Judges 18:21-26

Micah’s attempt to recover his losses 18:21-26

Micah gathered some of his neighbors and pursued the Danites, hoping to force them to return what they had taken from him. However the Danites proved stronger than he anticipated, and he had to withdraw without a fight (cf. Genesis 14). Here is another example of the Israelites fighting among themselves rather than uniting to combat their common foe.

It is comical to read Micah’s sniveling complaint that the Danite soldiers had taken his gods "which I made" (Judges 18:24). Obviously they had no power to protect him from his enemies. The fact that he had made them should have made this clear to him. His pathetic question, "What do I have besides?" reflects the emptiness of idolatry.

"His failure is in marked contrast to the stunning victory gained by Abraham and his small army when they overtook the coalition of kings who had captured Lot and the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14:10-16). The God of Abraham proved stronger than the idol deities fashioned by Micah. Like the gods of Babylon, Micah’s gods were taken captive, unable to effect their own escape (cf. Judges 6:31; Isaiah 46:1-2)." [Note: Ibid., p. 487.]

Likewise Micah’s priest, whom he had treated as a son, turned against him. None of the characters in this story shows any integrity.