1 Samuel 1

1 Samuel 1:1

Strengthened Once More

That God can use our failures to His glory is a great miracle. It goes without saying that this does not take away anything from our responsibility. It also shows how much God is beyond our failures and how His glory is even greater because of them.

Although blind, Samson begins to ‘see’ more than he has ever seen. The Philistines think they are dealing with a defeated enemy and think they have nothing left to fear from Samson. As an example of his powerlessness, he is led in by a boy holding his hand. But with his dependence on God, of which his growing hair is an external characteristic, his strength returns and the enemy does not see it. In his humiliation, the thoughts of God have more influence on Samson’s heart than before, in the days of his strength.

The plan arises for him to be taken by the boy to the pillars on which the building rests. The building is full of people celebrating in honor of their god Dagon who has defused their invincible enemy for them.

When Samson stands by the pillars, he prays his second prayer mentioned of him in the Bible. It is not a prayer with which he has God’s honor in mind. He asks God to think of him in his search for revenge for his two eyes. This shows that, despite the restoration of his strength, his spiritual life has not yet been restored. This indicates that we may have restored after a deviation, but that we will not get back everything we lost as a result of that deviation. Yet God hears him.

In a way that appeals to our imagination, is described how Samson pushes apart the pillars on which the roof rests and turns the entire building into a dead man’s ruin. Samson, blind and bound, is killed in the judgment he brings on his enemies. He has connected himself to the world by listening to it and must now share in the judgment that affects the world. Something similar happens to Jonathan, holding Saul with one hand and David with the other (1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 20:42b; 1 Samuel 31:2).

Samson has successively lost his strength, his freedom, his sight and his life. If someone’s death is more important than his life, it says a lot, both of the one and the other. Not much of his life resulted in glory to God. In his death, he made up for some of what he failed to do in his life. He had to learn that his own death was the secret of his strength.

As said, Samson called to God twice, and both times his prayer is linked to the secret of his strength. Judges 15 is about the strength of life (Judges 15:18-19), here it is about the strength of death. This is what Paul learned: “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11). We must also learn this. The moment I accept my death, God’s secret strength starts working in me and I become a useful instrument that God can use.

1 Samuel 1:2

Strengthened Once More

That God can use our failures to His glory is a great miracle. It goes without saying that this does not take away anything from our responsibility. It also shows how much God is beyond our failures and how His glory is even greater because of them.

Although blind, Samson begins to ‘see’ more than he has ever seen. The Philistines think they are dealing with a defeated enemy and think they have nothing left to fear from Samson. As an example of his powerlessness, he is led in by a boy holding his hand. But with his dependence on God, of which his growing hair is an external characteristic, his strength returns and the enemy does not see it. In his humiliation, the thoughts of God have more influence on Samson’s heart than before, in the days of his strength.

The plan arises for him to be taken by the boy to the pillars on which the building rests. The building is full of people celebrating in honor of their god Dagon who has defused their invincible enemy for them.

When Samson stands by the pillars, he prays his second prayer mentioned of him in the Bible. It is not a prayer with which he has God’s honor in mind. He asks God to think of him in his search for revenge for his two eyes. This shows that, despite the restoration of his strength, his spiritual life has not yet been restored. This indicates that we may have restored after a deviation, but that we will not get back everything we lost as a result of that deviation. Yet God hears him.

In a way that appeals to our imagination, is described how Samson pushes apart the pillars on which the roof rests and turns the entire building into a dead man’s ruin. Samson, blind and bound, is killed in the judgment he brings on his enemies. He has connected himself to the world by listening to it and must now share in the judgment that affects the world. Something similar happens to Jonathan, holding Saul with one hand and David with the other (1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 20:42b; 1 Samuel 31:2).

Samson has successively lost his strength, his freedom, his sight and his life. If someone’s death is more important than his life, it says a lot, both of the one and the other. Not much of his life resulted in glory to God. In his death, he made up for some of what he failed to do in his life. He had to learn that his own death was the secret of his strength.

As said, Samson called to God twice, and both times his prayer is linked to the secret of his strength. Judges 15 is about the strength of life (Judges 15:18-19), here it is about the strength of death. This is what Paul learned: “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11). We must also learn this. The moment I accept my death, God’s secret strength starts working in me and I become a useful instrument that God can use.

1 Samuel 1:3

Strengthened Once More

That God can use our failures to His glory is a great miracle. It goes without saying that this does not take away anything from our responsibility. It also shows how much God is beyond our failures and how His glory is even greater because of them.

Although blind, Samson begins to ‘see’ more than he has ever seen. The Philistines think they are dealing with a defeated enemy and think they have nothing left to fear from Samson. As an example of his powerlessness, he is led in by a boy holding his hand. But with his dependence on God, of which his growing hair is an external characteristic, his strength returns and the enemy does not see it. In his humiliation, the thoughts of God have more influence on Samson’s heart than before, in the days of his strength.

