J
U D G E S
CHAP. XVIII.
How
idolatry crept into the family of Micah we read in the preceding chapter, how
it was translated thence into the tribe of Dan we have an account in this
chapter, and how it gained a settlement in a city of note; for how great a
matter does a little fire kindle! The tribe of Dan had their lot assigned them
last of all the tribes, and, it happening to be too strait for them, a
considerable city in the utmost corner of Canaan northward was added to it.
"Let them get it, and take it;" it was called Laish or Leshem, Josh.
xix. 47. Now here we are told, I. How they sent spies to bring them an account
of the place, who, by the way, got acquainted with Micah's priest, ver. 1-6.
II. What an encouraging report these spies brought back, ver. 7-10. III. What
forces were sent to conquer Laish, ver. 11-13. IV. How they, by the way,
plundered Micah of his gods, ver. 14-26. V. How easily they conquered Laish
(ver. 27-29), and, when they had it, set up the graven image in it, ver. 30,
31.
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The
Expedition of the Danites.
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B.
C. 1406.
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1 In those days there
was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought
them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their
inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. 2
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men
of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search
it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount
Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. 3 When they were
by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and
they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what
makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? 4 And
he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and
I am his priest. 5 And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray
thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be
prosperous. 6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before
the LORD
is your way wherein ye go.
Here is, 1. The eye which these Danites had upon Laish, not the whole tribe of
Dan, but one family of them, to whose lot, in the subdivision of Canaan, that
city fell. Hitherto this family had sojourned with their brethren, who had
taken possession of their lot, which lay between Judah and the Philistines,
and had declined going to their own city, because there was no king in
Israel to rule over them, v. 1. It lay a great way off, separate
from the rest of their tribe; it was entirely in the enemy's hand, and
therefore they would sponge upon their brethren rather than go far to provide
for themselves. But at length necessity forced them to arouse themselves, and
they began to think of an inheritance to dwell in. It is better to have a
little of one's own than always to hang upon others. 2. The enquiry which this
family of the Danites made concerning Laish: They sent five men to search
the land (v. 2), that they might know the character of the country,
whether it was an inheritance worth going so far for, and the posture of the
people, whether the making of themselves masters of it was a thing
practicable, what force was necessary in order thereunto, and which was the
best way of making an attack upon it. The men they sent were men of valour,
who, if they fell into their enemies' hands, knew how to look danger in the
face. It is prudent to look before we leap. Dan had the subtlety of a
serpent by the way (Gen. xlix. 17), as well as the courage of a lion's
whelp, leaping from Bashan, Deut. xxxiii. 22. 3. The acquaintance which
their spies got with Micah's priest, and the use they made of that
acquaintance. It seems, they had know this Levite formerly, he having in his
rambles been sometimes in their country; and, though his countenance might be
altered, they knew him again by his voice, v. 3. They were surprised to
find him so far off, enquired what brought him thither, and he told them (v.
4) what business he had there, and what encouragement. They, understanding
that he had an oracle in his custody, desired he would tell them whether they
should prosper in their present undertaking, v. 5. See their
carelessness and regardlessness of God and his providence; they would not have
enquired of the Lord at all if this Levite's mentioning the teraphim he had
with him had not put it into their heads. Many never think of religion but
just when it falls in their way and they cannot avoid it, like chance
customers. See their ignorance of the divine law, that they thought God, who
had forbidden the religious use of graven images, would yet own them in
consulting an image, and give them an answer of peace. Should he be
enquired of by them? Ezek. xiv. 3. They seem to have had a greater opinion
of Micah's teraphim than of God's urim; for they had passed by Shiloh, and,
for aught that appears, had not enquired there of God's high priest, but
Micah's shabby Levite shall be an oracle to them. He betakes himself to his
usual method of consulting his teraphim; and, whether he himself believed it
or no, he humoured the thing so well that he made them believe he had an
answer from God encouraging them to go on, and assuring them of good success (v.
