Micah and the Danites
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. 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? 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? 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. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. 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. 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? 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? 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. 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.-Judges 18:17-26***The Danites, the Israelites in the tribe of Dan, descended from Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (Israel) and Bilhah, and Jacob and Bilhah's firstborn son Dan. Bilhah was the maidservant of Jacob's 2nd wife Rachel. Rachel and her older sister Leah were the daughters of Laban the Syrian (Aramean), and Leah was Jacob's 1st wife. In Padan Aram, Haran, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah were born to Jacob and Leah. Naphtali was the 2nd son born to Jacob and Bilhah, and Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Joseph was the 1st son born to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel and Joseph were Jacob's favorites. During Jacob's 20th year in Haran, he began journeying home to Canaan with his family, servants, animals, and possessions. Near Bethlehem, Benjamin was born to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel died. Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers sold him to merchants traveling to Egypt and led Jacob to believe that Joseph was killed by a wild beast. The merchants sold Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian official. Potiphar's wife made a false accusation, and Potiphar put Joseph in prison. At least 2 years after Joseph explained the meaning of a dream to the imprisoned cupbearer who served Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and explained the meaning of a dream to Pharaoh's imprisoned baker, 30-year-old Joseph explained the meaning of a dream to Pharaoh, and proclaimed Joseph second-in-command. After the 2nd time that Joseph's brothers were in Egypt during a famine to buy corn (grain), Joseph identified himself to them and told his brothers to move with their families, including Jacob, to Egypt. Pharaoh heard about the reunion and expressed his generosity and hospitality. In Beersheba, Canaan, Jacob offered sacrifices to the Lord God, and the Lord God spoke to 130-year-old Jacob. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons, and the tribe of Joseph became the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt, and Jacob's family buried his body in Canaan, and 110-year-old Joseph and his siblings were dead, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were born into the tribe of Levi to Amram and Jochebed. Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they led the Israelites away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, into the desert wilderness of Shur, and the desert wilderness of Sin, and the desert wilderness of Sinai, according to the commands of the Lord God. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam the prophetess died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron the high priest died, and Aaron's son Eleazar became Eleazar's successor. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that the Lord God gave Moses commands about dividing the Promised Land, and the Lord God identified the men, including Eleazar, who were to fulfill the task. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses the prophet died, and was divinely buried. Joshua was Moses' aide and successor from the tribe of Ephraim. The Lord God spoke to Joshua, and Joshua sent 2 spies to Canaan, and Rahab hid the spies, and the spies returned, and Joshua led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. The Israelites, led by Joshua, destroyed Jericho, and Ai, and other kingdoms, and kings, before Joshua, Eleazar and the 10 tribal leaders specified by the Lord God began allotting each tribe its portion of the Promised Land. After 110-year-old Joshua died, and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, the Israelites were led by elders, judges and their own minds. Some of the land allotted to the tribe of Dan was occupied by the Amorites, people too strong for the Danites to expel. The Amorites forced the Danites into the mountain, and the Danites sent 5 spies to find another area for their tribe to inhabit. During their journey, the 5 spies stopped near the home of Micah, and heard and questioned Jonathan, a Levite. Jonathan was born to Gershom, and Gershom and his younger brother Eliezer were born to Moses and Zipporah, and Zipporah was the daughter of Jethro (Reuel), a Midianite descended from Abraham and his 2nd wife Keturah, and their son Midian. Jonathan was living in Micah's home and serving as Micah's priest. After Jonathan answered the Danites, the Danites went to Laish, and saw that the city could be easily captured, and the Danites returned home anticipating an upcoming victory. The 5 spies and 600 armed Danites set out to dispossess the Laish inhabitants, and stopped at Micah's house and stole Micah's religious artifacts and Jonathan. Samuel the priest, prophet and judge was born into the tribe of Levi to Elkanah and Hannah. When Samuel was elderly, and his sons Joel (Vashni) and Abiah (Abijah) were not obeying the commands of the Lord God, and King Nahash and his Ammonite army were preparing to attack, the Israelite elders demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them, and Samuel anointed Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin to reign, according to the command of the Lord God. Approximately 1,000 years after David, from the tribe of Judah, became the 2nd king to rule over all of the Israelites, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.
Reference Information
graven = happesel = pciyl = pacal/pasal = carved, idol
molten = hammassekah/maccekah = nacak = a pouring over, a cast image
teraphim = hatterapim = traphiym = rapha = household idols
Reference Scriptures
And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.-Exodus 28:1-2...And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.-Exodus 28:4
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