The plan arises for him to be taken by the boy to the pillars on which the building rests. The building is full of people celebrating in honor of their god Dagon who has defused their invincible enemy for them.

When Samson stands by the pillars, he prays his second prayer mentioned of him in the Bible. It is not a prayer with which he has God’s honor in mind. He asks God to think of him in his search for revenge for his two eyes. This shows that, despite the restoration of his strength, his spiritual life has not yet been restored. This indicates that we may have restored after a deviation, but that we will not get back everything we lost as a result of that deviation. Yet God hears him.

In a way that appeals to our imagination, is described how Samson pushes apart the pillars on which the roof rests and turns the entire building into a dead man’s ruin. Samson, blind and bound, is killed in the judgment he brings on his enemies. He has connected himself to the world by listening to it and must now share in the judgment that affects the world. Something similar happens to Jonathan, holding Saul with one hand and David with the other (1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 20:42b; 1 Samuel 31:2).

Samson has successively lost his strength, his freedom, his sight and his life. If someone’s death is more important than his life, it says a lot, both of the one and the other. Not much of his life resulted in glory to God. In his death, he made up for some of what he failed to do in his life. He had to learn that his own death was the secret of his strength.

As said, Samson called to God twice, and both times his prayer is linked to the secret of his strength. Judges 15 is about the strength of life (Judges 15:18-19), here it is about the strength of death. This is what Paul learned: “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11). We must also learn this. The moment I accept my death, God’s secret strength starts working in me and I become a useful instrument that God can use.

1 Samuel 1:4

Burial of Samson and Final Statement

His history started with parents looking upward; after that it soon went downhill. Now his whole family comes and takes him up to the tomb of his father Manoah. This will also be the end of our lives: despite much unfaithfulness on our part, we will enter into the Father’s house through the faithfulness of God.

The history of Samson ends with the statement that he has judged Israel as a judge for twenty years. We say goodbye to him with a reminder of the service he did for God in the midst of His people. For he has served God. He defeated the Philistines and for twenty years ensured order and peace in Israel. Israel’s history continues, but God does not forget what Samson did.

We meet him again in the Bible: in Hebrews 11. Perhaps that surprises us. God does not think like us. Samson is allowed to shine between other heroes of faith in the midst of whom God has given him a place. There he, together with those others who have gone before us on the path of faith and have already reached the final goal, calls by his example to us that the path of faith is the path of blessing leading to the final blessing.

Soon we will really see Samson when we are with the Lord Jesus. Together with him we will magnify and glorify the Lord Jesus. He did not do Samson (and also us) according to his (and our) unfaithfulness, but carried out right through it His own plans of grace and blessing.

Together with him we will sing: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12).

1 Samuel 1:6

Introduction

The last five chapters of the book, Judges 17-21, form a separate part. They are not a historical sequel to the previous chapters, but show something of the spiritual and social climate within the people of the land during the entire period in which the book of Judges takes place. In those chapters two more histories are described, the first in Judges 17-18, the second in Judges 19-21.

In these sections we do not read about judges. Nor is there any oppression and a period of time is not given. It is very likely that the events described took place at the beginning of the period of judges. This can be deduced from Judges 18 where there is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30) [it is assumed that Manasseh must be Moses], while in Judges 20 the name of Phinehas the high priest is mentioned (Judges 20:28), a grandson of Aaron, who has already reached adulthood during the wilderness journey. This seems to confirm that both the events of Judges 17-18 and those of Judges 19-21 should be set in the beginning of the period that the judges judged.

The fact that they are described only here is proof that not only the way in which events are depicted is Godly inspired, but also that their classification, the order, is equally Godly inspired. What appears at first sight to be disorder, appears on closer inspection to confirm the perfection of the Word of God. The fact that it is only here that these events are brought to the fore is intended to illustrate the moral and religious fall of the people of God during the entire period covered by the book of Judges.

It is even possible that in time order Judges 17-18 must be placed after Judges 19-21. That first the history of Micah and the tribe Dan is written is a confirmation of this. God wants to show us that leaving or replacing Him (Judges 17-18) also has a dramatic effect on the relationships among His people (Judges 19-21).

The people are controlled by a spirit of self-willingness throughout the entire period of this book. Because there is no inhibitory influence – “in those days there was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6; Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1; Judges 21:25) –, gives that spirit free rein to all kinds of excesses. Is it a miracle then that the people repeatedly deviate from God and sin? These last five chapters thus form the dark background against which everything that takes place in this book must be seen.

In the history of Judges 17-18 we get a painting of the religious decay of the people. In Judges 17 we see how a religious system is set up by a person for the benefit of his family, while Judges 18 describes how this system is introduced in an entire tribe.

