WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:03.110 Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience. 00:00:03.260 --> 00:00:04.710 Day 100 and 78 00:00:05.099 --> 00:00:09.029 there was a man named Micah who lived in the hill country of ere. 00:00:09.899 --> 00:00:14.189 One day he said to his mother, I heard you place a curse on the person who 00:00:14.194 --> 00:00:16.529 stole 1100 pieces of silver from you. 00:00:17.459 --> 00:00:18.719 Well, I have the money. 00:00:19.139 --> 00:00:20.579 I was the one who took it. 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:23.819 The Lord bless you for admitting it. 00:00:23.999 --> 00:00:28.484 His mother replied, He returned the money to her and she said, I 00:00:28.484 --> 00:00:32.924 now dedicate these silver coins to the Lord in honor of my son. 00:00:33.344 --> 00:00:36.494 I will have an image carved and an idol cast. 00:00:37.604 --> 00:00:41.714 So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins 00:00:41.864 --> 00:00:46.424 and gave them to a silversmith who made them into an image and an idol. 00:00:47.354 --> 00:00:49.364 And these were placed in Micah's house. 00:00:50.174 --> 00:00:53.414 Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred 00:00:53.414 --> 00:00:55.334 evo and some household idols. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:59.219 Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest. 00:01:00.779 --> 00:01:03.119 In those days, Israel had no king. 00:01:03.809 --> 00:01:06.569 All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:10.709 One day, a young Levite who had been living in Bethlehem 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:12.779 and Judah arrived in that area. 00:01:13.529 --> 00:01:17.639 He had left Bethlehem in search of another place to live, and as he traveled, he 00:01:17.639 --> 00:01:19.679 came to the hill country of Efraim. 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:23.309 He happened to stop at Micah's house as he was traveling through. 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:25.499 Where are you from? 00:01:25.649 --> 00:01:26.579 Micah asked him. 00:01:27.089 --> 00:01:31.049 He replied, I am a Levite from Bethlehem and Judah, and I'm 00:01:31.049 --> 00:01:32.309 looking for a place to live. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:37.889 Stay here with me, Micah said, and you can be a father and priest to me. 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:41.759 I will give you 10 pieces of silver a year, plus a change 00:01:41.759 --> 00:01:43.109 of clothes and your food. 00:01:44.069 --> 00:01:48.359 The Levi had agreed to this and the young man became like one of Micah's sons. 00:01:49.604 --> 00:01:53.204 So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and 00:01:53.204 --> 00:01:54.554 he lived in Micah's house. 00:01:55.514 --> 00:01:59.534 I know the Lord will bless me now, Micah said, because I have 00:01:59.534 --> 00:02:01.424 a Levite serving as my priest. 00:02:03.044 --> 00:02:08.234 Now, in those days, Israel had no king and the tribe of Dan was trying to find 00:02:08.234 --> 00:02:10.094 a place where they could settle for. 00:02:10.094 --> 00:02:13.124 They had not yet moved into the land assigned to them when the land was 00:02:13.124 --> 00:02:14.954 divided among the tribes of Israel. 00:02:15.989 --> 00:02:20.249 So the men of Dan chose from their clans, five capable warriors from 00:02:20.249 --> 00:02:24.389 the towns of Zora and est L to scout out a land for them to settle in. 00:02:25.499 --> 00:02:29.459 When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Eef Fry, they came to 00:02:29.459 --> 00:02:31.289 Micah's house and spent the night there. 00:02:31.949 --> 00:02:35.549 While at Micah's house, they recognized the young Levi's accent. 00:02:35.969 --> 00:02:38.789 So they went over and asked him, who brought you here? 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:40.529 And what are you doing in this place? 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:41.879 Why are you here? 00:02:42.929 --> 00:02:46.079 He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been 00:02:46.079 --> 00:02:48.029 hired as Micah's personal priest. 00:02:48.869 --> 00:02:53.189 Then they said, ask God whether or not our journey will be successful. 00:02:54.209 --> 00:02:55.409 Go in peace. 00:02:55.469 --> 00:02:59.369 The priest replied, for the Lord is watching over your journey. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:04.499 So the five man went on to the town of Laish where they noticed the people 00:03:04.499 --> 00:03:07.769 living carefree lives like the Ians. 00:03:08.279 --> 00:03:09.989 They were peaceful and secure. 00:03:11.369 --> 00:03:15.089 The people were also wealthy because their land was very fertile, and 00:03:15.089 --> 00:03:18.779 they lived a great distance from Seden and had no allies nearby. 00:03:20.009 --> 00:03:23.069 When the men returned to Zuora and S D O, their relatives 00:03:23.069 --> 00:03:25.379 asked them, what did you find? 00:03:26.099 --> 00:03:29.249 The men replied, come on, let's attack them. 