Judges 18 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Judges 18 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Most scholars place the period of the Judges between 1450 B.C. and 1000 B.C.

• The story recorded in Judges 18 is a continuation of events introduced in Judges 17.

CHARACTERS:

• Micah – A man from Ephraim who created a shrine and appointed his own priests.

• Young Levite – This man was hired by Micah to work in his shrine.

• The Danites – The descendants of Dan, Jacob’s son with Bilhah, Rachel’s servant.

WHERE:

• Micah and his Levite priest lived in the hill country of Ephraim.

• The Danites conquered the city of Laish and renamed it Dan (north of the Sea of Galilee).  

OUTLINE:

• THE DANITES VISIT THE HOUSE OF MICAH (18:1-6):

  • At this time, men from the tribe of Dan were looking for a land to make their home.

  • They had been apportioned a land by Joshua, but for some reason they hadn’t taken possession of it and were looking for land elsewhere (perhaps because the Philistines and Amorites, who lived in that region, were giving them trouble. See Judges 1:34).

  • The Danites sent 5 spies to assess Laish and evaluate it as a potential homeland.  

  • On their journey, the 5 spies met the young Levite who served as a priest in the house of Micah (17:10-12) and observed the shrine and metal image.

  • They asked the priest to inquire of the Lord whether their mission would be a success.

  • The priest told them they had God’s blessing.

• THE DANITES STEAL MICAH’S METAL IMAGE AND PRIEST (18:7-31):

  • The 5 Danite spies left Micah’s house and went north to Laish.

  • They determined the city was a good prospect for conquest and they went back to their tribesmen and reported their findings.

  • The Danites sent an army of 600 armed men, but on their way to Laish, they stopped at Micah’s house.

  • They took Micah’s metal image and convinced his young priest to leave Micah and become a priest to their whole tribe.

  • The young Levite was excited at this potential promotion and left with the Danites.

  • When Micah heard the news, he tried to stop the Danites, but there was nothing he could do.

  • When the Danites arrived at Laish, they conquered it, made it their home, and renamed the city Dan.

  • The people of Dan set up the image of Micah in their territory and ordained their own priesthood which persisted for generations.

APPLICATION:

• The sin of one person led thousands of people into sin.

• Micah’s mother paying a silversmith to make a metal image of God (which was forbidden in the 10 commandments) resulted in the religious confusion and rebellion of the tribe of Dan.  

• This is why the introduction of sin into a community by one man or woman needs to be taken seriously and addressed quickly.