God tells us everything without punishing or even expressing His displeasure. The assessment is left to our mental discernment.

What we find in these two chapters are 1. a man-made god, 2. humanly organized worship and 3. a man-made priesthood.

It is a striking description of what we see around us today in ritualistic Christianity.

Micah and His Mother

When we are on holiday in a foreign land and we want to get a good idea of the everyday life of the people, it is best to take a look at an ordinary family. The Spirit of God takes us to a family that has probably not been noticed by any particular achievement. It is a model for the majority of the families in Israel. What we observe there, if we disregard for a moment God’s thoughts about family life, is not something that will be upset us.

We see a son who steals money from his mother, but fortunately gives it back. And see how the mother reacts. She blesses her son and even sanctifies a part for the LORD. All of this seems to be blessed by the LORD, for in their house religion they receive even reinforcement from a real Levite. This is how we can look at this family.

However, if we hold this family against the light of the Bible, things will be very different. Before we do that, we have to be aware that we ourselves are also being scrutinized. Otherwise we miss the lesson God wants us to learn through this history. For also “these things happened as examples for us … and they were written for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:6; 11). In Micah and his mother the corruption becomes public that can be present in a house or family. This is where sin arises, which will later affect an entire tribe. Sin spreads like leprosy.

It all starts somewhere in the hill country of Ephraim. We have been there before in this book. This area has played an important role in the successes of Ehud, Deborah and Gideon (Judges 3:27; Judges 4:5; Judges 7:24). The man who lives there listens to the beautiful name Micah, which means “who is equal to the LORD”. Unfortunately, he does not act according to the meaning of his name.

The whole people of Israel should be a ‘Micah’ for the people around them, but it has become a people with a house full of idols, like the house of Micah. It is no different in professing Christianity. Many people adorn themselves with the name ‘Christian’, saying that they belong to Christ, while organizing their lives as they see fit.

It seems that we are dealing here with a single-parent family, as we have so many of them today. In any case, no mention is made of the father. If a single-parent family is the result of sin, for example with a ‘dum’ (deliberately unmarried mother) woman, or divorce, this irrevocably affects the relationship between parent and child if repentance and conversion do not take place.

It is the same in the house of Micah. The relationship between mother and son is not really sound. The son has no respect for his mother and her property, he steals eleven hundred pieces of silver from her. That is a fortune, given what we read in Judges 17:10, where Micah offers the Levite a yearly salary of ten pieces of silver. However, he gives her this money back. He does not do this because his conscience has come to speak and he has gotten remorse and repentance from his deed. The only reason is his fear of the curse his mother has spoken about the thief. Superstition always becomes stronger when the fear of God is weak.

If he gives the money back, mother does not make any accusations. On the contrary, she blesses her stealing son who does not repent at all. She blesses, not because the son repents, but because she has her money back. “From the same mouth come [both] blessing and cursing. …, these things ought not to be this way” (James 3:10-11). She even cites the name of the LORD in her blessing. That gives the whole the impression that God is happy with all this. It is a typical example of the vain use of the name of the LORD.

In this one verse we see several deviations from God. With such relationships in the families, things go from bad to worse for the people as a whole. There is no other way. If such things are found in the families, each of which is only for its own benefit, it means the downfall of the whole people.

1 Samuel 1:7

Introduction

The last five chapters of the book, Judges 17-21, form a separate part. They are not a historical sequel to the previous chapters, but show something of the spiritual and social climate within the people of the land during the entire period in which the book of Judges takes place. In those chapters two more histories are described, the first in Judges 17-18, the second in Judges 19-21.

In these sections we do not read about judges. Nor is there any oppression and a period of time is not given. It is very likely that the events described took place at the beginning of the period of judges. This can be deduced from Judges 18 where there is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30) [it is assumed that Manasseh must be Moses], while in Judges 20 the name of Phinehas the high priest is mentioned (Judges 20:28), a grandson of Aaron, who has already reached adulthood during the wilderness journey. This seems to confirm that both the events of Judges 17-18 and those of Judges 19-21 should be set in the beginning of the period that the judges judged.

The fact that they are described only here is proof that not only the way in which events are depicted is Godly inspired, but also that their classification, the order, is equally Godly inspired. What appears at first sight to be disorder, appears on closer inspection to confirm the perfection of the Word of God. The fact that it is only here that these events are brought to the fore is intended to illustrate the moral and religious fall of the people of God during the entire period covered by the book of Judges.

It is even possible that in time order Judges 17-18 must be placed after Judges 19-21. That first the history of Micah and the tribe Dan is written is a confirmation of this. God wants to show us that leaving or replacing Him (Judges 17-18) also has a dramatic effect on the relationships among His people (Judges 19-21).

