The Lord Calls Samuel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 3:1) And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

In the last chapter and post, we learned that the priesthood had become defiled by Eli's sons, the priests.  The word of the Lord was precious and rare in those days, and there were no visions of the Lord to people.  However, Samuel had continued to grow physically and spiritually under the leadership of Eli.

(2) And it came to pass at that time, when Eli lay down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim that he could not see, (3) And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down, (4) That the Lord called to Samuel, and he answered "Here am I."

One night when Eli had lain down in his place to go to sleep, and his eyes had grown dim so that he could not see, Samuel had also lain down to go to sleep.  This was early in the morning when it was still dark, before the lamps in the candlestick in the tabernacle that were lit in the evening went out in the morning.  The Lord called to Samuel, and he answered he was there.

(5) And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.

Samuel ran to Eli, thinking it was he who called him, needing his assistance in something.  However, Eli told him that he had not called him, and he should go back to sleep.  Samuel went back and lay down.

(6) And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel." And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." And he answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."

The Lord called to Samuel again, and again Samuel, thinking it was Eli who called him, went to him, telling him he was there for he did call him that time.  However, once again, Eli said he had not called, and he told Samuel to go lie down again.

(7) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.

Samuel obviously knew of the Lord but did not know Him personally.  Hearing the word of the Lord was very rare at that time, and Samuel had never heard from Him before.

(8) And the Lord called Samuel the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me." And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

The Lord called to Samuel a third time, and again he went to Eli, thinking it must be him who called him.  Eli could tell that Samuel was definitely hearing someone call him, and as there was no one else around, he realized that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel.

(9) Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Realizing it was the Lord who called Samuel, Eli told him to go lie down again, and if the Lord called him again, he should answer, asking the Lord to speak for he, His servant, was listening.  Therefore, Samuel went and lay down again.

(10) And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant hears."

The Lord came and stood before Samuel this time, or a vision of one whom Samuel would know to be the Lord, as no one could actually see God and live (Exodus 33:20).  He called out to Samuel again, and Samuel answered that he was ready to hear the Lord.

(11) And the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle."

The Lord spoke to Samuel, telling him He was going to do something in Israel so great it would stun everyone.  In the words of Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, "It shall be a piercing word to all Israel; it shall astound them all; and, after having heard it, it will still continue to resound in their ears."

(12) "In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house; when I begin, I will also make an end. (13) For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. (14) And therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever."

The Lord told Samuel that He would perform against Eli and his house all the things He had spoken to Eli through the prophet (1 Samuel 2:27).  When He began the execution of His purpose, nothing would deter Him from bringing all His judgments to a conclusion.  He told Samuel what He had told Eli, that He would judge his house forever because his sons had been so vile in the priesthood, and he had done nothing to restrain them.  The iniquity of Eli's house could not be atoned for through sacrifices or offerings forever.

(15) And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

After the Lord had spoken to him, Samuel lay there until the morning, when he got up and opened the doors of the house of the Lord.  He was afraid to tell Eli about his vision.

(16) Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son." And he answered, "Here I am." (17) And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord has said to you? I pray you do not hide it from me. God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you."

Eli called to Samuel, and Samuel came to him.  Eli asked him what the Lord had said to him and asked him not to hide it from him.  He went as far to pledge a sort of curse against Samuel if he did not tell him everything the Lord had said.  I don't believe Eli was threatening Samuel.  I believe his intent was to have Samuel tell him everything even if he felt it might hurt Eli.

(18) And Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him."

Samuel told Eli everything the Lord had said to him.  In submission to the will of God, Eli said He was, after all, the sovereign Lord, and He would do what was just and right.  Eli was a good man, but he was a weak man.  As the Apostle Paul would later say in 1 Timothy 3:5, "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?"

(19) And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

Samuel grew to manhood, and the Lord was with him, teaching him and prospering him.  He let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground as false or useless, which may refer to the words Samuel spoke about his vision.  It may also refer to Samuel's words in general as the Lord was preparing him to be His prophet.

(20) And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. (21) And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

All of Israel from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the south knew that Samuel was to be a prophet of God.  The Lord appeared again to Samuel, perhaps often, for the Lord revealed His will to him by His word.

One cannot help but be struck by the beauty of Hannah's testimony.  Once so low, she appealed to the Lord for a son.  In gratitude, she gave her son back to the Lord for His service.  Little did she know just how great a service he would provide.  The Lord blessed her sacrifice beyond her wildest dreams, I'm sure, in raising up Samuel to be His prophet, and He also gave her five more children.

A more unpleasant moral of this story is about raising our children to fear the Lord and putting God first.  Eli was held responsible for not reining in his sons.  Sometimes even the best parents can have rebellious children, and they still love them.  However, the love for their children cannot supersede the love for God.  That was where Eli really failed.  When his sons violated the laws of God and His house, that is when Eli should have stood up for the Lord and ousted his sons, or at the very least sought counsel of the Lord and had his sons repent and seek atonement for their sins if the Lord allowed.  We are to seek the Lord first and foremost, and when man contradicts God, "We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). 

The Wickedness of Eli's Sons

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 2:11) And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

In the last post, Hannah had brought her child to Eli at the tabernacle of the Lord, as she had vowed in her prayer when she asked the Lord for a son.  Hannah had delivered a song of thanksgiving and praise, and now her husband Elkanah, with Hannah, I'm sure, went back to their home in Ramah.  Their son Samuel stayed with Eli and ministered to the Lord in whatever way he could at his young age, surely learning songs of praise and learning to read the book of the law.

(12) Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they did not know the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:3 told us that the names of Eli's sons were Hophni and Phinehas, and they were priests of the Lord.  Since Eli was high priest, his sons were priests by birth.  However, we learn here that they really didn't know the Lord but were sons of wickedness.

(13) And the priests' custom with the people was when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand while the flesh was boiling, (14) And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

I believe the sense is that the priests had made their own custom that was not in agreement with the law of the Lord.  According to the law, if this was a burnt offering, it was wholly consumed by fire, so this must have been a peace offering where part belonged to the Lord, the fat which was burnt, the breast and shoulder went to the priest, and the rest went to the owner of the sacrifice, who made a feast of it for his family and friends.  The parts of the flesh that were boiling were probably the parts belonging to the owner and his family, but the priests, Hophni and Phinehas, had made it a custom to send a servant with a three-pronged fork to draw up more portions for themselves.  This they did to all the Israelites with their offerings.

(15) Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came and said to the man who sacrificed, "Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have boiled flesh of you, but raw." (16) And if any man said to him, "Let them not fail to burn the fat presently and then take what your soul desires," then he would answer him, "No, but you shall give it now, and if not, I will take it by force."

Also before they burnt the fat of the offering, the priest's servant came and demanded flesh to roast for the priest, for he wanted raw flesh to roast, not boiled flesh after the owner's portion was boiled.  If a man told the servant that they must burn the fat first in keeping with the law, the priest's servant refused and said he wanted it right then, and if the owner refused, he would take what he wanted by force.  It was obvious in this that the priests had no respect and reverence for the things of the Lord, nor for His laws.

(17) Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.

The sin of the priests was very great before the Lord, in that they took what was not their own, sometimes by force, and before the Lord had His part in the offering, and all this was done in the Lord's house, in His presence.  This plainly showed that they had no respect nor fear of God.  Also they caused all men to find offering to the Lord a disagreeable thing when they saw how the law of God was not followed.  It probably made some neglect bringing their sacrifices at all.

(18) But Samuel ministered before the Lord as a child, girded with a linen ephod.

However, Samuel ministered before the Lord, even at his young age.  He wore a linen ephod such as the priests wore, which would appear to be a special privilege to one so young.

(19) Moreover, his mother made him a little coat and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

Hannah, his mother, would make Samuel a coat to wear over his other clothes and bring one to him every year when her family came to offer the yearly sacrifice.

(20) And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, "The Lord give you descendants of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord." And they went to their own home.

On one such occasion Eli blessed Elkanah and Hannah, telling them they would be blessed with more children because of their gift of Samuel to the Lord.  Then they went to their own home.

(21) And the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.

Indeed, the Lord gave Hannah more children, three sons and two daughters, while Samuel grew up before the Lord in the tabernacle.

(22) Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Eli became very old, and it seems it was only then that he heard about what his sons had been doing to the Israelites with regard to their offerings, and also how they sexually lay with women who assembled at the door of the congregation.

(23) And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. (24) No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear; you make the Lord's people to transgress."

Eli asked his sons why they did such things.  He heard of all they were doing from the people.  Not only were they doing evil, but they caused the people to sin, as well.  They caused the people to sin in the way they offered their offerings, and they caused the women to sin who came to the tabernacle, whom they took to satisfy their sexual desires.