6): "Go in peace, you shall be safe, and may be easy, for before
the Lord is your way," that is, "he approves it" (as the
Lord is said to know the way of the righteous with acceptation),
"and therefore he will make it prosperous, his eye will be upon you for
good, he will direct your way, and preserve your going out and coming
in." Note, Our great care should be that our way be such as God
approves, and, if it be so, we may go in peace. If God care for us, on
him let us cast our care, and be satisfied that we cannot miss our way if he go
before us.
7 Then the five men
departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how
they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there
was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any
thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any
man. 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 to
go, and to enter to possess the land. 10 When ye go, ye
shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it
into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is
in the earth. 11 And there went from thence of the family of the
Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with
weapons of war. 12 And they went up, and pitched in Kirjath-jearim,
in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan unto this day: behold, it
is behind Kirjath-jearim. 13 And they passed thence unto mount
Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
Here is, I. The observation which the spies made upon the city of Laish, and
the posture of its inhabitants, v. 7. Never was place so ill governed
and so ill guarded, which would make it a very easy prey to the invader.
1. It was ill governed, for every man might be as bad as he would, and there
was no magistrate, no heir of restraint (as the word is), that might so
much as put them to shame in any thing, much less put them to death,
so that by the most impudent immoralities they provoked God's wrath, and by
all manner of mutual mischiefs weakened and consumed one another. See here,
(1.) What the office of magistrates is. They are to be heirs of restraint,
that is, to preserve a constant entail of power, as heirs to an inheritance,
in the places where they are, for the restraining of that which is evil. They
are possessors of restraint, entrusted with their authority for this
end, that they may check and suppress every thing that is vicious and be a
terror to evil doers. It is only God's grace that can renew men's depraved
minds and turn their hearts; but the magistrate's power may restrain their bad
practices and tie their hands, so that the wickedness of the wicked may not be
either so injurious or so infectious as otherwise it would be. Though the
sword of justice cannot cut up the root of bitterness, it may cut off its
branches and hinder its growth and spreading, that vice may not go without a
check, for then it becomes daring and dangerous, and the community shares in
the guilt. (2.) See what method must be used for the restraint of wickedness.
Sinners must be put to shame, that those who will not be restrained by the
shamefulness of the sin before God and their own consciences may be restrained
by the shamefulness of the punishment before men. All ways must be tried to
dash sin out of countenance and cover it with contempt, to make people ashamed
of their idleness, drunkenness, cheating, lying, and other sins, by making
reputation always appear on virtue's side. (3.) See how miserable, and how
near to ruin, those places are that either have no magistrates or none that
bear the sword to any purpose; the wicked then walk on every side, Ps.
xii. 8. And how happy we are in good laws and a good government.
2. It was ill guarded. The people of Laish were careless, quiet, and secure,
their gates left open, their walls out of repair, because under no
apprehension of danger in any way, though their wickedness was so great that
they had reason to fear divine vengeance every day. It was a sign that the
Israelites, through their sloth and cowardice, were not now such a terror to
the Canaanites as they were when they first came among them, else the city of
Laish, which probably knew itself to be assigned to them, would not have been
so very secure. Though they were an open and inland town, they lived
secure, like the Zidonians (who were surrounded with the sea and were well
fortified both by art and nature), but were far from the Zidonians, who
therefore could not come in to their assistance, nor help to defend them from
the danger which, by debauching their manners, they had helped to bring them
into. And, lastly, they had no business with any man, which
bespeaks either the idleness they affected (they followed no trade, and so
grew lazy and luxurious, and utterly unable to defend themselves) or the
independency they affected: they scorned to be either in subjection to or
alliance with any of their neighbours, and so they had none to protect them
nor bring in any aid to them. They cared for nobody and therefore nobody cared
for them. Such as these were the men of Laish.
