Judges 18:1 says,  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 all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.  Matthew Henry says this was a part of the tribe of Dan who had yet to claim their inheritance in the land.  So far, they had just lived with the rest of the tribe of Dan.  Verse two states, And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.  These people of Dan sent five spies into the land that they would claim for their own, and they came to the house of Micah, and dwelt there.  This was a house with its own gods and priest.  We need to be careful where we decide to live, even temporarily, in the world today.  We may end up in a place that professes another god, or no god at all, but we cannot allow that to influence us.  Verse three says, When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?  The men recognized the voice of the young Levite, whether they recognized his face or not, and they wanted to know how he had gotten to where he was.  There should be something about our speech today I believe that lets the people of the world know that we are followers of Christ.  Verse four states,  And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.  The young Levite did not say that God had led him there and that he was God's priest in the land.  Instead, he told them of the deal he had with Micah, and that he was Micah's priest.  Those who are called by God to be preachers in the world today can never allow themselves to serve as only one persons pastor or allow what they are paid to influence what they preach.  Verse five declares,  And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.  Even though the priest had told him that he was Micah's priest, and not God's priest, they still asked him to inquire of God whether or not they would be successful in their task.  Sometimes today, people who profess to be followers of Christ, will still attempt to look to other sources to help them know what the future holds, for example reading their horoscope.  Sometimes, they will also look to a spiritual leader who professes things that are not Biblical.  Verse six adds, And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.  The priest told them to go in peace, because the LORD was with them.  He was speaking for God without consulting God and was telling them what they wanted to hear.  People are always inclined to believe what they want to hear, but we must beware of preachers who simply tell us what we want to hear.  Verse seven states, Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.  The spies found the people of Laish to be ill governed and not very industrious.  They felt safe and secure in the city, which Matthew Henry said was a statement about the people of Israel as well.  The people of Laish no longer feared them.  As Christians, when we fail to follow through on what God calls us to do today, we should not be surprised if people of the world are no longer concerned about us.  Verse eight says,  And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?  The spies returned and were asked for a report.  Verse nine adds, And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.  The spies told them that it was a good land and to not be slothful but to go up and possess it.  We as followers of Christ have a heavenly home awaiting us, and even though we will never fully possess it in this lifetime, that does not mean that we should just idly await for our time to possess it.  We are not to be slothful in our life for Christ.  Verse ten concludes, When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.  The spies said that the land was a good land lacking in nothing and that God had given it to them.  Still, they really hadn't consulted God, but only a priest for hire.  We need to be careful today when we listen to those who profess to speak for God that what they are saying is really God's word.  As Christians we have the Holy Spirit to help us discern the truth.