Judges 18:22 says, And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. The men of the house of Micah and the houses near him overtook the army of Dan. At least his neighbors supported Micah, even if their purpose wasn't that good. Micah would have been better off just letting the false religious items go, and so are we today if we have been allowing idols and false preachers to guide us. Verse twenty-three adds, And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? When they saw the army of Dan, they called out to them, and the army of Dan asked Micah what was wrong with him and why did he came at them with so great a company. I am not sure how many neighbors went with Micah, but it was enough for the men of Dan to at least take notice. When we oppose the people of the world today as followers of Christ, I hope it is for the right reasons, and they will take notice if enough of us do so. Verse twenty-four continues, And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? Micah said they had stolen his gods which he had made and his priest, and they had to ask why he was upset. Both groups would have been better off without man made gods or a false priest. We might be better off today if someone stole some of the things that get between God and us. Verse twenty-five states, And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. The leaders of the army of Dan basically told Micah to be quiet before they killed his household and him. The army of Dan certainly wasn't following God's leadership, but neither was Micah. Those who follow after the false gods of the world today will often be at war with each other. Verse twenty-six adds, And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. When Micah saw that the army of Dan was too strong for them to defeat, he turned back and went home. It is too bad that he didn't turn back to God at the same time. Losing idols ot the world is a good thing, but only if it leads us to turning to God. Verse twenty-seven continues, And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. The army of Dan continued on their way to Laish with their idols and false priest, and successfully defeated the people there and burned the city. They likely thought that God had given them the victory, but since they had never consulted Him and had brought idols with them, they were likely successful simply because they were the stronger force. As Christians, if we are successful in defeating those that oppose us today, we need to make sure it is because we are following God's guidance and not simply because we are physically stronger. Verse twenty-eight says, And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. There was no one else to oppose them, because they were a long way off from any opposition. The army of Dan built another city there and lived in it. Though this was their part of the Promised Land, they had left God out of their claiming it, and went even farther by bringing false gods with them when they did so. Heaven is our Promised Land, but we will never get there by any other means than by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. After we do, we cannot continue to put our faith in the false gods, or idols, of the world. Verse twenty-nine adds, And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. They renamed the city Dan, in name of their father. They were not giving God the glory. There are still people today who profess a form of Christianity, but still want everything that they do to bring honor and glory to themselves instead. Verse thirty continues, And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. After claiming the city, the people of Dan set up the graven image to worship, and Jonathan and his sons became their priests, but not God's priests. If we are following the leadership of a particular preacher today, we need to make sure that he is called by God and preaches His word. Verse thirty-one concludes, And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. They set up the graven image of Micah to serve. They continued to serve this graven image for a long time, even though they were a part of God's chosen people. If we are followers of Christ, we cannot afford to have idols in our life.
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