Jdg 18:1-15 The Tribe of Dan Sought for an Inheritance

[Study Aired August 16, 2021]

Jdg 18:1  In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. 
Jdg 18:2  And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. 
Jdg 18:3  When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? 
Jdg 18:4  And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. 
Jdg 18:5  And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. 
Jdg 18:6  And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go. 
Jdg 18:7  Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. 
Jdg 18:8  And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 
Jdg 18:9  And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. 
Jdg 18:10  When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth. 
Jdg 18:11  And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. 
Jdg 18:12  And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim. 
Jdg 18:13  And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. 
Jdg 18:14  Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. 
Jdg 18:15  And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. 

The theme which runs through the Book of Judges is that because there was no king in Israel at that time, everybody did what was right in his own eyes. Being without a King means being ruled by the flesh. In the previous review, we mentioned, using 1 Samuel 8:10-17, that when Christ ascends on the throne of our hearts, this is what happens to us:

1Sa 8:10  And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
1Sa 8:11  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12  And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
1Sa 8:13  And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
1Sa 8:14  And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
1Sa 8:15  And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
1Sa 8:16  And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
1Sa 8:17  He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

Verse 11 means that when Christ becomes King or sits in the throne of our heart, then it shows that we have been appointed or elected by Christ before the foundations of this world. Being his horsemen and running before his chariots means we shall go before the Lord to prepare the way of the Lord which is to give the knowledge of salvation to his people.

Luk 1:76  And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Luk 1:77  To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Luk 1:78  Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Luk 1:79  To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Verse 12 of 1 Samuel 8 shows us that we shall be appointed as captains over thousands, which signifies that we shall be rulers of the world. We shall ‘reap his harvest’ refers to us being His instruments to bring salvation to all humanity. Making our Lord ‘instruments of war’ is the same as we being His battle axe.

Jer 51:20  Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

Verse 13 which says we shall be His cooks and bakers suggests that we shall do our Lord’s will and finish the work He gave us to do, as shown by the following statement of the Lord:

Joh 4:32  But Jesus told them, “I have food that you don’t know anything about.”
Joh 4:33  His disciples started asking each other, “Has someone brought him something to eat?”
Joh 4:34  Jesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do.

Verse 14-17 means that we shall be our Lord’s servant and work in His vineyard.

On a negative note, these same verses in 1 Samuel 8:10-17 reflect the conditions we find ourselves in when we do not have Christ as King in our hearts, but are therefore ruled by the flesh. The first verse in Chapter 18 of Judges sets the tone for our miserable condition without a king in Babylon as follows:

Jdg 18:1  In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

Where there is no king in our hearts, we go astray. We become oppressed by the flesh that rules us, and we end up becoming slaves to sin.

Gal 4:25  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. (ESV)

Verse 1 here tells us that where we do not have Christ as King in our hearts, we do not have an inheritance. We enter Babylon looking for our inheritance, as did the people of Dan, but end up having no inheritance. The question is, “What is our inheritance in Christ?”

1Pe 1:4  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5  who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Lord Jesus is our inheritance.

Psa 16:5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
Psa 16:6  The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

Our inheritance is shown to us clearly by the promises we are given if we overcome. All these promises refer to Christ as shown below:

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Both the tree of life and the paradise of God refer to Christ.

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Christ is both the hidden manna and the white stone. So possessing our inheritance is actually coming to be found in Christ. We, like the Danites, were also looking for our inheritance, which is Christ, but where the flesh rules as king in our lives, there is no way of us coming into our inheritance, which is knowing Christ or being found in Christ.

Our heritage for belonging to the tribe of Dan according to Jacob’s blessing of his son Dan is as follows:

Gen 49:16  Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
Gen 49:17  Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

It is Christ who has been given the authority to judge His people. So this is to confirm to us that our heritage is Christ. If we are found in Him, then we, too, shall rule with Him.

