Judges 18:7-10

Judges 18:7-10

[7] Then the five  and came  to Laish,  and saw  the people  that were therein,  how they dwelt  careless,  after the manner  of the Zidonians,  quiet  and secure;  and there was no magistrate  in the land,  that might put them to shame  in any thing;  and they were far  from the Zidonians,  and had no business  with any man.  [8] And they came  unto their brethren  to Zorah  and Eshtaol:  and their brethren  said  unto them, What say ye? [9] And they said,  Arise,  that we may go up  against them: for we have seen  the land,  and, behold, it is very  good:  and are ye still?  be not slothful  and to enter  to possess  the land.  [10] When ye go,  unto a people  secure,  and to a large  land:  for God  hath given  it into your hands;  a place  where there is no want  of any thing  that is in the earth. 

What does Judges 18:7-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The five Danites continued northward about100 miles and finally came upon an area they felt would be ideal for their needs. They discovered the isolated town of Laish (Leshem, Joshua 19:47) that they believed they could capture fairly easily. [1] It occupied a beautiful location on the southwestern foothills of Mt. Hermon.
"Unlike most Canaanite cities of the time, Laish was not defended by stone walls but by huge ramparts consisting of alternating layers of soil from the surrounding region and debris from previous settlements." [2]
"The Bible refers to the country as Phoenicia only in the New Testament ( Mark 7:26; Acts 11:19; Acts 15:3; Acts 21:2). The Old Testament regularly uses merely the name of either or both of its principal two cities, Tyre and Sidon. These two cities, both prominent in merchandising activity, continue to the present day and are only twenty miles apart. They never seem to have enjoyed any real political cohesion, however, which means that the country never did either. In fact, the boundaries of the country, at any given time, are difficult to fix because this was true. The people often are called simply "Sidonians" in the Old Testament ( Deuteronomy 3:9 : Joshua 13:4; Joshua 13:6; Judges 3:3; Judges 18:7; 1 Kings 5:6; etc.). This is because Sidon was more important than Tyre in early history." [3]
Encouraged by the Levite"s report these spies persuaded their fellow Danites to believe that God would give them this new "promised land." Its advantages were three ( Judges 18:7). It was a "quiet and secure" site (cf. Judges 18:27). There was no dominating ruler under whom the Danites would have to submit; they could continue to do as they pleased. Third, it enjoyed an isolated location that also suggested no interference from people who might object to the Danites" practices. Obviously the Danites wanted to continue to live as they chose rather than submitting to God"s will for His people. The name "Dan" is similar to the Hebrew word that means "justice." How ironic it was that the tribe that was to judge Israel ( Genesis 49:16) should participate is such a miscarriage of justice.
One writer suggested the following translation of Judges 18:7 on the basis of the Arabic cognate of the Hebrew word translated "humiliating" in the NASB: "there was no one speaking with authority in the land, no one in possession of control." [4] This translation is possible but probably not as accurate as the NASB marginal reading that suggests that there was no ruler who exercised restraining influence in that area.
The spies" use of the phrase "to possess the land" ( Judges 18:9) appears to have been a pious ploy to convince their brethren that this self-seeking plan was God"s will. Moses and Joshua had repeatedly urged the Israelites to "possess the land," but only the land that was God"s will for them to possess. The Danite spies were trying to provide security for their tribe contrary to God"s previous directions. Likewise the phrase "for God has given it into your hand" ( Judges 18:10) had previously been Joshua"s battle cry (cf. Joshua 6:16; et al.).
"Although the use of spies recalls Numbers 13 , the report of the spies in Judges 18 differs significantly. Whereas the spies in Numbers 13had encountered intimidating giants, the spies in Judges 18 suggest that the inhabitants of Laish are a pushover. The effect of the report in Numbers 13is to affirm the people"s need for God"s help against a superior opponent. There is no such need in Judges 18; and this difference is in keeping with the Danites" orientation throughout the story." [5]
"There are a number of elements common to the two accounts: the sending of spies; the mustering of fighting men; the named places where the Danites camped along the way; the capture and renaming of a non-Israelite city at the end. But everything about this exodus and conquest is wrong: the Danites are unscrupulous plunderers, their cult is corrupt, and they destroy an innocent people." [6]
The Danites were unable, or unwilling, to claim their God-appointed territory in which no city was larger than Laish. But they were eager to march miles north and battle other Canaanites for a town that suited them better. The fact that Laish lay within the Promised Land, the full extent of the land that God had said He would give the Israelites, does not justify the Danites" action. It was God"s will for His people first to settle in their appointed tribal allotments. Then He would give them the rest of the land later.