In Judges 21:25 there is a statement that provides a sad commentary into the life of Israel – “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Now, let’s take just a minute to consider what this verse is saying and what it isn’t saying.
This verse is stating two historical facts. Fact number one is that there was no king in Israel. However, that was not an accident; it was by design. Up to this point they had never had a physical king reigning on a throne among them. God was their government and that’s exactly how He intended for it to be. Fact number two is that the people took advantage of their freedoms and turned to sin.
However, we often read something into this verse that it isn’t really saying. I don’t believe this verse is saying that the reason the people had turned to sin was because there was no king as though having a king would have somehow dramatically persuaded the people all of a sudden that sin was evil. Even when Israel had righteous leadership (which was rare) they did not always submit to its pleas to return to God.
The truth of the matter is that Israel did have a King. Now I’m not saying that this verse is telling us a lie. Contextually it is speaking of a literal king living and reigning among the people on earth. They did not have that type of king. But they did have a King reigning in heaven to whom they were expected to submit. Whether they did or did not have a king on earth God was their King and they were to submit first and foremost to Him. When they did they were blessed. But when they did not they had to suffer severe consequences.
I believe there is a lesson in this for modern man. Often we cast the blame for our society’s failures on the poor leadership or lack of leadership among us. Many believe that if only we had godly leaders we could prosper. However, the civil leaders among us matter little in regard to this problem. The real problem is that we have not learned to submit to God. No matter who our leaders are, God is our King. When we remember that, we will be blessed. But when we forget it, we, too, will have to suffer severe consequences.
So back to Judges 21:25, Israel’s problem was not that they had no king, it was that they didn’t remember their true King. Yes, I would like for our leadership to be God-fearing, Bible loving, righteously committed individuals as much as anyone. However, the future of our society does not rest on the commitment of our leaders to God. It rests on the level of our commitment to God. Let’s remember who is King among us!
-Andy Brewer