(25) "If one man sins against another, the judge shall judge him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who shall intreat for him?" However, they did not hearken to the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.

Eli continued with his somewhat mild rebuke of his sons.  If a man sinned against another man, a judge would determine the outcome, but if one sinned against God, who would dare intercede for him?   I think his point was that even he, their father, would not be able to defend them if they sinned against God.  However, his sons would not listen to their father nor heed his warning, but that was part of the Lord's will, for He would kill them for their wickedness.

(26) And the child Samuel grew on and was in favor, both with the Lord and also with men.

Meanwhile, Samuel grew in the tabernacle, and he was in favor of the Lord, as well as with men.

(27) And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, 'Did I plainly appear to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? (28) And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? And did I give to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?'"

A messenger from God went to Eli, and speaking the words of the Lord, reminded him that the Lord Himself had appeared to his forefather Aaron when they were in Egypt, and that He had chosen Aaron and his descendants out of all the tribes to be His priests.  They had much honor and privilege, and the Lord provided them with their share of the offerings.

(29) "'Therefore, why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My habitation, and honor your sons above Me to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all offerings of Israel My people?'"

The man of God continued with the words of the Lord, asking why Eli trampled upon and despised His offering that He had commanded in His house.  He accused him of honoring his sons above the Lord because he allowed them to dishonor Him by their actions.  It is likely that Eli would have taken part in feasts their sons made with the choicest pieces of the offerings of the people.  More than likely, it is probably a sure thing that he did, as the message of the Lord was that all of them made themselves fat with the best of the offerings.

(30) "Therefore the Lord God of Israel says, 'I said indeed your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever.' But now the Lord says, 'Be it far from Me, for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.'"

The man of God continued.  The Lord God of Israel had determined that Eli's line through his father, Ithamar, should minister before Him forever.  However, now the Lord said it was far from Him to allow the priesthood to continue in the line of Ithamar and Eli.  He would honor those who honored Him, but those who despised Him, as Eli's sons had shown they did, would be only lightly esteemed.  Actually, the original word "qalal" that was translated as "lightly esteemed" is more often translated as "cursed" in other scriptures.  That is probably a better meaning here.

(31) "'Behold, the days come that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.'"

The Lord warned Eli that the days were coming when He would cut off his strength, power, and authority, and that of his father's, and there would be no old man left in his house.

(32) "'And you shall see an enemy in My habitation, in all which God shall give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.'"

Eli would live to see an enemy or affliction in the Lord's tabernacle in all the wealth that the Lord had planned for Israel.  The prophet repeated that there would not be an old man in Eli's house, and this time he added the word "forever." 

(33) "'And the man of yours whom I shall not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart, and all the increase of your house shall die in the flower of their age.'"

The state of any man of Eli's posterity whom the Lord did not cut off from His altar would make his eyes cry and his heart full of grief.  All of his posterity would die in the prime of their lives.

(34) "'And this a sign unto you that shall come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas, in one day they shall die both of them.'"

There would be a sign to Eli that all the man of God had told him would be fulfilled when he saw his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, die on the same day.

(35) "'And I will raise Me up a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.'"

Continuing with the words of the Lord, the man of God told Eli He would raise up a faithful priest who would do according to the will and heart of the Lord.  The Lord would build him a sure house, which probably meant He would give him a numerous posterity to ensure the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.  He and his posterity would walk before the Lord's anointed, the Messiah, forever.  The priests were to represent Christ, act in His name, and point toward the coming Messiah.

(36) "'And it shall come to pass, everyone who is left in your house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, "Put me, I pray you, into one of the priests' offices that I may eat a piece of bread."'"

Everyone left alive in Eli's house would be reduced to begging God's priest for a small piece of silver and a morsel of bread and asking to be put into one of the priests' offices in whatever inferior post they might find in order to keep them from starving.

The main subject of this part of the chapter focuses on the wickedness of Hophni and Phinehas, and even Eli, because of his weakness and leniency and failure to stop the wicked behavior in God's house.  The sad state of the priesthood throughout this post is sprinkled with the bright spots of little Samuel growing in the Lord.  It's a perfect picture of our world today, so much wickedness even in high places of government and the church, but throughout the world in different walks of life, God is raising up His people to follow Him, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." (2 Chronicles 16:9)

It's not that God was raising up Samuel to be His priest, as Samuel was not from the correct line of priests, but He was raising him up for other purposes.  There is only one perfect priest who can do all according to the heart and mind of God, and that is Jesus Christ.  In Him, the Lord will build a sure house, the Christian church upon the rock that is Jesus Christ.  The wickedness of Eli's sons and Eli himself who knew what his sons were doing was evil, but he did nothing about it, illustrates the need for a Savior.  We all sin and come short of the glory of the Lord (Romans 3:23).  "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Hannah's Song of Thanksgiving

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 2:1) And Hannah prayed and said, "My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation."

In the last chapter and post, Hannah had borne a son, Samuel, who was an answer to prayer.  She brought her son to the Lord's house where she gave him to the Lord for His service for the rest of his life.  She now prayed to the Lord what is called Hannah's song of thanksgiving.  She said her heart rejoiced in the Lord.  Her horn, an allusion to horned creatures, was exalted in the Lord.  A horn often represented strength and glory in the Bible.  Hannah had been low in spirit when she prayed to the Lord for a son, and her spirit had been renewed, and she had recovered strength and glory thanks to the Lord.  She had been sad and quiet with no answer to her tormenters before, but now she could open her mouth wide with joy because she rejoiced in the Lord's salvation.  And that meant, not just her salvation from her barrenness, but her song was a prophetic one about the coming Messiah in whom true salvation would come.

(2) "No one is holy as the Lord, for there is none besides You, neither any rock like our God."

Hannah sang that there was no one who was holy besides the Lord, and there was no rock like the Lord, a sure steady foundation for defense, strength, refuge, and the only true salvation.

(3) "Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let no arrogancy come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed."

Hannah sounds as if she is speaking to Peninnah now, not to speak so proudly and arrogantly.  However, it could be spoken of anyone who was likewise haughty and arrogant, for the Lord is a God of knowledge who sees and knows all, even the hearts of men.  He is the judge of all thoughts and actions, and He alone will weigh them and judge them.

(4) "The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they who stumbled are girded with strength."

The strength of the mighty men of which they boasted is broken by God, and those who are weak are girded with strength from the Lord.  Jesus would later say, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  That could certainly be spoken of Peninnah and Hannah, Peninnah who bragged about having so many children and tormenting Hannah because she had none, and Hannah who suffered in silence and prayed to God.

(5) "The full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry ceased, so that the barren has born seven, and she who has many children has become feeble."

As another way of describing how the proud and strong are brought down, and the weak and humble are exalted, Hannah said that those who were full and well fed were now having to hire themselves out for bread, and those who were hungry now ceased to hunger.  The barren woman now bore seven children, which Hannah could be prophesying about herself, as she would go on to have more children, and the woman with many children had become feeble and unable to bear any more.

(6) "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up."

The Lord only is the author and arbiter over life and death.  He alone decides who will live and who will die.  However, I think that Hannah's meaning was that the Lord can make one very low and then raise them up again.  Hannah had been almost consumed by her grief, but then was raised by God to joyful life again.

(7) "The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up."

The Lord makes some people poor and some people rich.  All things are in His power and for His purposes.  Being poor is not always a bad thing as often wealth ruins a person.  Being low and then brought up can make a person much more appreciative and thankful, as Hannah was now.

(8) "He raises up the poor out of the dust, lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory, for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them."

The Lord was the one who raised the poor out of the dust and the beggar out of the most sordid of places, to raise them up among princes.  Although people may be raised from nothing to equal with princes, I don't think this is necessarily meant to be literal, but spiritual and prophetic.  When the Lord makes them inherit the throne of glory, that is undoubtedly speaking of the heavenly throne.  Through Christ the poor are raised to be princes in that they are children of the King of kings, and they will inherit the throne of glory as Jesus said in Revelation 3:21, "To him who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, as I also overcame and am set down with My Father on His throne."  The "pillars of the earth," that which supports it in open space, are the Lord's alone; only He set the world as it is.

(9) "He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail."

The Lord will guard the feet and guide the steps of His people.  However, the wicked will be put to silence in their darkness when they are shown the light of truth in the end.  In the end even the most devout atheists will know the Lord and will bow to Him (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11).  However, then will be too late, and they will be cast into the pit of darkness (2 Peter 2:4).  No man will prevail by his own strength but will be only in submission to Christ.

(10) "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed."

