Had No King

Judges 17:6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

We don’t have a king in the United States, but kings ruling nation states has been a part of societies for thousands of years. We all need some type of governing structure, some set of rules to help us as sinful human beings to live with each other. These structures help us curb our most sinful, selfish tendencies for the good for the whole. We give up a bit of our freedom so that everyone has a greater freedom and safety than could be had if we all just did what we wanted to do.
We may not like our government at points in our history. We may think that the decisions made are wrong, short-sighted or immoral. We may disobey and stand to fight against these decisions.
But can you imagine living is a society where everyone just does what the want? Think Mogadishu, Somalia. Utter chaos. No public services. No rule of law. Scraping by in fear of your life every moment. Forget about healthcare for all. How about clean water for all!
Our text tells us about a time when Israel didn’t have a king. They didn’t have a unified way of dealing with life, justice, fairness. They were on their own.
But what we might have forgotten is that the LORD had promised to be their King. He had promised to guide and direct their everyday lives. He had given them guidance in the 600 plus commands that were given as they moved from slavery to the Promised Land. He promised to go before them and clear out the land where they were going to live. He promised His presence.
But the book of Judges shows the constant cycle of disobedience, increasing trouble, defeat and then repentance and rescue. All that needless suffering because they didn’t want to submit their wills to His will. They wanted to do their own thing. So they go the consequences of their rebellion.
Are there areas of our lives where we are ‘doing our own thing?’ They may not be huge areas, but they will get off mission and off target. They will bring correction and discipline. And if we persist, they will bring a downturn that we really don’t want.