Originally Posted by
Bonefish
No King
The time of “judges” after Joshua’s death was marked by upheaval, oppression and general disorder. In Judges 21:25 it says, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” In the final chapters of Judges, the following phrase appears three times, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6). In those days there was no king in Israel (18:1; 19:1).
The period of the Israelite judges lay between the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua and the rise of the monarchy with Saul and David. The judges, or righters of wrongs, were corrupt, being bribed to rule unrighteously and frustrate the people. This was a time of social and religious anarchy; therefore, the Book of Judges is a record of the dark days in the nation of Israel, only to survive by the grace of God. The Book of Judges illustrates the fundamental problem of the human heart, and illustrates the eternal truth …God will build his kingdom, in spite of our sin and rebellion.
Up until this point in time there never had been a king for the Jews. Things were not good during this time of “no king”, and every form of heinous sin that is listed in Romans 1:29-32 was occurring, including envy, murder, anarchy, deceit, malice, gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors or evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, unloving and unmerciful.
The Book of Judges mentions twelve leaders said to be “judges”, including Othniel, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Ehud and Samson. God used these judges from time to time to rescue the nation from being attacked or from some foreign enemy, and they served as leaders only as long as it took for the people of Israel to get back on track as to their covenant with Him. When observing the progression of judges, one will see the quality of leaders got worse and worse with every new judge to the point that moral leadership was not recognizable.
Can Judges 21:25 have relevance to America today? Are the people of this nation doing what is “right” in their own eyes? Have we as a people lost the ability to think for ourselves? The truth is, even though there are laws that govern civic life, a number of lawmakers, judges and leaders of our government institutions do not follow these laws, or enforce them, and even circumvent laws to facilitate their own agendas.
What does God say about doing what is “right” in our “own eyes?” The Book of Proverbs says, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (16:2). Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weights the heart (21:2). God tells us that there are those who are clean in their own eyes but not washed of their filth (30:2). The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly (26:16). The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (12:15). These people believe they are “right”, but God says they are incapable of seeing the truth. That is why Proverbs ask, “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (26:12). This is why God says in Proverbs 3:7, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”
After the first seven chapter of 1 Samuel, the people of Israel were looking for a way out. They were crying for a king and as time went on, God through Samuel did appoint a king for them, and that kingship did bring a level of civic order to Israel. However, as history shows, every king thereafter struggled with doing what was right in his own eyes. In chapter 8 God said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. What is truly “right” is that which is right in God’s eyes, not ours. This is why Solomon, the third king of Israel, told his children, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In closing, we need leaders to lead in this nation who understand the type of righteous leadership that Israel needed, especially during these times of turmoil in our nation. Samuel is a Book we as a nation desperately need to understand and take to heart.
Bonefish