The adversaries of the Lord will be broken; from heaven He will thunder upon them.  No man can stand against the power and will of God.  The Lord judges all mankind to the ends of the earth, reaching every person and every place.  He will give strength to His King, undoubtedly Jesus Christ, as He is God's anointed.  He will exalt the horn of His anointed.  Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied about the horn of salvation to be raised up in the house of David (Luke 1:69), and David called the Lord the horn of his salvation (Psalm 18:2).  "His anointed" in the original Hebrew is "Mashiyach," in our present-day English, Messiah.  Hannah, in her prophetic song, makes the first mention in the Bible of Christ as the Messiah.

I will end this post here.  Although it makes for a short post, Hannah's song stands alone in its beauty and prophecy.  Hannah was so thankful and full of joy over what the Lord had done for her that she was able to sing this song rejoicing in the Lord even though she was leaving her child, her only child, at the tabernacle, and she would never have him with her again.  She gave glory to God, who humbled the strong and exalted the weak.  And she looked forward to the future Messiah.

Birth of the Prophet Samuel

Continuing a chronological Bible study: 

(1 Samuel 1:1) Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

This first chapter of 1 Samuel takes us back to the time of the judges of Israel, Samson being the last one (Judges 16).  Judges 17-21 didn't actually follow a chronological order but told how the people had strayed and did what was right in their own eyes, before the time of the judges.  I've been disappointed in this particular chronological pattern of studying the Bible that was presented by Skip Andrews, as it is not always exactly in chronological date order, but I can't change now.  This chapter begins by telling us about a man named Elkanah who lived at a place called Ramathaim Zophim in Mount Ephraim.  He was the son of Jeroham, who was the son of Elihu, who was the son of Tohu, who was the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite from Ephratah which is said to be another name for Bethlehem Judah.

(2) And he had two wives, the name of the one Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah, and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.  Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

(3) And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

Elkanah went, as he did yearly, to Shiloh to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord, called the Lord of hosts, which means the Lord of heaven's armies.  Eli was the next judge after Samson and was also the high priest.  He and his sons who were also priests were there in Shiloh.

(4) And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

This was probably a peace offering where the bringer of the offering shared in the feast made of his offering.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, explained:  "The sacrifices which were made were probably peace-offerings, of which the blood was poured out at the foot of the altar; the fat was burnt on the fire; the breast and right shoulder were the portion of the priest, and the rest belonged to him who made the offering; on it he and his family feasted, each receiving his portion..."  Elkanah gave portions of his offering to his wife Peninnah and to her children.

(5) But to Hannah he gave a worthy portion, for he loved Hannah; but the Lord had shut up her womb.

It appears that Elkanah gave Hannah a more special or choice portion because he loved her.  However, Hannah had no children because the Lord had shut her womb.

(6) And her adversary also provoked her sorely to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.

Scripture doesn't tell us who Hannah's adversary was, but it was probably Peninnah, perhaps jealous that Elkanah loved Hannah best, and she taunted Hannah because she had been unable to have children.  It doesn't have to be Peninnah; the adversary could be Satan feeding her with all sorts of negative thoughts because she had not been able to bear children.  Even if it was Peninnah, Satan the adversary had a hand in it, to be sure.

(7) And he did so year by year; when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

Elkanah went to the house of the Lord for this feast year after year.  "She" provoked Hannah when she went up to the house of the Lord, so it is Peninnah who was her adversary.  They were going to make an offering to the Lord, and Peninnah was accompanied by all her children, and Hannah was alone, so Peninnah taunted Hannah until she wept and did not eat.

(8) Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

Elkanah asked Hannah why she grieved so and did not eat.  He asked if his love for her was better than if she had had ten sons.  Or perhaps the meaning was that his love was better than the comfort and love she would receive from ten sons.  The point was that his great love for her, obviously greater than the love he had for Peninnah and her children, should demonstrate that it didn't matter to him that she could not bear him any children.

(9) So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.

Hannah rose up to leave after they had eaten and drunk.  Eli the priest who was also the judge sat upon probably what was called the seat of judgment by a post of the temple of the Lord.

(10) And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept sorely. (11) And she vowed a vow, and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me and not forget Your handmaid, but will give to Your handmaid a man child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

Hannah wept bitterly and prayed to the Lord.  She vowed that if the Lord looked down on her favorably and gave her a boy child, she would dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life, as a Nazarite, and no razor would ever touch his head.

(12) And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli observed her mouth. (13) Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

Hannah was praying to herself, not aloud, but her lips moved as she prayed in her heart.  Eli saw her and observed her mouth moving and thought she was drunk.

(14) And Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you."

Eli spoke to Hannah and asked how long she intended to be drunk and told her to put her wine away.

(15) And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the Lord. (16) Do not count your handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken until now."

Hannah told Eli she had not been drinking, but she was just very sorrowful and had poured out her soul to the Lord.  She asked that he not consider her a daughter of wickedness, that it was only because of her overwhelming grief and complaint that her mouth had moved while she prayed.

(17) Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him."

Eli then told Hannah to go in peace, that the God of Israel would grant her request for which she had prayed and asked of God.

(18) And she said, "Let your handmaid find grace in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her countenance was no longer sad.

Hannah wished that she may have found favor with Eli and then went her way.  She ate and she was no longer sad because she had assurance in the words of the priest that God would favorably answer her prayer.

(19) And they rose up in the morning early and worshiped before the Lord and returned and came to their house to Ramah, and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.

Elkanah and his family rose up early the next morning and went to the tabernacle to worship the Lord, and then they went back to their home in Ramah, or Ramathaim.  There Elkanah knew his wife Hannah in an intimate way, and the Lord remembered her as she had prayed He would.

(20) So it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son and called his name Samuel, "Because I have asked him of the Lord."

It came to pass when the time was come for Hannah to give birth, she had a son and named him Samuel, which meant literally "heard of God," because she had asked the Lord for him, and the Lord had heard her prayers and answered favorably.

(21) And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow.

Elkanah and his family went to offer a yearly sacrifice to the Lord and for whatever vow he had made since the last offering.  He had possibly made a vow on the occasion of Hannah's prayer and vow, or maybe he vowed an offering of thanksgiving for the child.

(22) But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned, and I will bring him that he may appear before the Lord and abide there forever."

Hannah did not go with her family because she had told Elkanah that she wouldn't go until her baby was weaned, and then she would take him to appear before the Lord where he would abide forever, in keeping with her vow.

(23) And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems to you good; wait until you have weaned him; only the Lord establish His word. So the woman abode and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

Elkanah told Hannah to do what she thought best and wait until she had weaned Samuel.  Then may the Lord establish His word as vowed by Hannah, to accept and preserve Samuel, and have him grow up a Nazarite in service to the Lord.  Hannah stayed and nursed her baby until she had weaned him.

(24) And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and the child was young.

When Hannah had weaned her son, she took him with a bull, flour, and a bottle of wine for offerings, and she brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh.  The child was quite young, probably a small toddler.

(25) And they slaughtered a bull and brought the child to Eli.

The bull was slaughtered for sacrifice, and the child was brought to Eli.

(26) And she said, "O my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. (27) For this child I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. (28) Therefore I have also lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be lent to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah reminded Eli about who she was, the woman who had prayed to the Lord beside him.  She never told him what she had prayed for, only that she had poured her soul out to the Lord (verse 15), but Eli told her that God would grant her petition (verse 17).  She now told Eli that she had prayed for a child, and the Lord had given her her petition.  She went on to tell him that she was giving her son to the Lord for His service for as long as he lived.  "He" worshiped the Lord there, perhaps Eli who gave thanks to the Lord for what he had declared would be having come to fruition.  Some Biblical scholars think Samuel is meant.  Although he was very young, his spirit knew and was capable of worshiping God in some way, just as Elizabeth's baby leapt in her womb when he heard Mary (Luke 1:41).  Others think "they" was meant, and they all worshiped the Lord for what He had done.

The Israelites Lament for the Benjamites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 21:1) Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, "There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife."

In the last chapter and post, Israel had gone to battle against the tribe of Benjamin because of their wickedness and had destroyed nearly all of them.  However, Judges 20:47 told us that six hundred men had escaped and hidden in the rock Rimmon.  It seems that before the war had started, when they had convened in Mizpeh (Judges 20:3), the Israelites had vowed that none of the tribes would allow their daughters to marry any Benjamite, probably because of the harsh treatment the men of Gibeah had given the Levite's concubine (Judges 19:25).

(2) And the people came to the house of God and abode there till evening before God and lifted up their voices and sorely wept, (3) And said, "O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?"

The Israelites went to the house of God and stayed there until the evening, weeping before the Lord.  In their excessive zealousness they had almost destroyed an entire tribe.  As a matter of fact, they may have thought they had destroyed the entire tribe if they did not yet know about the six hundred men hiding out at rock Rimmon.  This seems the case as they cried about one tribe lacking in Israel.  They felt they had destroyed their brother!

