Judges 20:1 says, Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.  The people of Israel were about to go to war with each other.  If we are really followers of Christ, there should never be a time when we are at war with each other.  Verse two states, And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.  The leaders of all the people of Israel presented themselves to the people.  There was a large number of men who were able to draw a sword, whether they were called an army or not.  We should be able to stand and defend our calling as Christians today, no matter what it might cost us.  Verse three says, (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizrpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?  The people of Benjamin were not there, but they heard abut the gathering;  The ones in charge there asked the Levite who had his concubine killed by the people of the tribe of Benjamin to tell them what had happened.  At least they were attempting to gather the facts before taking any action.  We today need to make sure that we know all the facts before we take action in any situation.  Verse four declares, And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.  The Levite told the people that he and his concubine had come to Gibeah, in the land of Benjamin.  He was a fellow Israelite who expected to be safe there.  Verse five adds, And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.  The man said during the night that they men surrounded the house that he was in and would have killed him if he had gone out, and that they did rape and kill his concubine.  Then verse six continues, And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.  The Levite told them that he had cut his concubine into pieces and sent the pieces to the leaders of the tribes to bring to light the great evil that existed in Israel.  Though they were separate tribes, they were still supposed to be united as the people of God, just as we as Christians should be united spiritually as the people of God.  Verse seven continues, Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.  The Levite asked them as the people of God to give him advice and counsel as to what should be done.  If we are wronged today, especially by someone or group who profess to be god's people, we should take the issue before the church to see what we should do, after we first pray about the situation.  Verse eight declares, And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.  They resolved to not return home until the matter was resolved.  Verse nine adds, But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;  The people of Israel then resolved to go up by lot against Gibeah.  Verse ten continues, And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.  They were first going to send a tenth of their forces to get provisions for the rest.  They had committed to not return home until the matter was resolved, so they would need provisions.  They could not stay long without provisions for their needs, and neither can we today, but we have God's promise that He will meet our needs daily if we put our trust in Him.  Verse eleven concludes, So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.  The men of Israel were united as one man against he city of Gibeah, just as we need to be united in purpose today as followers of Christ, and that purpose should be to do what God has called us to do.

Judges 19:22 says. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.  While the old man and his guest were inside making merry, or I believe enjoying themselves, the men of the city surrounded the house demanding that the old man send the visiting man out so that they could have sex with him.  Sounds a lot like the men of Sodom and their demand that Lot send the angels out to them.  Evil in the world never really goes away, but is always lurking just beyond the surface when it is not being displayed outwardly.  Verse twenty-three states, And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.  The master of the house said the man was under his protection and begged the men of the city to not do what he called this folly.  Of course, he was trying to reason with a mob, and this is never easy to do.  Sometimes, the very fact that there are great numbers behind an action makes those participating feel that they have the right to do whatever they want to do.  Verse twenty-four declares, Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.  The master of the house was willing to send his daughter and the visitors concubine out to the men and allow them to do whatever they wanted to do with them to keep them from doing this great evil as he called it.  As I have said before, this was not a good time to be a female, since they had no rights and were often seen as being of little value.  Of course, this is still true in many parts of the world today and by some people even in America.  We are not told how the visiting man felt about this, but it seems he may have only been concerned with his own safety, as the next verse seems to verify.  Verse twenty-five states, But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.  The man may have gone to a lot of trouble to reclaim his concubine, but he was willing to sacrifice her to help ensure his own safety.  As followers of Christ, and this man was one of God's chosen people, we cannot sacrifice the safety and well being of others simply to ensure our own.  We must stand against evil, even if it costs us everything.  The woman was abused all night.  Verse twenty-six says, Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.  The next morning, the woman made it back to the house and fell down at the door.  She tried to get back to what should have been a place of safety, but I believe that she would have had to doubt it being so, but where else did she have to go.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.  The implication is that the man had slept that night and was going to leave the next morning without the woman, his concubine.  It may be that after what he had sent her out to have happen to her that he no longer wanted her in his life.  We cannot just write people out of our life if they have had terrible things happen to them, especially if we are responsible for these things happening.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.  The man seemed to have little concern for her.  he simply said get up and let us be going.  She didn't answer, and Matthew Henry says she had died there on the threshold of what she thought would have been a place to find help and comfort.  Hopefully, people today in need of salvation will not die on the threshold of redemption.  The man put her body on one of the asses and took it with him.  Verse twenty-nine states, And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.  When he got home, the man cut the woman's body into twelve pieces and sent the parts to all the tribes of Israel.  Matthew Henry says this was done so that all the people of Israel would know of the evil thing that had been done by the tribe of Benjamin.  This man had passed by a closer city to get to what he felt would be the safety in a city of one of the tribes of Israel, and then this great sin had occurred there.  We may think that we can find safety in certain places in the world today, but the only real safety is in putting our faith in Christ as our everlasting Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty declares, And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.  The man sent word to the rest of the people of Israel to let them know what had happened to the woman and to consider what it meant about certain ones of the people of Israel.

