At first reading, it seemed like the Levite was making a courageous stand against these intruders. But what he was really doing was complaining that they were about to ruin the good thing he had going for himself. When they told him to keep quiet because they were offering him a better deal, he immediately folded. The old saying is that the line of least resistance makes both men and rivers crooked. He did the expedient thing because it was to his advantage and he was not a man of principle. They made him an offer he couldn\u2019t refuse, and his heart was glad for the upward mobility and job advancement. If you can be bought at any price, then Satan will supply someone with your price.<\/p>\n
Neither the Levite nor Micah, the one whose idols and priest were being stolen, found their false gods worth dying or even fighting for, because they were nothing more than manufactured gods. And since they weren’t worth dying for they weren\u2019t worth living for either. Compromise came easily to the Levite because he wasn\u2019t invested or following the true God. What is worth fighting for in our lives? We probably won’t have to face physically loosing our lives for Jesus today, but we will face the battle of living our lives for Him. Will we serve Him today will all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength?<\/p>\n
“LORD, only by Your strength will we stand. Strengthen us by Your Spirit we ask and keep us standing for You this day.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judges 18 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0In those days\u00a0there was\u00a0<\/em>no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day\u00a0all their\u00a0<\/em>inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And 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.\u00a0\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0When they were\u00a0<\/em>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\u00a0place\u00a0<\/em>? and what hast thou here?\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the\u00a0LORD\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>your way wherein ye go. 7<\/sup> Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that\u00a0were<\/em> therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and\u00a0there was<\/em>no magistrate in the land, that might put\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>to shame in\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>thing; and they\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>far from the Zidonians, and had no business with\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>man.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What\u00a0say\u00a0<\/em>ye?\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>very good: and\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>ye still? be not slothful to go,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>to enter to possess the land.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0When 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\u00a0there is\u00a0<\/em>no want of any thing that\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in the earth. 11<\/sup>\u00a0And 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.\u00a0\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan unto this day: behold,\u00a0it is\u00a0<\/em>behind Kirjath-jearim.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. 14<\/sup> 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.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.\u00a0\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And the five men that went to spy out the land went up,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>came in thither,\u00a0and<\/em> 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\u00a0that were\u00a0<\/em>appointed with weapons of war.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And these went into Micah\u2019s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And 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:\u00a0is it\u00a0<\/em>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?\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And the priest\u2019s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. 22<\/sup>\u00a0And\u00a0<\/em>when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>in the houses near to Micah\u2019s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.\u00a023<\/sup>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?\u00a0\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And 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\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>this\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>ye say unto me, What aileth thee?\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And 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.\u00a0\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. 27<\/sup>\u00a0And they took\u00a0the things\u00a0<\/em>which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people\u00a0that were\u00a0<\/em>at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And\u00a0there was\u00a0<\/em>no deliverer, because it\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>far from Zidon, and they had no business with\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>man; and it was in the valley that\u00a0lieth\u00a0<\/em>by Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0And 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\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Laish at the first. 30<\/sup>\u00a0And 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.\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0And they set them up Micah\u2019s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At first reading, it seemed like the Levite was making a courageous stand against these intruders. But what he was really doing was complaining that they were about to ruin the good thing he had going for himself. 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