You Need Relationships

Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.

Judges 18:27-28

“…In those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.” (Judges 18:1-2)

These five men began their search and suddenly “…the five men came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous.[a] Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. (Judges 18:7)

This land had a lot of good things. The people there lived in safety, they were at peace and very secure. They probably slept sometimes with their doors opened and everyone knew their neighbours well in case of an emergency. What could be more interesting? Their land lacked nothing! It was blessed with all manner of natural resources, good leaders to harness them and good tax-paying citizens to support the growth. It was a land flowing with milk and honey but they lacked one thing-relationships. They lived a long way from everyone and since they were self-sufficient, they needed no one’s help.

However, when war came upon them, they were attacked and their city burned down. Unfortunately, with no one nearby to call upon and no established relationships, they faced their fate alone.

A self-sufficient life is always fun until the day of battle. Ask yourself, “If I faced a major crisis today, are there people I can depend on for support and even help from afar, men who would travel miles around the world to come to my rescue? Do I have men who can stand with me in prayer against the enemy’s attack or even see the plan before it materialises?”

May God give you men and may you be wise to keep them.

PRAYER