Judges 18:27-31

Dan Settles at Laish

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27After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.

28There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there.

29They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.

30The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

31So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

The Danites reach Laish carrying Micah's idols and accompanied by his priest. They attack its quiet, unsuspecting people, put them to the sword, and burn the city. No one comes to deliver Laish: it is far from Sidon and has no alliance with anyone.

Dan rebuilds the city and names it after the tribe's ancestor. The new name and settled homes do not remove the account of how the city was taken. The residents' isolation has made the attack possible without a rescuer arriving.

The Danites also establish the stolen worship. Their priest is now named as Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Moses. He and his sons serve the tribe until the captivity of the land. Even that family connection does not make the idols faithful worship.

The chapter closes by setting Micah's image alongside another place: it remains in Dan while the house of God is at Shiloh. Dan has gained a city and a lasting religious institution, but the institution preserves the error taken from Micah's household.

Questions

1 Why does no one deliver Laish from the attack?

AnswerIt is far from Sidon and has no alliance with anyone. Its quiet life leaves it exposed when the Danites attack.

2 What do the Danites do after burning the city?

AnswerThey rebuild it, settle there, and name it Dan after their ancestor. They establish the idols they took from Micah.

3 What does Jonathan’s family connection show us?

AnswerHe is named as a descendant of Moses, yet serves the idolatrous shrine. A faithful ancestor does not make a descendant’s worship faithful.

4 How should we test a practice that has lasted a long time?

AnswerWe should compare it with Scripture rather than assume its age proves it right. A respected origin or family connection cannot replace obedience.

What This Means for Us

Long use can make a practice feel beyond question. The history of Dan's shrine challenges that confidence. A custom may deserve gratitude, examination, or change; its age alone cannot tell us which. Ask what the practice teaches us to trust and whether it agrees with God's word. Be willing to correct what we inherited.

Prayer

Lord, keep us alert when false worship becomes respectable through age and silence. Give us courage to measure inherited practices by Your word. Amen.

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