Judges 18

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Judges 18:30-31, There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

The Danites decide that they want their own land and they head off to conquer it.  But unlike other conquests in which God clearly went with his people, the Danites seem to be totally off kilter.  They are doing this on their own for their own selfish purposes. 

They arrive at Micah's house (from Judges 17) and steal his priest and idols.  While they don't kill Micah's family, they do find a town to attack and pillage.  After burning down the town, they claim the area as belonging to them and rebuild the city.  They set up the idols stolen from Micah.  While they may have Israelite names, they have certainly sold their souls to Canaanite values.  There is effectively no difference between the Danites and their pagan neighbors.  They have turned their back on God.

Let's pray...Almighty God, How easy it is to become distracted and swayed by the ways of the world around us.  Lord, I want to stay devoted to you.  Help me abide in you, learn from you, and behave like a child of the one true King.  More of you, Jesus, and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.