The people are controlled by a spirit of self-willingness throughout the entire period of this book. Because there is no inhibitory influence – “in those days there was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6; Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1; Judges 21:25) –, gives that spirit free rein to all kinds of excesses. Is it a miracle then that the people repeatedly deviate from God and sin? These last five chapters thus form the dark background against which everything that takes place in this book must be seen.

In the history of Judges 17-18 we get a painting of the religious decay of the people. In Judges 17 we see how a religious system is set up by a person for the benefit of his family, while Judges 18 describes how this system is introduced in an entire tribe.

God tells us everything without punishing or even expressing His displeasure. The assessment is left to our mental discernment.

What we find in these two chapters are 1. a man-made god, 2. humanly organized worship and 3. a man-made priesthood.

It is a striking description of what we see around us today in ritualistic Christianity.

Micah and His Mother

When we are on holiday in a foreign land and we want to get a good idea of the everyday life of the people, it is best to take a look at an ordinary family. The Spirit of God takes us to a family that has probably not been noticed by any particular achievement. It is a model for the majority of the families in Israel. What we observe there, if we disregard for a moment God’s thoughts about family life, is not something that will be upset us.

We see a son who steals money from his mother, but fortunately gives it back. And see how the mother reacts. She blesses her son and even sanctifies a part for the LORD. All of this seems to be blessed by the LORD, for in their house religion they receive even reinforcement from a real Levite. This is how we can look at this family.

However, if we hold this family against the light of the Bible, things will be very different. Before we do that, we have to be aware that we ourselves are also being scrutinized. Otherwise we miss the lesson God wants us to learn through this history. For also “these things happened as examples for us … and they were written for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:6; 11). In Micah and his mother the corruption becomes public that can be present in a house or family. This is where sin arises, which will later affect an entire tribe. Sin spreads like leprosy.

It all starts somewhere in the hill country of Ephraim. We have been there before in this book. This area has played an important role in the successes of Ehud, Deborah and Gideon (Judges 3:27; Judges 4:5; Judges 7:24). The man who lives there listens to the beautiful name Micah, which means “who is equal to the LORD”. Unfortunately, he does not act according to the meaning of his name.

The whole people of Israel should be a ‘Micah’ for the people around them, but it has become a people with a house full of idols, like the house of Micah. It is no different in professing Christianity. Many people adorn themselves with the name ‘Christian’, saying that they belong to Christ, while organizing their lives as they see fit.

It seems that we are dealing here with a single-parent family, as we have so many of them today. In any case, no mention is made of the father. If a single-parent family is the result of sin, for example with a ‘dum’ (deliberately unmarried mother) woman, or divorce, this irrevocably affects the relationship between parent and child if repentance and conversion do not take place.

It is the same in the house of Micah. The relationship between mother and son is not really sound. The son has no respect for his mother and her property, he steals eleven hundred pieces of silver from her. That is a fortune, given what we read in Judges 17:10, where Micah offers the Levite a yearly salary of ten pieces of silver. However, he gives her this money back. He does not do this because his conscience has come to speak and he has gotten remorse and repentance from his deed. The only reason is his fear of the curse his mother has spoken about the thief. Superstition always becomes stronger when the fear of God is weak.

If he gives the money back, mother does not make any accusations. On the contrary, she blesses her stealing son who does not repent at all. She blesses, not because the son repents, but because she has her money back. “From the same mouth come [both] blessing and cursing. …, these things ought not to be this way” (James 3:10-11). She even cites the name of the LORD in her blessing. That gives the whole the impression that God is happy with all this. It is a typical example of the vain use of the name of the LORD.

In this one verse we see several deviations from God. With such relationships in the families, things go from bad to worse for the people as a whole. There is no other way. If such things are found in the families, each of which is only for its own benefit, it means the downfall of the whole people.

1 Samuel 1:8

A Graven Image and a Molten Image

The mother is so happy that she has the money back, that she immediately gives the whole amount to the LORD. She wants to have images made of it. By this she connects idol service with the service of the LORD. She does not seem to have the slightest problem with this. What this expresses is that she makes herself a religion according to her own thoughts. She also involves her son who totally participates in it. There is no thought of what God has said: “You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4). Their conscience does not seem to speak in any way.

Conscience is also not a measure of whether you are in the way of God or not. Perhaps her conscience would even have sued her if she had not made an image. A conscience can only work well if it is formed by the Word of God. For example, there are many within the roman-catholic church who visit mass and confess because otherwise their conscience will bother them. It is imprinted in them that only in this way you are accepted by God. Satan has managed in many cases to get the conscience of religious man on his side.

There is talk of a graven image and a molten image. Both represent something. A graven image is the product of the activity of the human mind. What he knows about God, he works out in his own way without taking into account any revelation from God. It is to fill in the serving of God according to one’s own idea, in a way that makes one feel good personally.

