Read Judges 17, No King in Israel

It seems to me that, in the United States, now is a good time to read the last five chapters of Judges.  In recent days we have witnessed events that are surprising to many people.  Protests against the seemingly unjust killing of a black man by a white police officer have become excuses for the burning and looting of business in several of the cities of our country; and these looters have, for the most part, not been held accountable. (I said “seemingly” only because justice has not run its course; if and when the officer is convicted “seemingly” can be removed.) The latest is the pushing out of the police in parts of one major city (Seattle) and the establishment of some sort of setting that is, essentially, an area without governmental authority. 

I also said that these events are surprising to many people.  I would suggest that a study of Judges 17-21 would help to eliminate the surprise.  These chapters are characterized by the phrase, In those days there was no king in Israel; and everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).There are two stories, with multiple “movements,” that illustrate life without a king: one involving idolatry (17-18), the other sexual perversion (19-21).

Today, let us consider two things.  First, what does the Bible mean when it says, “there was no king in Israel?”  We might answer that question by saying that the second phrase, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” is synonymous with the first, or perhaps more accurately, the natural and only conclusion of the first. 

To have no king means, of course, there was no central government.  Israel entered the land under the leadership of Joshua.  But after Joshua died, and those who were elders with him, there was not left a central government. Unlike Moses, Joshua did not appoint a successor.  God did not intend that he do that.

 One could say there was a “constitution” for the nation, by which we mean the book of Deuteronomy given by Moses to the people before his death.  For that constitution to give continuing guidance it was required that the people devote themselves to Yahweh God who is at the center of Moses’ words.  It makes sense that the first story is about the introduction of idolatry into Israel, first in one family in Ephraim (Ch. 17) and then one tribe (Dan, Ch. 18).  With no heart to make God the King, through adherence to His word, you end up with everyone doing what is right in their own eyes. 

The second thing to draw our attention to is the readiness people have to dishonor their words.  This runs throughout the five chapters.  People make promises, backing them up with oaths; and yet they regularly figure out ways to make exceptions to the “rules” or to just contradict themselves.  In todays passage, it’s the mother, whose curse becomes a blessing when the son returns the money he had stolen.  As we said, this happens throughout.  People make what they consider “laws”, but then find themselves in situations where the law hurts them; thus, they find some justification to disavow the law.  In other words, there are no absolutes!

In the case of Israel, they were coming from a situation of no central authority, and finding it to be a difficult place in which to live.  In our country, these days we are coming from a place of central authority, and finding it challenged by people who want to do what is right in their own eyes. 

At this point we simply want to note that, sure enough, the word of God has a deep understanding of everything we experience as sinners.  We ought not be surprised by the things happening in our day.  Instead we ought to hear the word of the Lord as it addresses our situation.