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“The seventh lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families. The territory of their inheritance was Zorah and Eshtaol and Ir-shemesh, and Shaalabbin and Aijalon and Ithlah, and Elon and Timnah and Ekron, and Eltekeh and Gibbethon and Baalath, and Jehud and Bene-berak and Gath-rimmon, and Me-jarkon and Rakkon, with the territory over against Joppa. The territory of the sons of Dan proceeded beyond them; for the sons of Dan went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. Then they struck it with the edge of the sword and possessed it and settled in it; and they called Leshem Dan after the name of Dan their father. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.” Joshua‬ ‭19‬:‭40‬-‭48‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬‬‬‬‬

This is a Philistine area. In judges there was a famous Danite. His name was Samson. The Danites could not conquer the Philistines. One of the things we know is that they did evil in the sight of God and God handed them over to the Philistines for forty years. 

Eventually, the Danites chose not to settle in their region. They settled in the area of Tel Dan. Dan’s name means judge and Tel means a precious stone. The Jordan River descends from Dan.

I think it is fascinating that Samson’s parents were infertile, not able to bear. The angel of the Lord shows up and tells them a son will be born. The angel of the Lord even asks Samson’s parents if His name is “wonderful”. This is a Christophany, an appearance of Jesus before Jesus was born as man. 

So we have a tribe who could not conquer the Philistines, who did not obey the Law. The number of their struggles represented the wilderness wanderings. Then we have a baby born by the power of God. 

The meaning of the name of this tribe is judge and the river that is beneath it means a precious stone. We are being pointed to Jesus. 
Samson was blessed by God. Samson desired a woman in order to seek an occasion over the Philistines. Jesus desired His bride, which is the church. Samson wanted to conquer them the Philistines. Jesus wanted to conquer sin and death. Samson takes honey from a lion. Jesus was known as coming from the tribe of the lion of Judah. Honey in the Bible often is a reference to the date honey from a tree. A wasp will lay eggs in the fig, but because of the power of the fig, the eggs are consumed into the fig. The death of the eggs have no power over the fig. Death has no sting. So the fruit of the tree lives in spite of the sting and it comes from the lion. 

Then Samson seeks a wife but his wife was given to another who had been his friend. The church is the bride of Christ. At one time, we were given to another. Satan had power over us. There are so many similarities in this story in reference to Jesus that I cannot write them all this morning. A donkey is mentioned. The burning of wheat is mentioned. The cleft of the rock, the 3,000 that went to the cleft, the inability of the Philistines to kill him, the ropes of flax burned as fire, his thirst, the water that came from the hollow place, and on an on.

The Danites could not conquer the enemy of God, but Jesus did. He did it for us.