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:32.189 We have seen the land and it is very good. 00:03:32.789 --> 00:03:33.869 What are you waiting for? 00:03:34.379 --> 00:03:36.599 Don't hesitate to go and take possession of it. 00:03:37.274 --> 00:03:41.234 When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. 00:03:41.924 --> 00:03:46.034 God has given us a spacious and fertile land lacking in nothing. 00:03:47.174 --> 00:03:51.494 So 600 men from the tribe of Dan armed with weapons of war 00:03:51.854 --> 00:03:53.684 set out from Zora and Esj L. 00:03:54.084 --> 00:03:58.544 They camped at a place west of Eth, Girim and Judah, which 00:03:58.544 --> 00:04:00.734 is called Mayan to this day. 00:04:01.574 --> 00:04:04.754 Then they went on from there into the hill country of Eim 00:04:05.174 --> 00:04:06.644 and came to the house of Micah. 00:04:07.814 --> 00:04:11.714 The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish, explained to the others. 00:04:12.464 --> 00:04:16.394 These buildings contain a sacred ephod as well as some household 00:04:16.394 --> 00:04:19.694 idols, a carved image and a cast idol. 00:04:20.294 --> 00:04:21.584 What do you think you should do? 00:04:22.514 --> 00:04:26.204 Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah's house where the 00:04:26.204 --> 00:04:32.444 young Levi lived and greeted him kindly as the 600 armed warriors from the tribe 00:04:32.444 --> 00:04:34.304 of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate. 00:04:35.144 --> 00:04:40.184 The five Scouts entered the shrine and removed the carved image, the sacred Evo, 00:04:40.664 --> 00:04:43.094 the household idols, and the cast idol. 00:04:43.874 --> 00:04:48.434 Meanwhile, the priest was standing at the gate with the 600 armed warriors. 00:04:49.574 --> 00:04:52.754 When the priest saw the man carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah 00:04:52.754 --> 00:04:55.424 Shrine, he said, what are you doing? 00:04:56.594 --> 00:04:58.544 Be quiet and come with us. 00:04:58.544 --> 00:05:02.444 They said, be a father and priest to all of us. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:07.079 Isn't it better to be a priest for an entire tribe and clan of Israel than 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:09.089 for the household of just one man? 00:05:10.289 --> 00:05:13.769 The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along 00:05:13.769 --> 00:05:17.009 the sacred Evo, the household idols and the carved image. 00:05:17.789 --> 00:05:22.229 They turned and started on their way again, placing their children livestock 00:05:22.229 --> 00:05:23.669 and possessions in front of them. 00:05:25.289 --> 00:05:27.929 When the people from the tribe of Dan were quite a distance from 00:05:27.929 --> 00:05:31.649 Micah's house, the people who lived near Micah came chasing after them. 00:05:32.474 --> 00:05:34.304 They were shouting as they caught up with them. 00:05:34.934 --> 00:05:38.534 The men of Dan turned around and said to Micah, what's the matter? 00:05:39.164 --> 00:05:42.164 Why have you called these men together and chased after us like this? 00:05:43.094 --> 00:05:43.994 What do you mean? 00:05:43.994 --> 00:05:45.134 What's the matter? 00:05:45.434 --> 00:05:49.244 Micah replied, you've taken away all the gods I have made, and my 00:05:49.249 --> 00:05:51.194 priest and I have nothing left. 00:05:52.184 --> 00:05:55.424 The men of Dan said, watch what you say. 00:05:56.114 --> 00:05:59.444 There are some short-tempered man around here who might get angry 00:05:59.444 --> 00:06:00.824 and kill you and your family. 00:06:02.144 --> 00:06:04.244 So the men of Dan continued on their way. 00:06:05.144 --> 00:06:08.204 When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to attack, 00:06:08.834 --> 00:06:10.784 he turned around and went home. 00:06:12.254 --> 00:06:17.204 Then with Micah's idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish 00:06:17.594 --> 00:06:19.784 whose people were peaceful and secure. 00:06:20.624 --> 00:06:24.374 They attacked with swords and burned the town to the ground. 00:06:25.274 --> 00:06:27.464 There was no one to rescue the people for. 00:06:27.469 --> 00:06:31.034 They lived a great distance from Seiden and had no allies nearby. 00:06:31.859 --> 00:06:34.019 This happened in the valley near Beth Reha. 00:06:35.489 --> 00:06:39.299 Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there. 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:44.849 They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor Israel's son, but it 00:06:44.849 --> 00:06:46.259 had originally been called Laish. 00:06:47.609 --> 00:06:51.389 Then they set up the carved image and they appointed Jonathan's son 00:06:51.389 --> 00:06:54.299 of son of Moses as their priest. 00:06:55.259 --> 00:06:59.639 This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the exile. 00:07:00.494 --> 00:07:05.024 So Micah's carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the 00:07:05.024 --> 00:07:07.274 tabernacle of God remained a Shiloh. 00:07:09.254 --> 00:07:12.134 This concludes today's immerse reading experience. 00:07:12.254 --> 00:07:13.244 Thank you for joining us.