(4) And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built there an altar and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

The next day the Israelites awoke early in the morning and built an altar where they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  I'm not sure why they built another altar when there was one at the house of God that they had used for the same purposes of burnt offerings and peace offerings in Judges 20:26.  If all the people of Israel had met together, perhaps they needed an additional altar because of so many offerings.  Perhaps they felt it an extra sacrifice they should do to build another altar because after all, in that day everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).  In any case, the people lamented the loss of their brother tribe Benjamin and made offerings to repent and amend for their sins.

(5) And the children of Israel said, "Who among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the congregation to the Lord?" For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpeh, saying, "He shall surely be put to death."

It seems the Israelites had made another rash vow in Mizpeh before the war that anyone who did not join the congregation at that time was to be put to death.  The people now reflected on their oath and wondered aloud who had not joined them at that time.

(6) And the children of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother and said, "There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day."

The children of Israel repented for what they had done to Benjamin their brother, probably not for the war itself as they felt they fought for a just cause, but because they had taken it much further than it needed to be to defeat Benjamin and had nearly completely destroyed their tribe.

(7) "How shall we do for wives for them who remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters as wives?"

In this we see that the Israelites must have known about the six hundred Benjamites who remained, and also that they must have killed all the Benjamite women and children in the war against their brother.  They now regretted their oath to the Lord that they would not let any of their daughters be a wife to a Benjamite.  An oath to the Lord was a sacred thing, but if Benjamin were to survive as a tribe, they would either have to void their oath or the Benjamites would have to marry heathens which was forbidden.  This was their dilemma as they did not want to see their brother tribe become extinct after all.

(8) And they said, "What one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpeh to the Lord?" And behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly. (9) For the people were numbered, and behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there.

The Israelites had also vowed that any tribe that did not join their assembly in Mizpeh before the war would be put to death (verse 5), so they now asked who had not joined them and assisted in the war.  It was determined that no one came from Jabesh Gilead, a city on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

(10) And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the valiantest and commanded them, saying, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. (11) And this thing you shall do, you shall utterly destroy every male and every woman who has lain by man."

The congregation sent 12,000 of the most valiant men to Jabesh Gilead, instructing them to kill every male, even children, and every female who had ever lain intimately with a man.  That was in keeping with their oath to kill all who did not help them in the war.

(12) And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by lying with any male, and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

The Israelites found in Jabesh Gilead four hundred virgins who had never lain with men.  These they kept alive and brought to the camp at Shiloh.  Since the people of Jabesh Gilead never attended the assembly at Mizpeh before the war, they had not taken part in the oath to never let their daughters marry Benjamites.  By saving these virgins, they did not void their oath regarding marriages with the Benjamites.  However, in saving them, they didn't put to death all in Jabesh Gilead, but then again, the young women would not have gone to war anyway, so this was the best compromise the Israelites could come up with in order to save the tribe of Benjamin from extinction.

(13) And the whole congregation sent to speak to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock Rimmon and to call peaceably to them. (14) And Benjamin came again at that time, and they gave them wives whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; yet they did not suffice them.

The Israelite congregation sent word to speak peaceably with the Benjamites who had isolated themselves at the rock Rimmon.  The Benjamites came out, and the Israelites gave them the four hundred virgins as wives for them.  However, there weren't enough virgins for all the men, as there were six hundred men and only four hundred virgins.

(15) And the people repented themselves for Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

The Israelites were very sorrowful and repented for what they had done to the tribe of Benjamin.  They said the Lord had made the break within their tribes, but it was actually their overzealousness in destroying the Benjamites beyond what was necessary to defeat them.  However, the Lord had allowed it.  Nothing is allowed to happen that is not within the will of God.

(16) Then the elders of the congregation said, "How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?"

The elders of the congregation pondered what they should do for wives for the two hundred Benjamites who remained of the six hundred.  They had saved only four hundred virgins, and they had killed all the Benjamite women, and they had vowed no other tribe would give a daughter to wed a Benjamite.

(17) And they said, "There must be an inheritance for them who are escaped from Benjamin, that a tribe is not destroyed out of Israel. (18) However, we may not give them wives of our daughters for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, 'Cursed he who gives a wife to Benjamin.'"

The elders said that there must be an inheritance for those two hundred men.  All of the inheritance of Benjamin now belonged to the six hundred remaining men, and the elders felt that the two hundred must have their part, but since no Israelite could give a wife to the Benjamites, how would this be accomplished?

(19) And they said, "Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."

The elders recalled that there was a feast of the Lord every year in Shiloh in a location they described as north of Bethel, east of the highway that went from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.

(20) Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, (21) And see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin."

Evidently, the feast was at hand.  The elders told the Benjamite men to go and lie in wait in the vineyards, which must have been adjacent to the place where the feast was held.  The daughters of Shiloh were young maidens who dwelt there where the tabernacle was and attended the feast with demonstrations of joy and dancing.  When these young women went by dancing, the Benjamite men still lacking wives were to come out of the vineyards and take a young woman of the dancers to be his wife.  They were instructed to take their wives immediately back to their tribe.

(22) "And it shall be when their fathers or their brethren come to us to complain, that we will say to them, 'Be favorable to them for our sakes because we did not reserve to each man his wife in the war, for you did not give to them at this time that you should be guilty.'"

The elders went on to explain that when the fathers or brothers of the young women taken came to them to complain about the abduction of their daughters or sisters, they would ask the men to be favorable to the men who took the maidens for the elders' sake, for they had not made sure that every Benjamite would have a wife.  In addition, they would not be guilty of breaking a vow to the Lord, for they had not given their daughters in marriage to Benjamites; their daughters had been taken from them.  And for their peace of minds, their daughters were not taken by bad men, but men of great estates seeing that only six hundred men divided the entire inheritance of Benjamin, and they should be well taken care of.

(23) And the children of Benjamin did so and took wives according to their number of them who danced whom they caught, and they went and returned to their inheritance and repaired the cities and dwelt in them.

The Benjamites did as they were told and took wives of the dancers according to the number of them who still lacked a wife; that is, two hundred men took two hundred dancers, one for each man.  They took their wives and returned to their inheritance to rebuild their cities, and then they dwelt in them.

(24) And the children of Israel departed there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.

The Israelites also departed from there and went back to their own tribes and families, back to their own inheritances.

(25) In those days was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Again we are reminded that there was no king in Israel at that time, and every man did what was right in his own eyes.  Although we see evidence of men trying to follow God, with no spiritual guidance and leadership, they made up their own rules, and that had resulted in the wickedness in Gibeah, the excessive severity against the Benjamites, the slaughter of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, and the abduction and what could be called rape of the virgins.

The Tribe of Benjamin Nearly Destroyed

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 20:1) Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man from Dan to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, to the Lord in Mizpeh.

In the last chapter and post, a Levite man and his concubine had lodged in an old man's house in Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin.  The men of that city had surrounded the house and banged on the doors insisting that the Levite come out so they could sodomize him.  He sent his concubine instead whom they used and abused all night, and she died.  The Levite had carved up her body and sent it all over Israel to let them know what had happened.  Now all of Israel from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south met together in a group, also with the tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan.  I imagine the tribe of Benjamin was not included in this assembly.  They met before the Lord in Mizpeh, a city that lay on the borders of Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:38), a city near to Shiloh and said to be eight miles from Gibeah. 

(2) And the chief of all people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew sword.

The chief of each group of people, princes of the tribes and heads of families of all the tribes of Israel, except the tribe of Benjamin, presented themselves in this assembly of the people of God.  They numbered four hundred thousand armed men.

(3) (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpeh.) Then the children of Israel said, "Tell, how was this wickedness?"

The tribe of Benjamin heard that all the other tribes had gathered in Mizpeh, realizing they had been left out.  The children of Israel who had assembled together asked the Levite, as it appears from the next verse, how the wickedness they had heard about had come to be.

(4) And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was slain, answered and said, "I came into Gibeah of Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. (5) And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about upon me by night and thought to have slain me, and my concubine they have forced that she is dead."

The Levite told the chiefs of Israel how he and his concubine had come into Gibeah to lodge.  He told how men of Gibeah surrounded the house wanting him.  I suppose it's possible he imagined they wanted to kill him after they had sodomized him, but he left out the sodomy part which was their actual intent.  He said they forced themselves on his concubine until she was dead.  However, he actually was the one who gave the men his concubine in order to save himself.

(6) "And I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel."

The Levite went on to tell how he had then cut his concubine into pieces and sent her throughout Israel so that they would see what lewd crimes and foolish wickedness had been committed in Israel.

(7) "Behold, all you children of Israel, give here your advice and counsel."

The Levite ended with asking the chiefs of Israel what they thought should be done.