Judges 19:10 says, But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.  The man would not stay another night, but left with his concubine, servant and two asses and came to Jebus, which was later Jerusalem, but at this time was still under the control of the Jebusites.  Verse eleven adds,  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.  At the end of the day, the man's servant proposed that they spend the night in Jebus.  The servant was looking for a place of shelter, but it was his master who was in charge.  When we look for a place of shelter in the world today, we need to remember that it is God, our Master if we are followers of Christ, Who is in charge.  Verse twelve declares, And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.  The man told his servant that they would not stay in the city of strangers but would go on to Gibeah, a city of the Israelites.  Though we are not to live by the same values as those who do not know God, we are still to be in the midst of them to share God's word.  Verse thirteen adds, And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.  The man told his servant that they should go on to Gibeah or Ramah to lodge for the night.  Matthew Henry says that he was saying basically that Israelites should not lodge with non Israelites, but as I just stated, today we are not called for a physical separation from the world but a spiritual one.  Verse fourteen declares, And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.  They passed by Jebus and went on to Gibeah, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.  Verse fifteen adds, And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.  When they got to Gibeah, they ended up in the street, because no one would take them in.  This was very much against Jewish law.  We need to make sure that we do all that we can today to offer help to the stranger, especially those who are also God's people.  Verse sixteen says, And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.  An old man from the tribe of Ephraim, who also lived in Gibeon, though it was of the tribe of Benjamin, came in from working in the fields.  He himself was but a sojourner in the city, but he was more hospitable than the people of the city.  He was also an old man and may have known the laws of the people of Israel better than some of the younger people did.  As followers of Christ, we are but sojourners in this world, and we should therefore be more hospitable to those that we encounter who are in need than the rest of the world is.  Verse seventeen declares, And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?  When the old man saw the strangers in the street, he asked them who they were and where were they going.  This is a question that we should ask people today if we find them in need of help, and then we should point them to Christ.  This does not mean that we should not help them physically as well though, if we are able to.  Verse eighteen says,  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.  The man who was travelling explained his situation to the old man, and added that no one would take them in.  Verse nineteen adds, Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.  The man who was travelling told the old man that they had everything they needed but a place to stay.  Verse twenty states,  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.  The old man told them to allow him to provide for their needs so that they might be at peace.  We should likewise be willing to help those that we encounter who are in need in the world today.  Even if their basic needs are met, they still need to be invited to the heavenly home with God.  Verse twenty-one adds, So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.  The old man brought them into his house and provided for their needs.  We need to pray that the time doesn't come where the old men and women of the church are the only ones who do what God calls on us to do as His people.

Judges 19:1

Judges 19:1 says, And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.  Matthew Henry says this probably occurred shortly after the death of Joshua since Israel was still without a real leader, and a Levite, a man of the priestly tribe, took for himself a concubine.  Verse two states, And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.  She was unfaithful to him, though likely only in her attitude about being his wife, and left him and went back to her father's house for four months.  Verse three says, And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.  The Levite did not put her away, or divorce her, but went after her, to attempt to reconcile with her.  He had with him his servant and two asses.  Matthew Henry says she was called a concubine and not a wife because the Levite could not afford to pay a dowry for her and not because he had other wives.  Her father was glad to see the Levite when he got there.  Verse four states, And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.  The Levite was at his father-in-law's house for three days where he was fed and slept.  We are not told that the Levite said anything bad about his wife or her father.  Matthew Henry says that he evidently had forgiven her as God forgives us and expects us to do with others.  I believe that we too often act out of an attitude of hurt seeking revenge as followers of Christ if we feel that someone has somehow wronged us, instead of out of an attitude of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Verse five declares, And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.  On the fourth day, the father-in-law told the Levite to have a little breakfast and then to be on his way.  Then verse six adds, And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.  Then, after they ate, the father-in-law asked the Levite to stay another night and enjoy himself.  The Levite was evidently ready to be on his way, but he was being treated nicely and being asked to stay longer.  We are not told how God was working in this situation and whether or not the Levite was being led by God to leave and go back home, but we need to realize that even if we are being treated nicely in the world today that we must make sure that we  are where God wants us to be.  If we aren't, we should never delay in returning to where God wants us to be.  Verse seven says, And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.  The Levite remained.  Verse eight adds, And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.  The next day, when the Levite arose early, he was once again asked to stay awhile longer.  The Levite had planned to leave early to get back home, but the kindness of the father-in-law was now becoming a burden to the Levite.  Sometimes, the kindness of others may make us hesitate to do what God has called us to do, but if it does, then it will ultimately prove to be a burden to us.  Verse nine adds, And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.  The father-in-law then said it was late and that the Levite should stay overnight again.  He had started by asking the Levite to stay until the afternoon, but his plan seems to have been to use the lateness of the start to convince the Levite to stay another day.  We should never allow the kindness of the people of the world to keep us from being about what we need to do as followers of Christ.