A molten image can be easily multiplied. It is religion cast in a certain form and introduced everywhere. They are the fixed forms in our prayers and worship. They are opposite to what is living and appropriate in the light of the revelation God has given of Himself in His Word.

It is dead orthodoxy, the religion that consists only of forms, where everyone is expected to comply with it and which can easily be complied with. They can be written down and anyone can adhere to them. Those who comply with these commandments can reassure their conscience and believe that God is also satisfied with it. One can check oneself and one another and measure the state of one’s religion.

In both cases it is a religion that does not cost anyone everything. The mother does not give everything. Although she has set everything apart for the LORD – that is the meaning of the word “dedicate” – she gives only a part of it. This is always the hallmark of idolatry, something that is a production of its own: it does not cost everything. The man who goes to mass obediently, or to the meetings of the believers, or fulfills other religious obligations – regardless of whether they have been imposed on him, or whether he has imposed them on himself – may, in such a system, do for the rest of the day what he wants.

1 Samuel 1:9

A Graven Image and a Molten Image

The mother is so happy that she has the money back, that she immediately gives the whole amount to the LORD. She wants to have images made of it. By this she connects idol service with the service of the LORD. She does not seem to have the slightest problem with this. What this expresses is that she makes herself a religion according to her own thoughts. She also involves her son who totally participates in it. There is no thought of what God has said: “You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4). Their conscience does not seem to speak in any way.

Conscience is also not a measure of whether you are in the way of God or not. Perhaps her conscience would even have sued her if she had not made an image. A conscience can only work well if it is formed by the Word of God. For example, there are many within the roman-catholic church who visit mass and confess because otherwise their conscience will bother them. It is imprinted in them that only in this way you are accepted by God. Satan has managed in many cases to get the conscience of religious man on his side.

There is talk of a graven image and a molten image. Both represent something. A graven image is the product of the activity of the human mind. What he knows about God, he works out in his own way without taking into account any revelation from God. It is to fill in the serving of God according to one’s own idea, in a way that makes one feel good personally.

A molten image can be easily multiplied. It is religion cast in a certain form and introduced everywhere. They are the fixed forms in our prayers and worship. They are opposite to what is living and appropriate in the light of the revelation God has given of Himself in His Word.

It is dead orthodoxy, the religion that consists only of forms, where everyone is expected to comply with it and which can easily be complied with. They can be written down and anyone can adhere to them. Those who comply with these commandments can reassure their conscience and believe that God is also satisfied with it. One can check oneself and one another and measure the state of one’s religion.

In both cases it is a religion that does not cost anyone everything. The mother does not give everything. Although she has set everything apart for the LORD – that is the meaning of the word “dedicate” – she gives only a part of it. This is always the hallmark of idolatry, something that is a production of its own: it does not cost everything. The man who goes to mass obediently, or to the meetings of the believers, or fulfills other religious obligations – regardless of whether they have been imposed on him, or whether he has imposed them on himself – may, in such a system, do for the rest of the day what he wants.

1 Samuel 1:10

Micah’s Shrine

With the making of an idol, which is a representation of God according to one’s own imagination without taking into account what God says about Himself in the Bible, belongs also a certain form of worship. This is expressed in the ephod that Micah makes. An ephod is in fact a garment of the priest. Together with the ephod he makes household idols to have them as a kind of house gods. It doesn’t matter what replaces God, as long as He is replaced. He also consecrates one of his sons as a priest.

In all Micah’s actions there is an appearance of his self-willed worship of his self-made gods. It is one great mixture of the true religion with the false religion, making the whole a corrupt religion. The consecration of his son as a priest shows how far he has deviated from the precepts of God, which say that only sons of Aaron’s family can be priests.

Just like Micah, the roman-catholic church has also consecrated her own ‘sons’ as priests, without any question about life from God. In the church of God only believers are priests and all believers together form a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). This they are because God says it in His Word. There is no human consecration involved.

1 Samuel 1:11

Do What Is Right in His Own Eyes

If the people forget that God is their King, there is a lack of sound authority. In addition, there is a wrong authority, that of conscience. The Word of God, to know what He thinks of it, is not asked. Everyone does what he thinks is right.

A king, someone with superior authority, would have brought all to the same mind. They forgot God as such, they even rejected Him. When our hearts are turned toward the Lord Jesus, we are kept from doing what is good in our own eyes.

1 Samuel 1:12

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:13

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:14

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:15

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:16

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:17

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:18

The Levite From Bethlehem

The generally prevailing spirit of anarchy also inspires a Levite from Bethlehem. His name is Jonathan. He is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). Bethlehem is not one of the forty-eight Levite cities. Yet the man is staying there. But driven by restlessness he moves on. Bethlehem, which means ‘bread house’, apparently does not give him what he expected from it.

