The Danites Search for New Territory

Judges 18:1–11
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The passage begins with two things that were lacking in those days. There was no king in Israel, and there was no inheritance for the tribe of Dan (v. 1). In truth, Dan had been given an inheritance along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (Joshua 19:40-46), but they had failed to take it from the Amorites who lived there (Judges 1:34-36). They had been forced to dwell in the hill country, not daring to face their enemies down on the plains. Their failure to drive out the Amorites wasn’t due to lack of power but to lack of faith. Remember that Samson, the strongest man, came from Dan (Judges 13-16). When we ignore our problems, they can only get worse.

The two remaining cities of Dan, Zorah and Eshtaol, decided to send a small team of five men to find a new homeland for the Danites (v. 2). This is a call back to the 12 spies Moses sent to spy out the land (Numbers 13). The Territory of Ephraim was located to the west of Dan. The five spies spent an evening in the house of Micah (from chapter 17). The Five were very surprised to find a Levite in such a place. They took the opportunity to inquire of the Lord, whether their mission would succeed (vv. 3-5). The Levite assured them that they would be successful (v. 6). The five spies eventually found the city of Laish, far to the north, beyond the land the Lord had given to Israel (v. 7). The people of Laish were wealthy and unsuspecting, isolated from their allies in Sidon. The spies returned to Dan with the good news, and soon a war band of 600 men were assembled to attack and occupy Laish (vv. 8-11). “The Lord has given us this land,” they said. 

Application

The failure of the tribe of Dan to drive out the Ammorites was not due to lack of power but to lack of faith. This is a warning to me that I should never decide to do something different than what God instructs me to do even though there seems to be easier solutions to the problem.