II. The encouragement which they consequently gave to their countrymen that
sent them to prosecute their design upon this city, v. 8-10. Probably
the Danites had formed notions of the insuperable difficulties of the
enterprise, thought it impossible ever to make themselves masters of Laish,
and therefore had kept themselves so long out of the possession of it, perhaps
suggesting likewise to one another, in their unbelief, that it was not a
country worth going so far and running such a risk for, which jealousies the
spies (and they were not, in this, evil spies) had an eye to in their report.
1. They represent the place as desirable: "If you will trust our
judgments, we have seen the land, and we are agreed in our verdict upon
the view, that, behold, it is very good (v. 9), better than this
mountainous country into which we are here crowded by the Philistines. You
need not doubt of living comfortably in it, for it is a place where there
is no want of any thing," v. 10. See what a good land Canaan
was, that this city which lay furthest of all northward, in the utmost corner
of the country, stood on such a fruitful spot. 2. They represent it as
attainable. They do not at all question but, with God's blessing, they may
soon get possession of it; for the people are secure, v. 10. And
the more secure always the less safe. "God has given it into your
hands, and you may have it for the taking." They stir them up to the
undertaking: "Arise, that we may go up against them, let us go
about it speedily and resolutely." They expostulate with them for their
delays, and chide them out of their sluggishness: Are you still? Be not
slothful to go. Men need to be thus stirred up to mind even their
interest. Heaven is a very good land, where there is no want of any thing;
our God has, by the promise, given it into our hands; let us not then
be slothful in making it sure, and laying hold on eternal life, but strive
to enter.
III. The Danites' expedition against Laish. This particular family of them, to
whose lot that city fell, now at length make towards it, v. 11-13. The
military men were but 600 in all, not a hundredth part of that tribe, for when
they entered Canaan the Danites were above 64,000, Num. xxvi. 43. It was
strange that none of their brethren of their own tribe, much less of any
other, came in to their assistance; but it was long after Israel came to
Canaan before there appeared among them any thing of a public spirit, or
concern for a common interest, which was the reason why they seldom united in
a common head, and this kept them low and inconsiderable. It appears (by v.
21) that these 600 were the whole number that went to settle there, for they
had their families and effects with them, their little ones and cattle,
so confident were they of success. The other tribes gave them a free passage
through their country. Their first day's march brought them to Kirjath-jearim
(v. 12), and such rare things had military encampments now become in
Israel that the place where they rested that night was thence called Mahaneh-dan,
the camp of Dan, and probably the place whence they began their march
between Zorah and Eshtaol was called by the same name, and is meant, ch.
xiii. 25. The second day's march brought them to Mount Ephraim, near Micah's
house (v. 13), and there we must pause awhile.
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Micah's
Gods Stolen; Micah's Attempt to Recover His Idols.
B. C.
1406.
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14 Then answered the five
men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren,
Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven
image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
15 And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the
Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. 16
And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were
of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. 17 And
the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in
thither, and 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 that were appointed with weapons of war.
18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod,
and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What
do ye? 19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand
upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it
better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a
priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? 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. 21 So they turned and
departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before
them. 22 And when they were a good way from the house of
Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were
gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. 23 And they
cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto
Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? 24
And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye
are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye
say unto me, What aileth thee? 25 And the children of Dan said
unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon
thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy 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 unto his house.
The Danites had sent out their spies to find out a country for them, and they
sped well in their search; but here, now that they came to the place (for till
this brought it to their mind it does not appear that they had mentioned it to
their brethren), they oblige them with a further discovery--they can tell them
where there are gods: "Here, in these houses, there are an ephod,
and teraphim, and a great many fine things for devotion, such as we have not
the like in our country; now therefore consider what you have to do, v.
