The tribe of Dan doesn’t have an inheritance. None of the lots had ever fallen to Dan to give them any of the conquered land.

All of Israel should have still been pursuing and fighting until all the land was settled, but they seem to have each turned to taking care of themselves instead of the body, instead of God’s people.

The tribe of Dan sends out spies to find a place. There is no thought to the Lord leading and telling them where to go. This is a time of everyone doing what is right in their own eyes. The spies happen upon Micah’s house and the Levite.

When the fighting men of Dan come back round to fight and claim what they decided was going to be their inheritance, they claim Micah’s priest and gods as well. They empty out Micah’s shrine of all his items of worship and entice his priest to come with them as well. They flatter him with thoughts of being priest to a whole tribe instead of just to one household. He goes with them and doesn’t protest that they just stole over 20 years’ salary from Micah’s house. (We know the Levite’s salary and how much the one idol cost.) Somehow stealing doesn’t seem wrong when there’s a promotion in it.

Micah protests, but values his life more than his gods and doesn’t want to fight the armed men.

The tribe of Dan build themselves a house to the Lord with their new priest and the religious stuff they stole.

Everyone is thinking of themselves only. Self. We’re the problem. We’re to crucify self. Self is supposed to be dead and buried having gone to the cross and into the grave in baptism.

New life in Christ is resurrected in us, a life that is love personified because it’s Love Himself living in and through us, a love that loves God and others.

And that’s how you build a house to God, not with religious looking stuff, but with Love Himself as the foundation.