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Judges 19:1 – No King in Israel

Judges 2:19 told us that, as we read the book, we should expect to find that each generation that forgets and forsakes the LORD will be more corrupt than the last. That has proven true, and now we come to the history of an event that demonstrates how depraved the Israelites were toward the end of the era of the judges. Over the next few weeks, we will be reading a very shocking tale involving the weak state of religion in Israel, a low view of marriage, lack of hospitality, murder, vengeance, and warfare.

The book reminds us at the beginning and end of this story that “In those days, there was no king in Israel,” and that (as Judges 21:25 says), “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” When we studied Judges 17:6 and 18:1, we noted that the statement that there was “no king in Israel,” pointed to the fact that the Israelites were refusing to be ruled by God. The consequence of this was that everyone did what was right in his own eyes, exercising authority in his own life that rightly belongs to the LORD alone.

Romans 1:18-32 points out that, in our fallen state, this is the ordinary condition of all mankind. We reject the authority of our Creator, suppressing all knowledge of His Truth in our unrighteous desire to rule our own lives. The result is a society that spirals downward further and further into depravity until, not only is wickedness tolerated, it is approved and praised. Most, if not all, of us live in cultures that could be described this way. Everyone does what is right in his own eyes, knowledge of God is suppressed and wickedness is praised. May we lovingly point the people around us to the Creator, to Whom they are accountable, reminding them that He is King and that, therefore, we must not do what is right in our own eyes, but what He has declared to be right.

Questions

  1. Why would Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25 say there was no king in Israel?
  2. Does this describe the culture in which you live?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that God’s authority may be honored in our lives and other’s lives.
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.