14. We consulted them, and had a good answer from them; they are worth having,
nay, they are worth stealing (that is, having upon the worst terms), and, if
we can but make ourselves masters of these gods, we may the better hope to
prosper, and make ourselves masters of Laish." So far they were in the
right, that it was desirable to have God's presence with them, but wretchedly
mistaken when they took these images (which were fitter to be used in a
puppet-play than in acts of devotion) for tokens of God's presence. They
thought an oracle would be pretty company for them in their enterprise, and
instead of a council of war to consult upon every emergency; and, the place
they were going to settle in being so far from Shiloh, they thought they had
more need of a house of gods among themselves than Micah had that lived
so near to it. They might have made as good an ephod and teraphim themselves
as these were, and such as would have served their purpose every whit as well;
but the reputation which they found them in possession of (though they had had
that reputation but a while) amused them into a strange veneration for this house
of gods, which they would soon have dropped if they had had so much sense
as to enquire into its origin, and examine whether there were any thing divine
in its institution. Being determined to take these gods along with them, we
are here told how they stole the images, cajoled the priest, and frightened
Micah from attempting to rescue them.
I. The five men that knew the house and the avenues to it, and particularly
the chapel, went in and fetched out the images, with the ephod, and teraphim,
and all the appurtenances, while the 600 kept the priest in talk at the gate, v.
16-18. See what little care this sorry priest took of his gods; while he was
sauntering at the gate, and gazing at the strangers, his treasure (such as it
was) was gone. See how impotent these sorry gods were, that could not keep
themselves from being stolen. It is mentioned as the reproach of idols that
they themselves had gone into captivity, Isa. xlvi. 2. O the
sottishness of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protect
them that could not keep themselves from being stolen? Yet because they went
by the name of gods, as if it were not enough that they had with them the
presence of the invisible God, nor that they stood in relation to the
tabernacle, where there were even visible tokens of his presence, nothing will
serve them but they must have gods to go before them, not of their own
making indeed, but, which was as bad, of their own stealing. Their idolatry
began in theft, a proper prologue for such an opera. In order to the breaking
of the second commandment, they begin with the eighth, and take their
neighbour's goods to make them their gods. The holy God hates robbery for
burnt-offerings, but the devil loves it. Had these Danites seized the
images to deface and abolish them, and the priest to punish him, they would
have done like Israelites indeed, and would have appeared jealous for their
God as their fathers had done (Josh. xxii. 16); but to take them for their own
use was such a complicated crime as showed that they neither feared God nor
regarded man, but were perfectly lost both to godliness and honesty.
II. They set upon the priest, and flattered him into a good humour, not only
to let the gods go, but to go himself along with them; for without him they
knew not well how to make use of the gods. Observe, 1. How they tempted him, v.
19. They assured him of better preferment with them than what he now had. It
would be more honour and profit to be chaplain to a regiment (for they were no
more, though they called themselves a tribe) than to be only a domestic
chaplain to a private gentleman. Let him go with them, and he shall have more
dependants on him, more sacrifices brought to his altar, and more fees for
consulting his teraphim, than he had here. 2. How they won him. A little
persuasion served: His heart was glad, v. 20. The proposal took
well enough with his rambling fancy, which would never let him stay long at a
place, and gratified his covetousness and ambition. He had no reason to say
but that he was well off where he was; Micah had not deceived him, nor
changed his wages. He was not moved with any remorse of conscience for
attending on a graven image: had he gone away to Shiloh to minister to the
Lord's priests, according to the duty of a Levite, he might have been welcome
there (Deut. xviii. 6), and his removal would have been commendable; but,
instead of this, he takes the images with him, and carries the infection of
the idolatry into a whole city. It would have been very unjust and ungrateful
to Micah if he had only gone away himself, but it was much more so to take the
images along with him, which he knew the heart of Micah was set upon. Yet
better could not be expected from a treacherous Levite. What house can be sure
of him who has forsaken the house of the Lord? Or what friend will he be true
to that has been false to his God? He could not pretend that he was under
compulsive force, for he was glad in his heart to go. If ten shekels
won him (as bishop Hall expresses it), eleven would lose him; for what can
hold those that have made shipwreck of a good conscience? The hireling
flees because he is a hireling. The priest and his gods went in the
midst of the people. There they placed him, that they might secure him
either from going back himself, if his mind should change, or from being
fetched back by Micah; or perhaps this post was assigned to him in imitation
of the order of Israel's march through the wilderness, in which the ark and
the priests went in the midst of their camp.