He departs not to seek the place of the LORD, but a place for himself. A proverb from Proverbs 27 seems to apply to him: “Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home” (Proverbs 27:8). He gives up his real, God-given dwelling place and security to become a vagabond. There is no trace of dependence on the LORD in his life.

The fact that the Levite also does ‘what is right in his eyes’ is mainly shown by the fact that he lets himself be consecrated to be a priest. The task of a Levite is to help the priest bringing sacrifices. A Levite is not allowed to be a priest and is not allowed to sacrifice.

But our Levite doesn’t mind. When he ends up at Micah’s on his journey and Micah offers him a contract for a job that seems great to him, with good working conditions, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Maybe he has thought that the LORD has made his way prosperous. All he has to do is to fulfill the religious duties of Micah.

Micah is then rid of that worry, while he is also happy that he now has a real Levite as a private priest. He believes that by this he has assured himself of the blessing of the LORD. Micah hires him, consecrates him and pays him. Thus the Levite becomes a clergy man.

By this, Micah gives his idolatry a very religious appearance and character. The Levite takes care of the religious affairs, so that Micah is free from them. He gives him a year’s salary, with which he hires the Levite for a long time and therefore does not have to worry about spiritual matters for that time. A real Levite becomes a false priest.

In Protestantism, a Levite is also made a priest, someone who, in return for payment, performs religious acts for the benefit of others. The Levite becomes a mercenary and thus a clergy, the clericalism comes into being. The service of and for God is reduced here to something for which there is a commercial basis.

Without commenting on the sincere and noble motives with which one thinks one should hold an official clerical position, it is clear that the Bible does not speak of such a position. The Bible does not mention the performance of religious acts in return for payment, with the side effect that the payer can think that he is free from his own obligations toward God.

No man can take the place between God and His children. There is only “one God, [and] one mediator also between God and men, [the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Lord Jesus we are able to “draw near to God …, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

1 Samuel 1:20

Introduction

What is found in the previous chapter with the Levite, we will see in this chapter with an entire tribe. The Levite searched in good luck for a place where he could go, without wondering what the LORD wants. Just like the other tribes, the tribe of Dan was given an inheritance, but did not take possession of it due to unfaithfulness. Now they are also in good luck looking for a place where they can settle. In this chapter they meet each other. The sin of the individual becomes the sin of an entire tribe.

Seeking an Inheritance

The tribe of Dan has proven to be the weakest tribe when conquering the land. We have seen this in Judges 1 (Judges 1:34). They lacked the strength to take possession of the inheritance allotted to them. In the days when there is no king in Israel, they wander around looking for an inheritance. If there is no looking upward to God and no attentive ear for His directions, the result is disobedience and doing one’s own will. This is indicative of the lack of strength.

In Joshua 19 God has given a clear description of the area He has reserved for the Danites (Joshua 19:40-46). However, they avoid the enemy, whom they let live on their allotted inheritance and now go in search for an easier prey. The spies who are sent out come from the same area where Samson grew up (Judges 13:25).

Sending spies is reminiscent of what Moses did (Numbers 13:2). This was done at the request of the people (Deuteronomy 1:22). It is not proof of simple trust in what the LORD has said. Why should spies be sent out when God has made promises?

With the tribe of Dan everything happens from their own reasoning. Faith is nowhere to be discovered. But what about us? God has also given us our own inheritance. What do we do with that? If we do not take possession of it, we will focus on something else. Here the tribe of Dan is a picture of God’s people seeking a place on earth because taking possession of the heavenly inheritance demands too much of them.

If we refuse God’s choice for us, we search for ourselves, but then we are not in God’s way. We finally arrive at the house and religion of Micah. The sequel shows that Micah’s religion fits seamlessly with the Danites’ mindset.

1 Samuel 1:21

Introduction

What is found in the previous chapter with the Levite, we will see in this chapter with an entire tribe. The Levite searched in good luck for a place where he could go, without wondering what the LORD wants. Just like the other tribes, the tribe of Dan was given an inheritance, but did not take possession of it due to unfaithfulness. Now they are also in good luck looking for a place where they can settle. In this chapter they meet each other. The sin of the individual becomes the sin of an entire tribe.

Seeking an Inheritance

The tribe of Dan has proven to be the weakest tribe when conquering the land. We have seen this in Judges 1 (Judges 1:34). They lacked the strength to take possession of the inheritance allotted to them. In the days when there is no king in Israel, they wander around looking for an inheritance. If there is no looking upward to God and no attentive ear for His directions, the result is disobedience and doing one’s own will. This is indicative of the lack of strength.