(8) And all the people arose as one man, saying, "We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. (9) But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah by lot against it. (10) And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel."

All the people rose up in agreement as one saying that none of them would return to their homes.  They would cast lots to see who would go up against Benjamin.  They proposed to take ten percent of the men, 40,000, to fetch provisions for the rest of the men that they would be able to follow through with the punishment that Gibeah's wickedness deserved.  All of Israel rose up united as one because of the word of one man, and that man had not been totally truthful.  They should have risen up as one to enquire of the Lord before rushing to judgment on their own.

(11) So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. (12) And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What wickedness is this that is done among you?"

All of Israel was united against Gibeah.  The tribes sent men through the tribe of Benjamin asking them about the wickedness that had been done within their tribe.

(13) "Now therefore, deliver the men, the children of Belial, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel." But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.

The men of Israel made the reasonable request that the tribe of Benjamin deliver to them the sons of Belial who had done the wickedness to the Levite and his concubine, so that they might be put to death, thus removing the evil from among the children of Israel.  However, the Benjamites refused.  It was probably pride that kept them from submitting to their brethren, but by refusing to allow the Israelites to remove the evil from among them, the Benjamites were voicing their agreement with the evil.  Then again, perhaps they recognized the Israelites' rush to judgment and would not subject men of their own tribe to death without a fair hearing.

(14) But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

The Benjamites gathered themselves together at Gibeah to actually go to battle against the rest of Israel.  It was much misplaced pride and arrogance that they believed one tribe could defend against eleven others, especially when the eleven just seemed to want to rid the evil from Israel.  If the Benjamites did not want to submit to another tribe they thought was rash and unjust, they could have themselves brought the evildoers forth for investigation and then appropriate justice and perhaps satisfied the rest of Israel, but they seem to have doubled down in their defense of the wicked doers.

(15) And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men who drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.

The armed men of Benjamin who had gathered from all the cities to Gibeah, numbered 26,000, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah which added another seven hundred.

(16) Among all this people were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; everyone could sling stones at a hair breadth and not miss. (17) And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were four hundred thousand men who drew sword, all these men of war.

Among the 26,700 armed men of Benjamin were seven hundred lefthanded men who could sling stones accurately and not miss their mark.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the Benjamites could have confidence that 26,700 of them could go up against 400,000 Israelites.

(18) And the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God, and said, "Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin?" And the Lord said, "Judah first."

The Israelites went to Shiloh to the tabernacle of God to enquire of Him who should go up first into battle against the Benjamites.  The Lord, probably through the Urim and Thummim of the high priest, said that Judah should go first.  It is commendable that the Israelites still sought counsel of the Lord when they had started to fall away from the correct worship of Him as deduced from the past few chapters.  However, they only asked who should go first, already having determined on their own that they would go to battle against their brother.

(19) And the children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. (20) And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.

The Israelite tribes rose in the morning and encamped across from Gibeah. They went to battle against Benjamin, putting themselves in array to fight against the Benjamites at Gibeah, presumably with Judah going first.

(21) And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty-two thousand men.

The Benjamites came out of Gibeah against the Israelites and killed dead on the spot 22,000 of them.  Why would God allow 22,000 Israelites to be killed when theirs seemed a just cause in trying to rid Israel of the evil sons of Belial?  They were also guilty of sin, of idolatry and worse, because everyone had been doing what was right in his own eyes and not adhering to the laws of God.  They had rushed to judgment without a fair hearing with two or three witnesses as was required.  They had been very zealous to avenge the death of the Levite's concubine but not so much to put away their spiritual adultery and idolatry that had been growing among them as evidenced by the past few chapters.  They had gone to God to enquire only who should go first in a battle they had already determined to embark on themselves, but as John Wesley wrote in his Notes on the Bible, they had gone to Him "with polluted hands."  They "should have pulled the beam out of their own eye, before they attempted to take that out of their brother Benjamin's eye."  Because they did not repent of their own sins before God, God did it for them, "bringing them through the fire, that they might be purged from their dross."  The Israelites should not have depended so heavily on their own numbers and strength.  The result was due to the will of God, and this fulfilled Jacob's prophecy about his son, Benjamin, that he would be ravenous as a wolf devouring his prey (Genesis 49:27).

(22) And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

The men of Israel did not allow themselves to be discouraged after their loss of so many men.  They once again set their battle lines in the same place as before.

(23) (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?" And the Lord said, "Go up against him.")

The fact that this verse was put in parentheses tells me that it probably happened before verse 22, that it was further explanation for verse 22.  Otherwise, I don't see a good reason for making a parenthetical statement of something so important.  The Israelites had gone before the Lord and had wept before Him for some time and asked if they should even go to battle against their brother, and the Lord had told them to go against Benjamin.  Probably then the Israelites encouraged themselves and set themselves in battle lines again.

(24) And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. (25) And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

The Israelites went to battle against the tribe of Benjamin the second day.  The Benjamites came out of Gibeah against the children of Israel and killed on the spot eighteen thousand of the Israelite armed men.  The fact that the Israelites were defeated again has me rethinking verses 22 and 23.  Perhaps the Israelites had encouraged themselves by their own will, and going before the Lord was secondary after they had already resolved what to do.  They wept before the Lord, but it was likely for their defeat only and not because they had sinned against the Lord.  The Lord always knows the truth of the hearts of men.  He told them to go up against Benjamin, but He didn't say they would defeat Benjamin.  Hosea 10:9 speaks specifically of this battle and states:

"O Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them."

The Israelites had sinned.  It is interesting that this was now 40,000 of the Israelites who had been killed, a sort of tithe of the 400,000 that had initially gone to battle against their brethren.  Tithing acknowledges that all belongs to God.  It was God's will that both sides learn a lesson.  Both sides had sinned and required judgment.  Unfortunately, it seems we learn best after going through trials.  It was never God's plan that His people should fight against one another.  In fact, God had specifically told them in Deuteronomy 13:13-17 how to deal with "children of Belial," in that case, those who would spread idolatry.  If God's command and punishment against idolatry had been followed in the first place, evil would not have reached the level it had, and there would not be a civil war among the tribes.  

(26) Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept and sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

It appears that the whole army of the Israelites with the rest of the people went to the house of God where they wept and fasted and offered burnt and peace offerings to the Lord.  It seems they had finally acknowledged their sins and desired to make atonement for them with their offerings.  They demonstrated their total dependence of Him.

(27) And the children of Israel enquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, (28) And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days). saying "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?" And the Lord said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

The children of Israel again inquired of the Lord at the house of God where the ark of the covenant was in Shiloh, through Phinehas who stood before the ark with the Urim and Thummim.  They asked humbly if they should go again to battle against their brother or if they should cease battling.  They had truly repented and realized that they could not trust in their large numbers or in the justness of their cause, but must submit wholly to the will of God.  This time the Lord not only told them to go up to battle, but He promised them victory.

(29) And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. (30) And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day and put themselves in array against Gibeah as at other times.

This time Israel set an ambush with men lying in wait all around Gibeah.  Then the rest of their army put themselves in formation just as they had done the previous times and went up against the tribe of Benjamin.

(31) And the children of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to strike the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, one of which goes up to the house of God and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

The Benjamites went out against the children of Israel and were drawn out of Gibeah.  They struck the Israelites in the highways where it appears two highways met, one going to the house of God and the other to Gibeah in the field.  It appears that the Israelites divided the army of the Benjamites as some went one way and the others went the other way.  The children of Benjamin killed only thirty Israelites this time.

(32) And the children of Benjamin said, "They are struck down before us as at the first." But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and draw them from the city into the highways."

The Benjamites thought they had struck down the Israelites as they had done before, arrogant in their own ability.  However, it had been the Israelites' plan to flee before them and draw them out of the city into the highways.

(33) And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in array at Baal Tamar, and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places out of the meadows of Gibeah.

The Israelites had fled to a nearby place called Baal Tamar where they once again lined up for battle.  Also those who lay in wait around Gibeah came out from their hiding places to Baal Tamar.

(34) And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce, but they did not know that evil was near them.

I am imagining that the Israelite battle line at Baal Tamar went against the men of Gibeah who had been pursuing them as they pretended to flee, and then the men who had been lying in wait around Gibeah now came out of their hiding places around Gibeah, and that is the evil that the men of Gibeah had not expected to come up behind them.

(35) And the Lord struck Benjamin before Israel, and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty-five thousand and a hundred men; all these drew the sword.

The Lord gave the victory to Israel and destroyed 25,100 armed men of the tribe of Benjamin.