Act 10:42  And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

Psa 98:9  Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

It is Christ who, like a serpent, had thrown the horse and the rider into the sea when the Israelites were being chased by the Egyptians when they left Egypt. The horse and the rider here represent the worldliness in us which is part of our sea of flesh. It is only Christ who like a serpent can bite a horse’s heel to make both the horse and its rider fall backwards. In other words, it is Christ who destroys the worldliness in our lives.

Exo 15:1  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Jdg 18:2  And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. 

We, the elect, are the five able men chosen from the tribe of Dan to search out our inheritance, which is coming to know Christ. The number five means grace through faith. So it is through the chastening grace of our Lord and His faith operating within us that we are called and chosen to pursue our inheritance.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

The five men from the tribe of Dan came from Zorah and Eshtaol to pursue their inheritance. According to Strong, Zorah means is a type of wasp called a hornet. In the scriptures, there are only two places that the word “hornet” were used and it was in relation to the defeat of the enemies of Israel as follows:

Deu 7:20  Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

Jos 24:12  And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

The name “Eshtaol” means to enquire, pray or request. So what we are being told is that it is by grace through faith that we are called and chosen to answer to the Lord’s request for us to defeat our enemies or the old man.

The five men were commanded to go and explore the land for their inheritance. To explore the land is to search out the word of God to know of our inheritance. This was Paul’s request to God for the Ephesian church to be given the ability to explore the land of their inheritance:

Eph 1:15  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Eph 1:16  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

From these verses, it becomes clear that being given eyes to see and ears to hear is what enable us to explore the land of our inheritance which is Christ.

As we are told in the scriptures, we are carnal when we start our journey in Christ.

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Being carnal means that there was no king (Christ) sitting on the throne of our hearts in the early part of our walk with Christ, and so our steps lead us to the house of Micah or Babylon where we are introduced to another Jesus with a different inheritance agenda.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Jdg 18:3  When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? 
Jdg 18:4  And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. 

In the house of Micah or Babylon, we identify with what our fleshly leaders say since we were like them – ruled by the flesh.

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world (we) heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

In Babylon, our relationship with Christ is driven by making ends meet as stated by the Levite that Micah has hired him. Our relationship with Christ becomes a business. We, like Balaam, ran greedily after reward.

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Jdg 18:5  And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. 
Jdg 18:6  And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go. 

When we are under the influence of the flesh in Babylon, we do not have the ability to know whether whatever we are doing is under the counsel of God. Instead of asking God directly, we depend on our “priests” in Babylon to tell us what we should do as we see the five men enquiring from the Levite about their journey. Our priests in Babylon act as intermediaries between us and God which is what the doctrine of Nicolaitans is all about. The Nicolaitans doctrine regard the priests as being above the congregation, who are called the laity. It is an extension of the Levitical priesthood order in the Old Testament which we practiced in Babylon. In the Levitical priesthood order, the priests act as intermediaries to the congregation. However, as Peter declared, we are all a royal priesthood and are required to appear before God in the inner sanctuary.

Rev 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Rev 2:15  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Rev 2:16  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

We are not saying that depending on God’s children for guidance is wrong. As we are aware, in the multitude of counsel, there is safety. What we are talking about here is our dependence on a “man of God” who then acts as an intermediary between God and man instead of our High Priest, Christ.

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Jdg 18:7  Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

According to Strong, Laish means a lion whose destructive blows have been crushed.

H3919
לַיִשׁ
layish
lah’-yish

From H3888 in the sense of crushing; a lion (from his destructive blows): – (old) lion.

On a positive note, this verse tells us about the characteristics of those who have an inheritance. Firstly, they have overcome the flesh who is powered by the old lion (the devil). This is done through the crushing of the destructive works of the devil (lion) in our lives (meaning of Laish). This is emphasized by the fact that the people at Laish lived far away from the Zidonians or Sidonians. These people were inhabitants of Sidon (Deut 3:9) and the Israelites were required to drive them out of the land but failed to do so.

Jos 13:6  All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

So these Zidonians represent the enemies within (the old man that we have to subdue or drive out). Being far from them means that one of the characteristics of the elect is that they have subdued the old man and therefore are not influenced by the dictates of the flesh.

