Migratory Tribe

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting December 28 to study Judges 17 and 18 (this is for 18).

This chapter continues what was setup for us in chapter 17.  It has the same tone, tempo, and characters as the previous chapter.  Read this chapter carefully, because there are some interesting claims made, and assumptions underlying those claims.  Think through why the people do what they do.

As always, read through the chapter a few times, making notes, and jotting down questions.  Once you have your own, go back through with a commentary or two.  There are, again, lots of  diverse perspectives on this chapter.  Revise your notes and questions, then go back through with the questions below:

• Why do you think Dan can claim that an inheritance never "fell to them" during the time Israel took possession of the land.  Why do you think they phrase it that way?  It sort of sounds like everyone received an inheritance from God but them.  If that's what they mean, why do you think they would believe that?
• The tribe of Dan sends out spies.  What does this begin to sound like to you?  What other sending out of spies does this remind you of? Maybe reading Numbers 13 will help.
• What a surprise, they come to the house of Micah.  It says they 'recognize' the voice of the Levite.  What do you think the author means by that?  What was it that was familiar, that particular Levite, or what he was saying?
• The spies investigate the Levite.  It's not really part of their job, but they do so anyway.  Why?  What do you think is the big deal with the Levite to them?
• In verse 5, since there is an idol (or idols) involved here, but, since also the name of Yahweh has been bandied about earlier, do you think the "Elohim" here (as in, "inquire of Elohim") is God, or gods? 
• The Levite tells them that they walk in the favor of God.  What do you think?  Do they?  Why or why not?
• The spies come to Laish.  Read the description carefully.  What do you think is the most important detail, among the many given, about Laish that makes it ideal for the tribe of Dan?
• There is a really strange word used in verse 7.  It makes the modern translators pretty crazy trying to figure it out.  Look at this verse in various versions on Blue Letter Bible.  Note the little bracketed "fn" notes.  Here's the Strong's entry on the difficult word. Here's a new trick you can use for word studies: using the arrows in the "Word/Phrase/Strong's Search" section (below the Hebrew Lexicon entry), flip to the word before and then the word after this one (H6113 and then H6115).  Similarities are rarely inconsequential, except when it's a completely different word.  So, what do you think about the similarities and differences between the words on either side of this one?
• Here's one of my favorite movie scenes.  It's from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".  In this scene, listen for how Dennis describes their form of government.  How does that help you imagine the area of Laish when the spies from Dan found them?
• The spies return and get everyone moving.  What does their description remind you of? 
• The author notes that 600 traveled "armed with weapons of war", which makes longer travel more difficult.  Why do you think these 600 traveled this way?
• Their travel explains a place-name, Mahaneh-Dan.  Where have we already run across this place? (check your Bible's cross references.  I bet they will help.)
• What a surprise, they come to the house of Micah.  Read what the spies tell the tribe about the Levite and his setup.  What jumps out to you about this description? Why do you think the spies are pushing the men to "consider" their next move carefully?  Why isn't it obvious?
•  Look at verses 17 and 18 in several translations (including a KJV).  Who goes into the house to retrieve the idols? No Hebrew or Greek version has "...when they entered...", they all have "...they entered..."  Why do you think translators have all added "when"?
• The sons of Dan basically threaten the priest to get him to cooperate.  But why do you think they do this?  Why do they want these idols and priest?  What do you think is the underlying assumption in this account?  What do these people (Micah, and the tribe of Dan) believe about these idols?
• The priest happily goes with them.  So, what does he believe about this arrangement?
• As the tribe of Dan travels, they put the families and possessions in front.  Why do you think they do that?  What are they protecting, and from what?
• Micah and the village give chase, and catch the traveling tribe and the armed 600.  What do you think of the challenge of the sons of Dan? What do you think they mean by that?
• Micah doesn't seem to understand their lack of understanding.  Why do you think he is confused by their challenge?
• The tribe of Dan moves to an open threat.  The "fierce" or "angry" men are actually "bitter of soul".  What does that description remind you of?  (Maybe 1 Samuel 22:1-2?)
• Micah does some quick accounting, and determines this isn't a good idea.  If he really considered what he had to be the "favor of Yahweh", what do you think he thinks now?
• The tribe of Dan takes Micah's "religious establishment", and then destroys the people of Laish.  Just based on the amount of ink, the battle isn't as important to the author as their situation of Laish.  What point do you think the author is making about the tribe of Dan through this account, and specifically through this depiction of the fall of Laish?
• They rebuilt the city and called it Dan.  Then they established the worship there.  Look at the names in the priestly line.  Could we now have a name of the "young Levite", and now know why the spies "recognized" him?  What do you think?
• If this is Gershom of Moses, and he is a young Levite, then when did this actually happen, or how old is this "youth"?
• Most manuscripts have "Manasseh", not "Moses", which would make him a different "Gershom".  If you look at why Moses named his son Gershom (Exodus 2:22), why would it make sense that this young Levite was named Gershom as well?  (look at where he was introduced in chapter 10)