(36) So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, for the men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites because they relied on the liers in wait whom they had set beside Gibeah. (37) And the liers in wait hasted and rushed upon Gibeah, and the liers in wait drew along and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

Indeed, it appears that the battle went as I had been imagining it.  The Israelites allowed the Benjamites ground as they fled from them because they knew the men lying in wait would come up behind them as they did.  They rushed upon Gibeah and struck all the city.  The Benjamites then saw they were defeated.

(38) Now there was an appointed signal between the men of Israel and the liers in wait that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

There had been an appointed signal between the Israelites and the men who were lying in wait.  Those lying in wait were to make a great fire in the city and when the Israelites saw the smoke from it, they would know that the city had been taken.

(39) And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons, for they said, "Surely they are struck down before us as the first battle."

When the Israelites appeared to give up and start fleeing, that is when the Benjamites killed thirty men (verse 31), and they believed it would be the same as it had been in the previous battles that they would strike down the Israelites.

(40) But when the flame began to rise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven. (41) And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed, for they saw that evil had come upon them.

But when the flame arose out of the city, the Israelites turned back toward the Benjamites, and when the Benjamites saw the smoke of the city behind them and the Israelites turned back toward them, they were alarmed for they saw that disaster had come upon them.

(42) Therefore they turned before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.

The Benjamites turned away from the Israelites to flee into the wilderness, but the battle overtook them.  Those Benjamites who came out of the city and the surrounding towns were also destroyed in the midst of the battle.

(43) They enclosed the Benjamites round about, chased them, and trod them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.

The Israelites were then able to close in on the Benjamites all around, and they chased them and trod them down easily across from Gibeah toward the east, the sunrise.

(44) And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor.

The Israelites had killed 18,000 Benjamite soldiers.

(45) And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men and pursued hard after them to Gidom and killed two thousand men of them. (46) So that all who fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

The Benjamites then turned and fled toward the wilderness to a rock called Rimmon, but the Israelites picked off five thousand of them in the highways.  The Israelites then pursued them to a place called Gidom and killed two thousand more of them.  Considering the Benjamites started with 26,700 men (verse 15), killing 25,000 was an almost total destruction.

(47) But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

Either 600 Benjamites turned again and fled back to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon, or perhaps these were part of the thousands who had fled there previously (verse 45), and the Israelites killed of them there 5000, leaving 600 who managed to get away.  These 600 men abode in the rock Rimmon for four months.

(48) And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all who came to hand; also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

The Israelites turned from the wilderness and killed every man and beast they came upon and set on fire every city they came to.  That sounds as if they indiscriminately killed anyone they came upon, man, woman, child, or animal.  It seems excessive and beyond what was necessary to defeat Benjamin.  They had treated Benjamin as severely as they had the Canaanite nations.  They almost wiped out the entire tribe of Benjamin.  There had been much sin and slaughter on both sides because there was no judge or spiritual leader, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).

Wickedness of the Men of Gibeah

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 19:1) And it came to pass in those days, when no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah.

In the last chapter and post, prior to the raising up of the judges in Israel, without any spiritual leader or guidance, we saw how everyone began doing what was right in his own eyes.  We began to see the worshipping of idols, and even theft and murder attributed to the name of the Lord.  Once again in Judges 19, we are told there was no king in Israel.  During those days, there was a certain Levite who was dwelling on the side of Mount Ephraim.  He took a concubine out of Bethlehem in Judah.

(2) And his concubine played the whore against him and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem Judah and was there four whole months.

His concubine was unfaithful to him and committed adultery against him.  She went away from him to her father's house where she stayed for four months.

(3) And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly to her to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses, and she brought him into her father's house, and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

After four months, the man went after his concubine with the intention of speaking kindly to her and bringing her back.  He took a servant with him and a couple of donkeys, one of which was to bring her back.  She brought him into her father's house, and her father was very glad to meet him.

(4) And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him, and he abode with him three days; so they did eat and drink and lodged there.

The concubine's father, the Levite's father-in-law, asked him to stay with them, and he and his servant did for three days, eating and drinking and lodging there.

(5) And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart, and the damsel's father said to his son-in-law, "Comfort your heart with a morsel of bread and afterward go your way."

The Levite and his servant rose early in the morning on the fourth day to leave, but his concubine's father asked him to stay to eat some bread and then he could go his way.

(6) And they sat down and ate and drank, both of them together, for the damsel's father had said to the man, "Be content, I pray you, and tarry all night, and let your heart be merry."

The man did indeed sit down and eat with his father-in-law and even stayed on longer to eat and drink because his father-in-law had further encouraged him to stay on all night and enjoy himself.

(7) And when the man rose up to depart, his father-in-law urged him, therefore he lodged there again.

When the man rose up to leave that night, his father-in-law again encouraged him to stay on, and he lodged there another night.

(8) And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, and the damsel's father said, "Comfort your heart, I pray you." And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.

The man rose up early on the fifth day planning to depart, but again his father-in-law encouraged him to stay and eat, which he did until the afternoon.

(9) And when the man rose up to depart, and his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said to him, "Behold, now the day draws toward evening; I pray you tarry all night. Behold, the day grows to an end; lodge here that your heart may be merry and tomorrow get up early on your way that you may go home."

The man rose up that afternoon to depart with his concubine and his servant.  His father-in-law once again encouraged him to stay on through the night because the day was drawing to an end and night was approaching.  He encouraged him to enjoy good company one more night and then he could leave for his home early the next morning.

(10) But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem, and with him two donkeys saddled, his concubine also with him.

The man refused to tarry any further and rose up and departed with his concubine (and his servant) and with his two donkeys saddled.  He came across from Jebus, which is Jerusalem, but it was then called Jebus and was inhabited by the Jebusites.

(11) When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent, and the servant said to his master, "Come, I pray you, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it."

When they were by Jebus, the day was over and evening upon them.  The man's servant urged him to let them turn into Jebus and lodge there.

(12) And his master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into the city of a stranger that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah."

However, the man said they would not stay in the city of a stranger, that is, Gentiles, who were not of the children of Israel.  He said they would go on to Gibeah, which was in the tribe of Benjamin.

(13) And he said to his servant, "Come and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah or in Ramah."

The man said to his servant that they should go on to Gibeah or even Ramah, which was also in the tribe of Benjamin, and lodge in one of those places.

(14) And they passed on and went their way, and the sun went down upon them by Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.

They passed by Jebus and went on to Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin where the sun went down on them.

(15) And they turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah, and when he went in, he sat down in a street of the city, for there was no man who took them into his house to lodge.

The man, with his concubine and his servant, turned in to Gibeah to lodge.  However, he wound up sitting down in a street of the city because no one took them in to lodge with them.  It seems the spirit of hospitality which had been the norm among the Israelites had gone from Gibeah.

(16) And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at evening, which was also at Mount Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjamites.

At that time of the evening, an old man came from his work out of the field.  He was also from Mount Ephraim as was the man and his servant.  He lodged in Gibeah where Benjamites lived, although he was not from that place.

(17) And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city, and the old man said, "Where are you going and where do you come from?"

The old man saw the Levite sitting in the street of the city and asked him where he was going and from where did he come.

(18) And he said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem Judah toward the side of Mount Ephraim from where I am, and I went to Bethlehem Judah, but I go to the house of the Lord, and there is no man who received me into his house."

The Levite explained that he had come from Bethlehem Judah to go back to his home on the side of Mount Ephraim.  He said he was going to the house of the Lord, meaning either that the Lord's tabernacle was in the tribe of Ephraim where was his home, or perhaps he meant he was going to the tabernacle at Shiloh in Ephraim before he actually went to his own house.  Meanwhile, there was no man in Gibeah who received him into his home that evening.

(19) "Yet there is both straw and provender for our donkeys, and there is bread and wine also for me and for your handmaid and for the young man with your servants; there is no want of anything."

The Levite went on to add that he had both straw and feed for his donkeys and bread and wine for himself and his concubine, whom he called the old man's servants, being polite, and also his servant with them.  He said they had no need for anything.

(20) And the old man said, "Peace be with you; however, let all your wants lie upon me; only do not lodge in the street."

The old man offered peace to the Levite but urged him to allow him to provide his wants for the night and not lodge in the street.

(21) So he brought him into his house and gave provender to the donkeys, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.

The old man brought the Levite, his concubine, and his servant, into his house, and he gave their donkeys food.  They washed their feet and then ate and drank with the old man.

(22) As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, beat at the door, and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring forth the man who came into your house that we may know him."

As they were enjoying the old man's company and hospitality, some men in the city, called sons of Belial, meaning evil wicked men, came and surrounded the house, beating on the door, and telling the old man to send out the man who had come into his house, so that they might "know him," a phrase in the Bible that meant to know him carnally, to sodomize him.  It is noteworthy to recall that the Levite had passed by Jebus because he did not want to lodge in a land of Gentiles but had chosen to stay in Gibeah with his Israelite brethren.  And these, his "brethren," were up to more wickedness than he may have witnessed in a city of Gentiles.