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.  Before the men of Dan got away too far from the house Micah, they were overtaken by the men of the area.  It was not unnoticed that they were in the area.  Verse twenty-three declares,  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?  The men of the area cried out to the men of Dan, and the men of Dan looked to Micah and asked why he was coming at them with such a large group of men.  When we are doing what we believe God to be telling us to do, if we encounter a large group of people, especially those who are supposed to be fellow Christians, we might likewise ask them why they are opposing us.  Of course, the fact that the men of Dan had stolen from Micah should have made them aware of why they were being confronted.  We should not be surprised if we are confronted if we have done someone wrong.  Verse twenty-four states, 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?  Basically, Micah said to the men of Dan that they knew what they had done, so why were asking him why they were acting like he was the one who was doing something wrong.  Micah said that they had taken away the gods that he had made and his priest.  We as followers of Christ can never have anyone take away our God, because we did not make Him, but He made us.  If there are things in our lives that we have made into gods, we need to have them taken away.  Verse twenty-five says, 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 men of Dan, who were in the wrong, told Micah to be quiet, or they might kill him.  This was an example of  might makes right, which is the rule too often in situations in the world today.  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.  The people of Dan went on their way, and when Micah saw how powerful they were, he went back into his house.  Matthew Henry says that Micah must not have had much faith in his gods to protect him, since if he had he would have fought for them.  Man made gods can never do anything to protect anyone, so in some respects, Micah was better off without them.  Verse twenty-seven states, 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 men of Dan next came to the people of Laish, a peaceful people, and killed them with the sword.  They evidently felt that they were a powerful people by this time, doing whatever they wanted to do to the people that they met.  Though as Christians we are a spiritually powerful people, that does not give us the right to mistreat people that we meet.  Verse twenty-eight declares, 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 to come to the rescue of the people of Laish, so after the people of Dan defeated them, they built a city and settled there.  Again, I am sure they were feeling very successful by this time, having defeated the people around them and even having their own gods and priest.  These were still a part of God's chosen people, but there was no leadership of God in what they were doing.  As followers of Christ today, no matter how successful we may be in the eyes of the world, if we are not following God's guidance, then we are never spiritually successful.  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, though it had first been named Laish.  Verse thirty proclaims, 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.  The people of Dan set up the false gods to be worshipped and their priests participated in the worship.  Though they were born into the family of Israel, God's chosen people, they were about as far away from being His people spiritually as they could get.  We may be called God's people today because of where we were born or who our parents may have been, but until we come to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be our Savior and Lord, we are still just lost people following our own gods.  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.  The people of Dan continued to worship the graven image that Micah had made.  The question we need to ask ourselves today is if we have allowed a graven image to take the place of God in our lives.  We cannot be obedient to God and at the same time allow anything in this world to take His place in our lives.

Judges 18:11 says, And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.  Six hundred men from Dan went out with weapons of war after the report of the spies.  When we believe that God is with us, there is no reason to delay in doing what we believe that He is leading us to do.  Verse twelve states, And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.  Matthew Henry says that military movements by the people of Israel were rare by this time, so the place was named for the people of Dan.  Verse thirteen adds,  And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.  They then came to the house of Micah.  Verse fourteen says, Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.  The five spies told the men of Dan of the teraphim, graven image and molten image in Micah's house and told them to consider what they had to do.  Matthew Henry says that they thought that if they could take these gods that it would give them power over the people there.  When we encounter false gods today, our concern should not be to attempt to use them for our benefit but to destroy them.  Verse fifteen adds, And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.  They got to the house of Micah and met the young Levite.  This should have been one of the priests of God, but instead he was serving false gods.  Not everyone that we meet today who profess to be followers of Christ are going to be.  Some may even be in positions of service in the church,  Verse sixteen declares, And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.  The aimed men of Dan stood by the entering of the gate.  Then verse eighteen adds, And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.  The five spies went ot Micah's house and stole the graven image, ephod, and teraphim while the priest was kept at the gate with the other men of Dan.  We should never attempt to use things dedicated to false gods for our own purposes of worship.  Verse eighteen continues, And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?  After the spies took the items, the priest asked them what they were doing.  If we begin to worship the things of this world. it will be God Who is asking us what we are doing if we profess to be a follower of Christ.  Verse nineteen says, And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?  The men of Dan told the priest to remain silent and then asked if it would not be better for him to be a priest to a bunch of people than to one person.  They said that he could be a priest to a family of the tribe of Israel.  I believe this tells us something about the spiritual state of the people of Dan who were there .  Instead of destroying the idols, they claimed them as their own.  Verse twenty adds, And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.  This also tells us a lot about the young priest.  He did not say he was where God had called him to be, because he really wasn't.  He was happy to serve a larger group.  Sometimes today, preachers may be tempted to move to a larger congregation where they may be better paid, but the question should always be whether or not this is what God is leading them to do.  I believe sometimes serving in a larger congregation may be an idol in itself.  Verse twenty-one states, So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.  They left Micah's house with his gods and his priest, but this only put them farther away from God.  We may view ourselves as successful today because of our material success, but unless we allow God to guide us in all that we do we will never be spiritually successful.

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.