III. They frightened Micah back when he pursued them to recover his gods. As
soon as ever he perceived that his chapel was plundered, and his chaplain had
run away from him, he mustered all the forces he could and pursued the
robbers, v. 22. His neighbours, and perhaps tenants, that used to join
with him in his devotions, were forward to help him on this occasion; they got
together, and pursued the robbers, who, having their children and cattle
before them (v. 21), could make no great haste, so that they soon
overtook them, hoping by strength of reason to recover what was stolen, for
the disproportion of their numbers was such that they could not hope to do it
by strength of arm. The pursuers called after them, desiring to speak a word
with them; those in the rear (where it is probable they posted the fiercest
and strongest of their company, expecting there to be attacked) turned about
and asked Micah what ailed him that he was so much concerned, and what he
would have, v. 23. He argues with them, and pleads his right, which he
thought should prevail; but they, in answer, plead their might, which, it
proved, did prevail; for it is common that might overcomes right.
1. He insists upon the wrong they had certainly done him (v. 24):
"You have taken away my gods, my images of God, which I have an
incontestable title to, for I made them myself, and which I have such an
affection for that I am undone if I lose them; for what have I more that will
do me any good if these be lost?" Now, (1.) This discovers to us the
folly of idolaters, and the power that Satan has over them. What a folly was
it for him to call those his gods which he had made, when he only that
made us is to be worshipped by us as a God! Folly indeed to set his heart upon
such silly idle things, and to look upon himself as undone when he had lost
them! (2.) This may discover to us our spiritual idolatry. That creature which
we place our happiness in, which we set our affections inordinately upon, and
which we can by no means find in our hearts to part with, of which we say,
"What have we more?" that we make an idol of. That is put in
God's place, and is a usurper, which we are concerned about as if our life and
comfort, our hope and happiness, and our all, were bound up in it. But, (3.)
If all people will thus walk in the name of their god, shall we not be in like
manner affected towards our God, the true God? Let us reckon the having of an
interest in God and communion with him incomparably the richest portion, and
the loss of God the sorest loss. Woe unto us if he depart, for what have we
more? Deserted souls that are lamenting after the Lord may well wonder, as
Micah did, that you should ask what ails them; for the tokens of God's favour
are suspended, his comforts are withdrawn, and what have they more?
2. They insist upon the mischief they would certainly do him if he prosecuted
his demand. They would not hear reason, nor do justice, nor so much as offer
to pay him the prime cost he had been at upon those images, nor promise to
make restitution of what they had taken when they had served their present
purpose with them in this expedition and had time to copy them and make others
like them for themselves: much less had they any compassion for a loss he so
bitterly lamented. They would not so much as give him good words, but resolved
to justify their robbery with murder if he did not immediately let fall his
claims, v. 25. "Take heed lest angry fellows run upon thee, and
thou lose thy life, and that is worse than losing thy gods." Wicked
and unreasonable men reckon it a great provocation to be asked to do justice,
and support themselves by their power against right and reason. Micah's crime
is asking his own, yet, for this, he is in danger of losing his life and the
lives of his household. Micah has not courage enough to venture his life for
the rescue of his gods, so little opinion has he of their being able to
protect him and bear him out, and therefore tamely gives them up (v.
26): He turned and went back to his house; and if the loss of his idols
did but convince him (as, one would think, it should) of their vanity and
impotency, and his own folly in setting his heart upon them, and send him back
to the true God from whom he had revolted, he that lost them had a much better
bargain than those that by force of arms carried them off. If the loss of our
idols cure us of the love of them, and make us say, What have we to do any
more with idols? the loss will be unspeakable gain. See Isa. ii. 20; xxx.