Secondly, they live in security (Meaning of ‘dwelling careless’ according to Strong) as they are protected by the high walls of Jerusalem. The high walls represent God’s thoughts and ways which transcend human understanding which serves as our protection.

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:12  And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The meaning of the word ‘quiet’ in verse 7 means ‘rest’ according to Strong’s dictionary. So the third point is that they have found rest in Christ and have therefore ceased from their own strivings.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

According to Strong, “there is no magistrate” means there is nothing to dispossess or impoverish them. So the fourth point about those who have found their inheritance is that they lack nothing in their spiritual development.

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

On a negative note, these people living in Laish represent the way we lived in Babylon. We thought we had no need of anything, but we did not know that we were an easy prey for the enemy.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

The people having no relationship with anyone, including the Sidonians who were living closer, shows us the independence or divisions of various groups in Babylon. This divisions attest to the fact that we had indeed failed while in Babylon and therefore were an easy target for the enemy.

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Jdg 18:8  And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? 
Jdg 18:9  And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. 
Jdg 18:10  When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth. 

These verses suggest that those of us whom God is helping to see the joy that is set before us (our inheritance) should encourage our brothers and sisters to also see this glory to be revealed. All those ahead of us have talked about this glory to be revealed, which does not compare with our current suffering.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

Isa 60:18  Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 
Isa 60:19  The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 
Isa 60:20  Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Isa 60:21  Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. 
Isa 60:22  A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.

Peter, John and James caught a glimpse of the glory to be revealed when they were with Jesus at the mount of the transfiguration. We also, are seeing this glory as our eyes are being opened and our ears are hearing.

Mat 17:1  And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 
Mat 17:2  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 
Mat 17:3  And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 
Mat 17:4  And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 

Apostle John talks about his experience as follows:

1Jn 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 
1Jn 1:2  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 
1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Paul also had this to say:

2Co 12:1  I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 
2Co 12:2  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 
2Co 12:3  And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 
2Co 12:4  and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 

Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has gone ahead of us to tell us of His experience and how we should conduct ourselves to take possession of our inheritance.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 
Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 

Jdg 18:11  And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. 

The six hundred men represent the elect in every generation who are appointed by the Lord with weapons of war to wage war against the flesh in order to possess their inheritance. The weapons of war are the whole armor of God that Paul told us about in Ephesians chapter 6 as follows:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Jdg 18:12  And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim. 

The six hundred men lodged at Kirjathjearim in Judah. According to Strong’s Dictionary, Kirjathjearim means a city of forest. One characteristic of a forest is that one can easily get lost. In addition, forests are filled with wild beasts that can tear us apart. So here we are talking about our journey here on earth.

1Co 15:32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

So what we are being told is that in seeking for our inheritance, we can easily lose track of following the footprint of our Lord Jesus in this forest of wild beasts. The scriptures reminded us of a young man named Demas who looked very promising in inheriting the promise during the early part of Paul’s ministry but ended up following after the world.

2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

These things are written for our admonition so that we may war a good warfare.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Jdg 18:13  And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. 
Jdg 18:14  Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. 
Jdg 18:15  And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. 

As we indicated earlier, the early part of our walk with Christ is characterized by carnality. We are therefore led straight to Babylon (Micah’s house) as we find Babylon very attractive because she speaks in a language we understand. In modern language, we say that going astray is in our genes.

1Jn 4:5  They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 

‘The world listens to them’ refers to us at a certain point in our walk with Christ.

Remember that all the six hundred men turned to the house of Micah. This means that the elect from all generations must go into Babylonian captivity before they are delivered. This experience of evil is to humble us and give our Lord the occasion to come into our lives to judge us.

Jer 9:7  Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people? 
Jer 9:8  Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him. 
Jer 9:9  Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? 

Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 
Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 

May the Lord deliver us from all that pertains to our Babylonian captivity in our lives as we seek to possess our inheritance. Amen!!

[The next study in this series is here