Judges 18:7–13 (ESV)

Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?” They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land. As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”

So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim. And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

On a map of ancient Israel, the land of Dan is near the middle. Zorah and Eshtaol are on the eastern edge of Dan, about mid-way between the north end of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean coast. The city of Dan is way up at the north end. That city was originally Laish.

https://mapcollection.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/map-of-the-12-tribes-of-israel/

So, this is a long scouting mission—over 100 miles each way. It makes no sense given the LORD’s allotment to the tribe of Dan. The beachfront property in their original allocation is totally premium, while the city they’re now scouting out is nothing special (except that their residents are easy prey).

But they couldn’t drive out the Philistines from the coastal plain because they had “chariots of iron”.

It's chilling to read the word “unsuspecting” twice in this passage (and it appears again in Judges 18:27). The Hebrew word translated as “unsuspecting” (בֹטֵ֗חַ, Bo-tay-kha) is based on the word for trust or security. The people in Laish think they’re secure. The Danites are taking advantage of their trust.

But no one is secure in a land where everyone does whatever is right in their own eyes.

“Chariots of iron” appears to be a euphemism, since chariots made entirely of iron would be too heavy to be pulled by horses.

But some parts of a chariot, namely the axles and rims, are points of high stress that are more subject to failure. By making just those parts out of iron, the Philistines could make their chariots much more durable and reliable. That would give them an advantage in battle, though not a decisive one.

The Danites failure to drive out the Philistines wasn’t because it was impossible. It was a failure of will.

So, they decide to pick on someone weaker.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.