That should keep us well occupied, and probably for more than one week.  Remember to consider how the confusion of acceptable worship of Yahweh reflects on dangers in our own day.  What do we need to learn here?

No Sense of God

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting December 28 to study Judges 17 and possibly 18.  There are two separate accounts in these final chapters of Judges. I always put them together, and while they do seem to work together, they are not the same characters.  This first account is the migration of the tribe of Dan.

Read through the two chapters together, 17 and 18.  There are plenty of distractions along the way, with funky things people say and do.  My recommendation is to make lots of notes, because you'll get bogged down in the surprises if you don't.

You should have lots of questions.  Make sure you write them down.  Then, with your notes and questions, go to commentaries.  You can revise your notes accordingly, but be sure to look at more than one commentary.  They do not all agree on these chapters.  This is confusing for everyone.

After you have gone through your own study and commentaries, go back through with the questions below:

• The events of chapter 17 happen in the "hill country of Ephraim".  They happen around a man who has a righteous name based on Yahweh.  Why do you think these details might be important, keeping in mind how often they are repeated?
• Micah (Mikayehu in the Hebrew of the first part of the chapter) has stolen silver from his mother, silver which she then cursed in his hearing.  Why do you think Micah stole the money but didn't spend any?
• He confesses to his mother, and she "blesses him to Yahweh". When he returns the money she "consecrates" it (makes it holy) to Yahweh, but, holy to make an idol and a "cast image".  How does something holy to Yahweh then be used to make something He has forbidden?  Why do you think these children of Israel didn't know that was wrong?
• So, of the 1,100 silver, she gives him 200 to make the idol and cast image.  Perhaps a "tithe" of it was for the image (110 silver), and the other 90 for the smithy?  So, do these sound like two images, or one image made of two processes?  Look at several translations, why do you think they have so much trouble understanding what Micah did?
• Micah then makes a "house of God", ephod, teraphim (household gods), and sets one of his sons as a priest.  Sin is "missing", iniquity is "twisting", and transgression is "rebelling".  In your opinion, which one has Micah and his family done here?
• In verse 6, we have the author's explanation of how things got this bad, "In those days, there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes."  But there was worship happening in Shiloh (see 18:31).  So, why do you think a king is such an important detail here for this author?
• Enter the young itinerant Levite from Bethlehem.  He wanders to the hill country of Ephraim and happens upon Micah and his house of God.  What you would you expect the young Levite to think of Micah's setup there in his house?
• Micah offers him room, board, a stipend, and clothes to be his priest in his idolatrous "house of God".  Why do you think the Levite would consent to such an arrangement?
• Micah consecrates the Levite in verse 12.  Then in verse 13, he says he now knows he has found favor with Yahweh.  So, what have Micah (and, most likely, everyone living around him) believed about Yahweh at this point in Israel's history?
• The first verse of chapter 18 probably belongs to chapter 17 as the final say, "In those days, there was no king in Israel..."  That verse also sets us up for the events of chapter 18.  Read both chapters together.  Why do you think they've been separated?

What should be most disturbing about this chapter is the way Micah and his people/family consider themselves devoted to Yahweh, yet worship Him in a Canaanite way.  They have set aside His rules for how to relate to Him for the culture of the displaced people of the land.  In what ways do we endanger ourselves in the same way in this culture?  What steps can we take to make sure we don't fall into the same trap?