The most common editorial comment in the book of Judges is something along these lines: “There was no king in Israel.” It actually appears four times, in 17:6, 18:1, 19:1 and in the last verse of the book, 21:25. Twice this inescapable and dark conclusion follows: “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Kings are far from the perfect solution to anarchy, and there is always the risk that the king will perform very badly indeed. Nevertheless, even a bad king is vastly preferable to no government at all. When Solomon handed over his glorious kingdom to the inexperienced and imprudent Rehoboam, it was certainly a step down for those governed by the son rather than the father. At its worst, however, it was also much, much better than the last five chapters of Judges, in which there are no judges at all, let alone kings.
The book of Judges chronicles one of the worst periods in Israel’s checkered history. In it, we see man’s faithlessness contrasted with God’s faithfulness repeatedly.
| No King in Israel (1) | Introduction |
| No King in Israel (2) | Judges 1:1-36 |
| No King in Israel (3) | Judges 2:1-15 |
| No King in Israel (4) | Judges 2:16-3:6 |
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