In Joshua 19 God has given a clear description of the area He has reserved for the Danites (Joshua 19:40-46). However, they avoid the enemy, whom they let live on their allotted inheritance and now go in search for an easier prey. The spies who are sent out come from the same area where Samson grew up (Judges 13:25).

Sending spies is reminiscent of what Moses did (Numbers 13:2). This was done at the request of the people (Deuteronomy 1:22). It is not proof of simple trust in what the LORD has said. Why should spies be sent out when God has made promises?

With the tribe of Dan everything happens from their own reasoning. Faith is nowhere to be discovered. But what about us? God has also given us our own inheritance. What do we do with that? If we do not take possession of it, we will focus on something else. Here the tribe of Dan is a picture of God’s people seeking a place on earth because taking possession of the heavenly inheritance demands too much of them.

If we refuse God’s choice for us, we search for ourselves, but then we are not in God’s way. We finally arrive at the house and religion of Micah. The sequel shows that Micah’s religion fits seamlessly with the Danites’ mindset.

1 Samuel 1:22

Question and Answer

When the Danites come to Micah’s house, the Levite stands out by his way of talking. Apparently he doesn’t belong here. To satisfy their curiosity, they ask him a few questions. These questions could have opened the Levite’s eyes to the wrong he did and the false position he is in.

At question one, the honest answer should have been that his own will had brought him here. But that question is not answered. The other two questions are answered correctly. He exercises the priesthood for Micah, who gives him money for it and allows him to enjoy other benefits as well (Judges 17:10). The Levite is a by men consecrated priest and must do what Micah expects of him.

We know this phenomenon today. In 2 Timothy 4 it says that there will be a time when people will be “[wanting] to have their ears tickled, … accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3). In this time we live. For practicing their religion, people are looking for people who can speak nice and good, as long as their conscience is not addressed. They have to talk about the pleasant things of life. They may quote the Bible, as long as they explain it in the way they like. What is said must not condemn them, because then they choose another preacher. The norms and values given by God in the Bible should not be too clear.

As a result, professing Christianity today shows no other image than the time we have before us in the book of Judges. The introduction of a clergy into Christianity began very early. It has been forgotten that it is not men who can appoint someone to a particular service, but that the Lord Jesus Himself has given gifts to His ‘body’, that is the church. We read “and He gave some [as] …” (Ephesians 4:11), and “but now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1 Corinthians 12:18). This does not involve negotiations on employment conditions, as is currently the case with the clergy.

The gifts are for the whole church, not for a separate group. No group can claim a gift for itself. By the willful actions of man this is denied and pushed aside. Each group has its own prominent leaders. Also in this respect there is nothing new under the sun. This evil is already found in the church in Corinth. The apostle Paul addresses this matter in his first letter to them directly in the first chapter (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

1 Samuel 1:23

Question and Answer

When the Danites come to Micah’s house, the Levite stands out by his way of talking. Apparently he doesn’t belong here. To satisfy their curiosity, they ask him a few questions. These questions could have opened the Levite’s eyes to the wrong he did and the false position he is in.

At question one, the honest answer should have been that his own will had brought him here. But that question is not answered. The other two questions are answered correctly. He exercises the priesthood for Micah, who gives him money for it and allows him to enjoy other benefits as well (Judges 17:10). The Levite is a by men consecrated priest and must do what Micah expects of him.

We know this phenomenon today. In 2 Timothy 4 it says that there will be a time when people will be “[wanting] to have their ears tickled, … accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3). In this time we live. For practicing their religion, people are looking for people who can speak nice and good, as long as their conscience is not addressed. They have to talk about the pleasant things of life. They may quote the Bible, as long as they explain it in the way they like. What is said must not condemn them, because then they choose another preacher. The norms and values given by God in the Bible should not be too clear.

As a result, professing Christianity today shows no other image than the time we have before us in the book of Judges. The introduction of a clergy into Christianity began very early. It has been forgotten that it is not men who can appoint someone to a particular service, but that the Lord Jesus Himself has given gifts to His ‘body’, that is the church. We read “and He gave some [as] …” (Ephesians 4:11), and “but now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1 Corinthians 12:18). This does not involve negotiations on employment conditions, as is currently the case with the clergy.

The gifts are for the whole church, not for a separate group. No group can claim a gift for itself. By the willful actions of man this is denied and pushed aside. Each group has its own prominent leaders. Also in this respect there is nothing new under the sun. This evil is already found in the church in Corinth. The apostle Paul addresses this matter in his first letter to them directly in the first chapter (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

1 Samuel 1:24

Again Question and Answer

Apparently convinced by the answers the Levite gave to their questions, the Danites see in him someone through whom they can ask the will of God. God is involved, but only to serve as a kind of seal of approval on their actions. They ask the way of someone who has departed from God himself. By asking such a man about the will of God, the Danites betray their own spiritual condition. They do not wonder whether the position of the Levite has any right of existence before God. He presents himself as a clergy man, holds this position with Micah and so he is acceptable to the Danites.

