No King

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

[QUOTE=Bonefish;580596]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[/QUOTE]

That way all the bible thumpers could join you in there.

[QUOTE=Moveon;580608]That way all the bible thumpers could join you in there.[/QUOTE]

Never understood why the only problem some people have with free speech is when that free speech is from the Bible.

Maybe it would be good to ask the question, “What is righteousness? We frequently see it used, but do we really know what it means to be righteous? Righteousness, in human standards, is defined as the “quality of being morally true or justifiable.” The justification is made according to the conformity of behavior with the regulation or constitution, in the context of a nation.

In God’s eyes, righteousness is the quality of being “right”, including character, conscience, conduct and command. Righteousness is based upon God’s standard, being He is the ultimate Lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22). Righteousness is an attribute of God and is manifested in His laws. No man can be justified by his own works apart from God’s ordinance. Righteousness is the God-given quality imputed to man upon believing in Christ. Imputed righteousness is declared righteous by God purely by His grace through faith in Christ.

In Genesis 18 before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham ask God, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked. Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it (Genesis 18:23-24)?” “Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just (Genesis 18:25)?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the City of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake (Genesis 18:26).” From Genesis 18:27-32, Abraham ask God if he found forty-five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and finally ten righteous people would He destroy the city? With each question, God said, “I will not destroy the city.” When ten righteous people were not found, God rained down burning sulfur upon the city (Genesis 19:24).

In a world where people tend to believe their own ways are “right” in their own eyes, we see people finding it hard to accept the absolute standard of righteousness. True and false becomes relative, and people think or feel what they think is right. Righteousness is what Christ came to give us; He took our sins and gave us His righteousness. Righteousness is what puts us in the right relationship with God, and is what we should focus on once we are born again. Righteousness is a free gift. We cannot add to what Christ did on the Cross. As stated in Romans 10:9-10, if we will confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, and from that point in time, you have the gift of righteousness.

[QUOTE=jcb;580610]Never understood why the only problem some people have with free speech is when that free speech is from the Bible.[/QUOTE]

like It says, judge a man by his fruit.

[QUOTE=dragmerc;580612]like It says, judge a man by his fruit.[/QUOTE]

Sounds kinda gay to me.

[QUOTE=jcb;580610]Never understood why the only problem some people have with free speech is when that free speech is from the Bible.[/QUOTE]

Sort of speaks for itself. There is no such thing as Heaven or Hell. Enough Said. Story tales are made up to control the people.