LECTURE 436.

The danger of deciding without due consideration.

This circumstance in the history of the tribe of Dan is briefly mentioned beforehand towards the end of the book of Joshua, where the lot of this tribe is set forth. "The coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father." Josh. 19. 47. For this purpose they first sent out five men to spy the land, who, when they were arrived at mount Ephraim, knew the voice of the Levite that dwelt with Micah as his priest. And when he told them how he was employed, they gladly seized the opportunity to ask counsel of God by his means, rather than resort to the tabernacle at Shiloh, which was close at hand. This shews us how eagerly men follow their own way in preference to the way pointed out by God. And indeed we ought before to have observed this circumstance, that mount Ephraim was nigh at hand to Shiloh ; as cutting off all excuse from Micah and his mother, in setting up their house of gods and priesthood.

The answer, which this priest of image worship professed to give from God, encouraged the men of Dan to pursue their journey. And the report which they brought home from Laish, to their brethren of Zorah and Eshtaol, prevailed upon six hundred men of the family of the Danites, to set forth from their own allotment in the south of Canaan, towards Laish at its northern extremity. They advanced in the same direction as their spies had done before; and after first pitching their tents near Kirjath-jearim in Judah, they came to the house of Micah at mount Ephraim. Here the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish," informed their brethren of the ephod, and teraphim, and graven image, and molten image, which Micah had made. And a plan was at once formed to take with them, on their distant expedition, these forbidden helps to devotion, in worshipping the Lord their God. Neither the injustice of robbing their neighbour, nor the unlawfulness of harbouring his gods, seem to have crossed their minds, or in the least to have stayed their proceedings. They heard, they coveted, and they immediately determined to possess. How gladly does our tempter see us decide hastily, where our passions prompt us to decide wrong! How often should we find, on taking time to consider, that we cannot have the things on which our hearts are set, without injury to our neighbour, or disobedience to God! Let us be less apt to act in haste, and we shall not so often have to repent at leisure. And instead of considering only how to gain our ends, let us always consider first, whether they are fit for us to aim at.

The Danites take Laish; and set up Micah's image at Dan. 16 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.

17 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. 18 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?

19 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?

20 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.

21 So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.

22 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.

24 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?

25 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 houshold.

26 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.

27 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.

28 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 Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.

29 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.

30 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.

23 And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they 31 And they set them up Miturned their faces, and said unto cah's graven image, which he Micah, What aileth thee, that made, all the time that the house thou comest with such a company? of God was in Shiloh.

LECTURE 437.

Against following our own devices instead of God's way. The zeal of Micah, and of his household, and of his neighbours, in behalf of their superstitious worship, is evident from their pursuing after so large a company, in the hope of recovering their lost images and priest. And that the men of Dan apprehended some danger, in carrying off these cherished treasures, appears from their all standing "by the entering of the gate" of Micah's house, "appointed with their weapons of war ;" and again by their placing their children and cattle before them as they proceeded on their journey, lest Micah should overtake them in the rear. But zeal, however great, must yield to numbers and to force; especially where the help of God is hopeless. And had there been a king on earth then reigning over Israel, as there was a King reigning over them in heaven, no redress could have been obtained, by law, for the loss of goods, which no Israelite could lawfully possess. This is a sound principle, and one commonly received, in the application of laws amongst mankind; that they who are wronged by others, in any matter or business prohibited by law, are debarred from legal redress. And if the party which commits the injury seems herein to gain doubly by his twofold wrong, this may serve to shew us the inherent imperfection of all laws administered by man; this may help to convince us, that a day is coming, when God will repay the wicked, far more fully than at present, for the wrong which they have done.

The children of Dan, having answered Micah's just remonstrance by threats of unjust force, went forward in their journey, and came to Laish, and smote the people, and burnt their city, and built for themselves another city, and dwelt therein, and "called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father." And they set up in their new city the image, and image worship, or worshipping of Jehovah by help of images, which Micah had established at mount Ephraim. And in that city this image worship continued, and the Levite Jonathan, and his sons after him, officiated as priests, "until the day of the captivity of the land," probably meaning, until the ark was taken by the Philistines, and the glory had departed from the house of God at Shiloh. These Danites would perhaps have pleaded their distance from the tabernacle, in excuse for their establishment of a separate place of worship. But we have seen that they preferred Micah's Levite at mount Ephraim, to the priest of God at Shiloh, when both were alike within their reach. And we should therefore fear that whatever plea they might urge in their excuse, the real reason of their conduct was this, that they were following, instead of God's commandments, the devices and desires of their own hearts. Let us watch against this disposition in ourselves. And in every question of duty that occurs, let us hold that the way of God's appointment, however inconvenient it may seem, is always sure to be the best.

The Levite, visiting his concubine, tarrieth with her father. 1 And it came to pass in those ternoon, and they did eat both days, when there was no king in of them. Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-judah.

LECTURE 438.

Of our liberty at once straitened and enlarged by the Gospel. The connexion of "husband" and concubine was not so binding as that of husband and wife; though it implied, as we see in this history, strict fidelity on the part of the woman to the man. Or if the expression in the second verse of this chapter mean only, as some have thought, that the woman behaved wilfully, and left the Levite without just reason, it would shew that a concubine had more liberty to depart than a wife; and was therefore probably much more easily put away, whensoever her husband wished. This was a state of things, which, compared with actual marriage, was far less conducive to the happiness of the parties concerned, and to the general welfare of society. But as we know that it was practised before the Law was revealed, see Gen. 25. 6, so we here find it practised soon after the Law had been established, the Law itself containing no ordinance on the subject. Let us then be thankful to observe, that in this as in other things our liberty is more straitened by the Gospel; our liberty to do wrong, and to please ourselves, is more straitened, whilst our liberty to please God, and to do right, is enlarged. Oh that it may now seem to us more truly desirable, more really free, to do right, than to do wrong! Oh that we may ever find, that the things which we do to please God are, at the same time, most pleasing to ourselves!

There is much that is both interesting and profitable, in the lively picture here set before us, of the manners of very ancient times. The return of affection in the Levite towards the woman who had left him, and his speaking "friendly unto her," or as it is translated in the margin, speaking "to her heart," recommend to us the duty of forgiving injuries, and shew us the power of kindly words to reunite estranged friends. The hospitable reception of the Levite by the woman's father, though it may seem somewhat interested in him, may well teach us how heartily glad we ought to be, to give food and lodging to our friends and relatives; and so to order our behaviour to our guests as to make those whom we entertain feel welcome. Whilst the sad consequences which followed, on the Levite's tarrying so long, as to go away in haste at last, may remind us, that there is no true hospitality in pressing our friends, against their better judgment, to partake of the pleasures of society. And at the same time it may help us in firmly resisting all such pressing invitations, which we are aware we ought not to accept. Let us refuse to go, if it is right to stay away. Or if we have felt it right to be present, let us resolve, when it is due time, to rise up, and depart. And let us never press our friends to do otherwise, in this matter, than we feel it right to do ourselves. For of all the things which we can give unto each other, there is nothing which we are apt to ask so largely, whilst there is nothing which we can so ill afford to spare, as this one thing, our time.