(23) And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly! Seeing that this man has come into my house; do not this folly."

The old man, the master of the house, went out to the men and pleaded with them not to do such wickedness.  The man was a guest in his house, and he was obliged to protect him from such abomination.

(24) "Behold, my daughter, a maiden, and his concubine, them I will bring out now, and you humble them and do with them what seems good to you, but to this man do not so vile a thing."

The man actually offered his maiden daughter and his guest's concubine, which he had no right to do, to the men to do to them whatever they wished!  That was horrible, but he felt he was choosing the lesser of two evils as he considered sodomy much more the evil.  The problem with choosing the lesser of two evils is that you still get evil.  This man did what Lot had done in Sodom when he offered his two daughters to the men of Sodom so that they would not do similarly to his male guests (Genesis 19:8).  Israel had become as wicked as Sodom.

(25) But the men would not hearken to him, so the man took his concubine and brought her forth to them, and they knew her and abused her all the night until the morning, and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

The men outside his house would not listen to him and still clamored for his male guest.  So the Levite brought his concubine to them.  To save himself from the men, he gave them his concubine.  He obviously had no great love for her to sacrifice her as he did.  Perhaps the fact she had committed adultery against him already (verse 2) made him have little respect for her.  The men of Gibeah abused her all night long and finally let her go as the next day began to break.

(26) Then the woman came in the dawning of the day and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.

As the day began to dawn, the woman came to the old man's house and fell down at his door where she lay until it was light.

(27) And her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, and behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

The Levite rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house to go on his way.  There his concubine lay at the door with her hands upon the threshold.

(28) And he said to her, "Up, and let us be going." But none answered. Then the man took her upon a donkey, and the man rose up and went to his place.

The man told his concubine to get up as they were to get going, but there was no answer.  The woman had died.  He put her body up on one of the donkeys he had brought with him (verse 3) and went to his home on the side of Mount Ephraim (verse 1).

(29) And when he had come into his house, he took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and divided her with her bones into twelve pieces and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

When the man had come into his house with his dead concubine, he took a knife and divided her body into twelve parts.  He sent the twelve parts of her body to each of the twelve tribes in Israel, no doubt, surely with an explanation of what had happened within Israel.  Whether he had done it expecting justice from his brethren for the death of his wife or to demonstrate what had become of Israel, I'm not sure.  But there is symbology in the latter.  His wife had played the whore (verse 2) as Israel had begun to do in its worshipping of idols.  Idolatry always leads to more wickedness and evil as demonstrated by what had become of the Benjamites in Gibeah; they were as the men in Sodom and Gomorrah.  In the end came the death of the woman signifying what would happen to Israel.

(30) And it was so that all who saw it said, "There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take advice, and speak!"

All who saw the dismembered body said there had never been such a deed done or seen in their land since they had come out of Egypt until that day.  They may have meant the dismembering of the woman sent to all the tribes, or perhaps more likely the act in Gibeah that resulted in the dismembering and sending of the man's concubine throughout Israel.  It was Sodom and Gomorrah all over again which had not happened in their new promised land, and the man made sure everyone in Israel knew it.  All were encouraged to consider what had happened, consult with one another, and speak up about what should be done.

It all started with no spiritual leadership and people doing what was right in their own eyes.  It started with just a little falling away from the laws of God, as with Micah in the last chapter.  However, a little sin always leads to more and more sin until it reaches the magnitude of Sodom and Gomorrah's sin.  Such is the case of man's corrupt nature ever since the fall of Adam.  What a blessing are the laws of God to keep us from destroying ourselves!

Micah's Idolatry

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 17:1) And there was a man of Mount Ephraim whose name was Micah.

At the end of the last chapter and post, the life and reign of Samson as the last judge of Israel, ended.  Now begins the story of a man named Micah from Mount Ephraim.  Biblical scholars say that Micah's life did not follow chronologically after the life of Samson, but this chapter and the following four chapters of Judges contain a history of facts that probably occurred right after the time of Joshua before the time of the judges in Israel.  I have been disappointed in this particular chronological Bible study proposed by Skip Andrews as it does not always actually follow chronologically, but as I started with it, I must finish with it so as not to miss any part of the Bible.  As even Skip Andrews said, "there are several good ways to read the Bible each year. Choose a reliable version and stick with it all the way through."

(2) And he said to his mother, "The eleven hundred of silver that were taken from you, about which you cursed, and spoke of also in my ears, behold the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed of the Lord, my son!"

Micah spoke to his mother about eleven hundred pieces of silver that had been taken from her which she had cursed when she realized it had been stolen from her.  It is interesting that it was exactly eleven hundred silver, the same amount that was given to Delilah in Judges 16:5.  I wonder if speculation that it could be the same silver is what caused confusion in the chronological order of events.  However, scholars are pretty certain these events with Micah happened long before the incident with Delilah.  Both events seem to have involved cursed silver.

Anyway, Micah had heard his mother speak of the silver that had been taken from her, and he heard that she had cursed it.  He now confessed to his mother that he had her silver, and she now blessed him, perhaps reversing her curse against the thief, realizing it was her own son.

(3) And when he had restored the eleven hundred silver to his mother, his mother said, "I had wholly dedicated the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will restore it to you."

When Micah had restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, she in turn, told him that she had dedicated the silver to the Lord and had intended it be used to have her son make engraved and molded images.  Therefore, she gave the silver back to her son.

(4) Yet he restored the money to his mother, and his mother took two hundred silver and gave them to the founder who made of it a graven and molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.

However, Micah, apparently wishing to be completely absolved from the initial taking of the silver, gave it back to his mother again.  She then took two hundred silver of it and gave it to a silversmith to make a molded and engraved image or images, and they were put in the house of Micah.

(5) And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Micah had a house of idols, and he made an ephod, a priestly garment, and teraphim, other household idols.  He consecrated one of his sons to be his priest.  This he did, perhaps not out of idolatry against his Lord, but maybe because the Levites had become corrupted at this time and neglected their duties.  For, as the next verse tells us:

(6) In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did right in his own eyes.

The people had no spiritual leadership, so everyone did what was right in their own eyes.  That may account for Micah's idolatry.

(7) And there was a young man out of Bethlehem Judah of the family of Judah, a Levite, and he sojourned there.

There was a young man in Bethlehem in Judah, distinguishing it from Bethlehem in Zebulun.  He was a Levite in the family of Judah, and he sojourned there in Bethlehem Judah.

(8) And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehem Judah to sojourn where he could find, and he came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

The man left Bethlehem Judah and came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah.

(9) And Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I am a Levite of Bethlehem Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find."

Micah asked the man where he was from, and the man answered that he was a Levite from Bethlehem Judah, and he journeyed to find a place in which to dwell.

(10) And Micah said to him, "Dwell with me and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and your victuals." So the Levite went in.

Micah asked the man to stay with him and be as a father and priest to him to instruct him in the knowledge of spiritual things.  He would pay him ten pieces of silver a year and would give him priestly garments and meals.  The Levite agreed and went in to stay with Micah.

(11) And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

The Levite was content to live with Micah and became as one of Micah's sons.

(12) And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and was in the house of Micah.

So Micah then consecrated the Levite to be his priest as he had once done with his son (verse 5).  The man lived in the house of Micah.

(13) Then Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as priest."

Micah felt confident that he was doing the right thing and that he would be blessed by the Lord because he had a proper Levite priest.  I can't help but relate this to the present time when we have strayed so far from the things of God, but God knows our hearts, and He will guide us toward the right things.  It seems as if Micah had repented from taking his mother's silver and was trying to live in worship to God, although it was at that present time a mixture of the worship of God and the worship of idols.  God knew his heart and perhaps sent him a priest.

(Judges 18:1) In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought an inheritance to dwell in, for until that day their inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

We are told again that there was no king in Israel during this time, no political or spiritual leader in Israel.  A tribe of Danites at that time sought a place in which to dwell because they had not received an inheritance for themselves.  The whole tribe of Dan had received their lot during the time of Joshua (Joshua 19:40), but this particular Danite family was looking for an inheritance of their own.

(2) And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it, and they said to them, "Go, search the land," who when they came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

This family of Danites sent five men from their territory, considered men of valor, men from Zorah and Eshtaol.  Again, there is a coincidence from the time of Samson, as this is where he was from.  Both these narratives were probably written at the same time which is why they are found next to each other in the book of Judges even though they did not happen chronologically at the same time.  These men of the tribe of Dan were instructed to search out the land, and they subsequently came to Mount Ephraim where the house of Micah was located, and they lodged there.