They get the answer they want to hear. They flatter him by acknowledging him in his position. He flatters them by giving them the answer they like to hear. He doesn’t have to think about this answer for a second. There is no indication whatsoever that he is really involving God. He tells them that they can go in peace, indicating that they will triumph over their enemies.

1 Samuel 1:25

Again Question and Answer

Apparently convinced by the answers the Levite gave to their questions, the Danites see in him someone through whom they can ask the will of God. God is involved, but only to serve as a kind of seal of approval on their actions. They ask the way of someone who has departed from God himself. By asking such a man about the will of God, the Danites betray their own spiritual condition. They do not wonder whether the position of the Levite has any right of existence before God. He presents himself as a clergy man, holds this position with Micah and so he is acceptable to the Danites.

They get the answer they want to hear. They flatter him by acknowledging him in his position. He flatters them by giving them the answer they like to hear. He doesn’t have to think about this answer for a second. There is no indication whatsoever that he is really involving God. He tells them that they can go in peace, indicating that they will triumph over their enemies.

1 Samuel 1:26

A Prosperous Journey

What the Levite predicted comes true. They arrive in an area that meets all their desires of laziness and selfishness. The people who live there, live withdrawn, do not care about anything and have nothing to do with anyone. It is a people who live lawless: “There was no ruler.” They are not accountable to anyone.

Lawlessness does not necessarily mean all kinds of atrocities. Lawlessness is to live without regard to the authority that is set above us. For every human being this is in any case the authority of God. We can say that in 1 John 3 we have the definition of sin: “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4b).

The people discovered by the Danites are not people of what we would call great sinners. They live neatly and peacefully. Yet they are not less sinners because of that. This is also shown by the fact that they live “after the manner of the Sidonians”. What the Sidonians propose, we saw during the discussion of Judges 3 (Judges 3:3). There we saw that the Sidonians are people characterized by greed. They have an insatiable hunger for money. In the same way the people live whom the Danites find in that place.

We can compare them to people who work hard and live soberly, but only do so to hoard. They count, so to speak, their money every day and conclude with pleasure that again it is slightly more than the previous day. The possession of money is their everything. Giving something away is the worst thought that might come to mind. They live for themselves and do not want to have anything to do with anyone; this would only cause problems because it could cost money. The Danites want to take over this place and position. The area is attractive to them. The discovery of this area seems to be an affirmative answer to their question to God through the Levite.

This is a lesson for us that an answer we receive, which is to our liking, does not always mean that we are in the Lord’s way. It is important in what mind we have prayed. Sometimes God allows us to get what we ask for because He sees that we are determined in our own will. Such a thing always causes great damage: “So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them” (Psalms 106:15).

Asking for the will of God presupposes sincerity toward Him and the awareness that He really knows what is best. Paul encourages us: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Then he does not say that we will also receive what we have asked for, but: “The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). By bringing everything to the Lord and entrusting ourselves to Him, we keep peace and rest in our heart. Suffering spiritual poverty is not an issue then.

1 Samuel 1:27

The Report of the Spies

The tribe mates are very curious about the findings of the spies. They report enthusiastically and insist on immediate action. What they have seen exceeds the wildest expectations. In their passionate story there is even space for God. Here too God is ‘called in’ to put the seal of approval on their report.

Nobody wonders if this is the land God has thought good for them. After all, all the circumstances already make it clear that God has given this land into their hands, don’t they? With the same eyes and mindset, Lot used to look at the region of Sodom and Gomorrah. It looked “like the garden of the LORD” (Genesis 13:10), a doozy place to dwell. Lot did not wonder what the LORD wanted. He followed with his heart what his eyes saw. We read in Genesis 19 about the misfortune this brought to him and his family (Genesis 19:1-38). The Danites have exactly the same spirit as Lot had.

1 Samuel 1:28

The Report of the Spies

The tribe mates are very curious about the findings of the spies. They report enthusiastically and insist on immediate action. What they have seen exceeds the wildest expectations. In their passionate story there is even space for God. Here too God is ‘called in’ to put the seal of approval on their report.

Nobody wonders if this is the land God has thought good for them. After all, all the circumstances already make it clear that God has given this land into their hands, don’t they? With the same eyes and mindset, Lot used to look at the region of Sodom and Gomorrah. It looked “like the garden of the LORD” (Genesis 13:10), a doozy place to dwell. Lot did not wonder what the LORD wanted. He followed with his heart what his eyes saw. We read in Genesis 19 about the misfortune this brought to him and his family (Genesis 19:1-38). The Danites have exactly the same spirit as Lot had.