22.
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The
Conquest of Laish.
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B.
C. 1406.
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27 And they took the
things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto
Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them
with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. 28 And there
was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no
business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by
Beth-rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 29 And they
called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was
born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the
first. 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.
31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that
the house of God was in Shiloh.
Here is, I. Laish conquered by the Danites. They proceeded on their march,
and, because they met with no disaster, perhaps concluded they had not done
amiss in robbing Micah. Many justify themselves in their impiety by their
prosperity. Observe, 1. What posture they found the people of Laish in, both
those of the city and those of the country about. They were quiet and secure,
not jealous of the five spies that had been among them to search out the land,
nor had they any intelligence of the approach of this enemy, which made them a
very easy prey to this little handful of men that came upon them, v.
27. Note, Many are brought to destruction by their security. Satan gets
advantage against us when we are careless and off our watch. Happy therefore
is the man that feareth always. 2. What a complete victory they obtained over
them: They put all the people to the sword, and burnt down so much of
the city as they thought fit to rebuild (v. 27, 28), and, for aught
that appears, herein they met with no resistance; for the measure of the
iniquity of the Canaanites was full, that of the Danites was but beginning to
fill. 3. How the conquerors settled themselves in their room, v. 28,
29. They built the city, or much of it, anew (the old buildings having gone to
decay), and called the name of it Dan, to be a witness for them that,
though separated so far off from their brethren, they were nevertheless
Danites by birth, which might hereafter, by reason of their distance, be
called in question. We should feel concerned not to lose the privilege of our
relation to God's Israel, and therefore should take all occasions to own it
and preserve the remembrance of it to ours after us.
II. Idolatry immediately set up there. God had graciously performed his
promise, in putting them in possession of that which fell to their lot,
obliging them thereby to be faithful to him who had been so to them. They inherited
the labour of the people, that they might observe his statues, Ps. cv. 44,
45. But the first thing they do after they are settled is to break his
statues. As soon as they began to settle themselves they set up the graven
image (v. 30), perversely attributing their success to that idol
which, if God had not been infinitely patient, would have been their ruin.
Thus a prosperous idolater goes on to offend, imputing this his power unto
his god, Hab. i. 11. Their Levite, who officiated as priest, is at length named
here--Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh. The word Manasseh,
in the original, has the letter n, set over the head, which, some of
the Jewish rabbin say, is an intimation that it should be left out, and then Manasseh
will be Moses, and this Levite, they say, was grandson to the famous
Moses, who indeed had a son named Gershom; but, say they, the historian, in
honour of Moses, by a half interposition of that letter, turned the name into
Manasseh. The vulgar Latin reads it Moses. And if indeed Moses had a
grandson that was rakish, and was picked up as a fit tool to be made use of in
the setting up of idolatry, it is not the only instance (would to God it
were!) of the unhappy degenerating of the posterity of great and good men.
Children's children are not always the crown of old men. But the learned
bishop Patrick takes this to be an idle conceit of the rabbin, and supposes
this Jonathan to be of some other family of the Levites. How long these
corruptions continued we are told in the close. 1. That the posterity of this
Jonathan continued to act as priests to this family of Dan that was seated at
Laish, and in the country about, till the captivity, v. 30. After
Micah's image was removed this family retained the character of priests, and
had respect paid them as such by that city, and it is very probable that
Jeroboam had an eye to them when he set up one of his calves there (which they
could welcome at Can, and put some reputation upon, when the priests of the
Lord would have nothing to do with them), and that this family officiated as
some of his priests. 2. That these images continued till Samuel's time, for so
long the ark of God was at Shiloh; and it is probable that in him time
effectual care was taken to suppress and abolish this idolatry. See how
dangerous it is to admit an infection, for spiritual distempers are not so
soon cured as caught.
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