(3) When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man, the Levite, and they turned in there, and said to him, "Who brought you here? And what are you doing here? And what do you have here?"

When the Danite men were near to the house of Micah, they heard the voice of the young Levite and recognized it.  They turned in to the house of Micah and asked him questions about how he came to be there and what he was doing there.

(4) And he said to them, "Thus and thus Micah dealt with me and has hired me, and I am his priest."

The young man told them that all answers were in Micah.  He had hired him to be his priest.

(5) And they said to him, "Ask counsel, we pray you, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous."

Learning he was a priest, and probably because they saw the ephod which traditionally held the Urim and Thummim, which when consulted, would reveal the will of God, they asked the man to consult God and ask if their way was going to be prosperous.

(6) And the priest said to them, "Go in peace, before the Lord is your way in which you go."

Presuming it was after he had consulted God, the priest told them to go their way in peace as the way they were going was before the Lord, or in His presence, suggesting they were on the right path.

(7) Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people there, how they dwelt careless after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure, and no magistrate in the land that might put to shame anything, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no business with anyone.

The five Danites departed from the house of Micah and went to Laish where they observed the people there who lived without care after the manner of the Sidonians.  They probably had been a part of the Sidonians but were now far from them with no business with them, but living as they did, with no cares, quiet and secure, with no magistrate or law in the land to put to shame anything they did.

(8) And they came to their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, "What do you say?" (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 you still? Do not be slothful to go, to enter to possess the land."

The five men went back to their brethren in Zorah and Eshtaol where their brethren asked them for a report of what they had seen.  They told them to rise up and go against the present occupants of the land for the land was very good.  They asked how they could sit still when there was such a good land available for them to possess.

(10) "When you go, you will come to a people secure and to a large land, for God has given it into your hands, a place with no want of anything that is in the earth."

They told the people that they would find a large land with people secure or without care, insinuating that it would be easy to catch them off guard and capture their land.  They told them that God had given the land into their hands, a fruitful land with everything they wanted.  They apparently concluded that from the message they received from Micah's priest, that they were going the way of the Lord (verse 6).

(11) And there went from there of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. (12) And they went up and pitched in Kirjath Jearim in Judah; therefore they called that place Mahaneh Dan to this day; behold, it is behind Kirjath Jearim.

So there went from the Danites six hundred armed men out of Zorah and Eshtaol.  They pitched a camp in Kirjath Jearim, or actually very near behind it.  To the day of the writing of this account, the place where they camped was called Mahaneh Dan, which literally meant "camp of Dan."

(13) And they passed from there to Mount Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. (14) Then answered the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish, and said to their brethren, "Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you have to do."

The Danites came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah.  The five men who had spied out the land told them that there was an ephod, teraphim, and engraved and molded images within those houses of that village or area, specifically in the house of Micah.  They said they should consider what they should do at that point.  I'm not sure what they thought they should do, perhaps consult the priest further?

(15) And they turned there and came to the house of the young man the Levite, to the house of Micah and saluted him. (16) And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.

The Danites turned in to the house of Micah where they saw the young Levite man, and they greeted him.  The six hundred armed Danites stood by the entrance of the gate.

(17) And the five men who went to spy out the land went up, came in, took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

The five spies went in the house and took out the ephod, teraphim, and engraved and molded images, and the priest stood at the gate with the six hundred armed men.

(18) And these went into Micah's house and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.  Then the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

It seems the five spies had gone into Micah's house and took the things without the priest's knowledge.  When he saw what they had done, he asked what they were doing.

(19) And they said to him, "Hold your peace; lay your hand upon your mouth and go with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?"

The Danites told the priest to be quiet and go with them to be their father and priest.  They asked him if it was better to be a priest to one man or to an entire body of people, called a tribe here, although these six hundred didn't represent the entire tribe of Dan.

(20) And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.

The priest was happy at the opportunity to serve more than just one man, and he took the spiritual things and went among the people.  However, didn't those things belong to Micah?

(21) So they turned and departed and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.

The Danites departed from Micah's house.  It appears they had been traveling with their wives, children, and livestock, as they were in search of a new land, never planning to return from where they came.  They let their children and cattle go before them.

(22) When they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together and overtook the children of Dan.

However, when Micah and his neighbors realized what the Danites had done, they gathered together and went after the Danites and caught up with them.

(23) And they cried to the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said to Micah, "What ails you, that you come with such a company?"

When Micah and his neighbors caught up to the Danites, they cried out to them.  Hearing them, they turned and directed their question to Micah, incredibly asking why he had come after them with so many people.

(24) And he said, "You have taken away my gods which I made and the priest, and you have gone away, and what more do I have? And what is this you say to me, 'What ails you?'"

Micah told them they had taken away his gods and his priest, leaving him with none of his spiritual things, and they had the audacity to ask him what ailed him.

(25) And the children of Dan said to him, "Let not your voice be heard among us, lest angry men run upon you and you lose your life with the lives of your household."

The Danites told Micah he should quit complaining in the ears of their men, as one of them might get angry and kill him and his household.

(26) And the children of Dan went their way, and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

The Danites went on their way.  Micah realized they were too strong for him, so he went back to his house.  The silver Micah had once stolen from his mother was made into idols that were stolen from him.  If Micah had truly repented and was trying to live for the Lord, then it was a good thing that his idols had been stolen, and he could return to the proper worship of his Lord.

(27) And they took what Micah had made and the priest whom he had and came to Laish to a people quiet and secure, and they killed them with the edge of the sword and burnt the city with fire.

They went their way with the things they had taken from Micah, including the priest, and they went to Laish where they found the people quiet and feeling secure, meaning not on guard against any enemies, and they killed them and burnt their city.

(28) And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no business with anyone, and it was in the valley by Beth Rehob. And they built a city and dwelt in it.

There had been no one to save the people in Laish because they were far from the Sidonians under whose government they had appeared to be (verse 7), and they had no interactions with any other people.  It was in the valley by Beth Rehob, and the Danites rebuilt the city.

(29) And they called the name of the city Dan after the name of Dan their father who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city was Laish at first.

The Danites called the name of their rebuilt city Dan, after the son of Jacob or Israel.  The name of the city was Laish at first, which meant "lion."  As it turns out, this was the detailed story of how Dan came to enlarge its territory as we were told it did in Joshua 19:47.  In that account, the city was called Leshem which must have been the same place as Laish, as we were told there that the Danites took the city and renamed it Dan after their father, the son of Jacob.  The name of the place may have had something to do with the prophetic blessing Jacob gave Dan in Deuteronomy 33:22, that Dan, as a lion's whelp, would leap from Bashan, which it did when some of the tribe went from their original allotted inheritance to the far northeast corner of Israel, as seen in the map borrowed from Unique Sites of Israel Blog:

(30) And the children of Dan set up the graven image, and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

The Danites set up the graven image, and probably the other spiritual things they had taken from Micah, and set those up in their new city.  Whether it was one or all the idols they set up, it was, no doubt, in veneration for the idol(s) to which they attributed their success.  They set up Jonathan, said to be the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, as priest, and his sons to continue as priests for this particular tribe of Dan until the captivity of the land, which probably refers to the Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 17:6).  

There is no consensus about who this Jonathan was.  Most agree that it was probably the same Levite whom Micah had set as priest of his house.  But was he the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh?  Maybe only if these were a different Gershom and Manasseh than the ones we have come to know.  Manasseh, the son of Joseph, did not have a son named Gershom.  However, supposedly the only thing in the original spelling of the name Manasseh that made it indeed Manasseh, was a small "N" placed over the other letters.  With the N, it's Manasseh.  Without the N which may have been added at some subsequent time, it's Moses, and Moses did have a son named Gershom.  I don't think it really matters who this Levite was.  I believe the purpose of these two chapters was to demonstrate how far Israel had strayed from their original worship of their one true God.  Every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).  We were initially told that the Levite who became Micah's priest was from the tribe of Judah (Judges 17:7).  Even from that point, we see that the Levite was not living as he should, as Bethlehem was not a Levitical city.  Whether he was the grandson of Manasseh or Moses or some other Levite, he had strayed from his original purpose and worship.  And he allowed himself to be a part of a theft of Micah's belongings and continued in the worship of idols.  He may have thought he was worshipping the one true God, as Micah probably did.  The Danites may have sincerely thought they were doing proper worship by having a priest and the spiritual things they believed to be from God.  However, they had stolen and destroyed a peaceful city to get it.  But with no proper spiritual leadership and instruction, everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes and straying further and further from the true God.

(31) And they set them up Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Again we are told that these Danites set up Micah's engraved image, and it remained as long as the tabernacle of God was in Shiloh, which according to some Jewish writers, was three hundred and sixty years.