in this situation. "Their failure to drive out the Amorites was not due to lack of power, but to lack of faith. The Danites had two choices:

(1) to repent of their unbelief and claim God's promise as they fought against their enemies; or

(2) to look for new territory where the occupants would be helpless and unprepared to resist.

The Danites chose the easy way, but it was not the way of faith."[3]

The migration of the Danites is placed shortly after the death of Joshua in the writings of Josephus,[4] and many conservative scholars agree that this is probably correct.

We should not be misled by the relatively small number who took part in this first northward excursion, which seems to have numbered about 2,000, including the 600 fighting men, their wives, and families. Dan was a numerous tribe numbering no less than, "Sixty-four thousand men twenty years of age and upward," according to the census mentioned in Numbers 26:43. Therefore, we suppose that this first migration recorded in this chapter was followed by many other Danites who later joined them.

"They came unto the house of Micah, and lodged there" (Judges 18:2). This indicates that Micah extended the hospitality of his establishment to aid his fellow Israelites in their search. His generous hospitality was treacherously betrayed by the Danites.

"They knew the voice of the young man the Levite" (Judges 18:3). "The most natural explanation of these words is that the Danites had previously known the young man, and it is by no means impossible that the author of this story meant to be so understood."[5] There is no hint in the text of where that acquaintance had taken place, but the fact of this young man's having been a grandson, great grandson, or a descendant of Moses himself, suggests that he might possibly have been rather widely known throughout Israel.

"What doest thou in this place" (Judges 18:3). Apparently, Micah had not shared with the spies whom he entertained in his home the existence of that shrine. We do not know why he seems to have made no mention of it, but the fact appears in the evident surprise of the spies who received all the details, not from Micah, but from the Levite. Perhaps Micah did not altogether trust his visitors.

"Ask counsel of God, we pray thee" (Judges 18:5). The spies should have sought God's counsel before leaving on their journey, but finding it so convenient to do so here, they asked the Levite to seek an answer from God as to whether their journey would be successful.

"Go in peace" (Judges 18:6). Whether the Levite had a genuine answer from the Lord or not, he told the spies what they wanted to hear, and they took that assurance with them on their mission.