Judges 21:13-25: a reflection

13The whole congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, and proclaimed peace to them. 14Benjamin returned at that time; and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead. There still weren’t enough for them. 15The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 16Then the elders of the congregation said, “How shall we provide wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” 17They said, “There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. 18However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’” 19They said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD from year to year in Shiloh, which is on the north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.” 20They commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each man catch his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22It shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we didn’t take for each man his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them; otherwise you would now be guilty.’” 23The children of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. They went and returned to their inheritance, built the cities, and lived in them. 24The children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they each went out from there to his own inheritance. 25In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.

The book of Judges closes on a troubled and telling note: in those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, a picture of the disorder that follows when there is no authority above our own judgment. In those days there was no king in Israel, the book concludes; everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. The final chapters of Judges recount confusion, wrongdoing, and tragedy among God's people; and the closing line names the root: there was no king, no acknowledged authority over the people, so that each person simply did what seemed right to himself. With no authority higher than individual judgment, the result was disorder, each doing as he saw fit, and much of it wrong. This shows the disorder that follows when everyone does what is right in his own eyes, with no authority above. Disorder follows when everyone does what is right in his own eyes. We need an authority higher than our own judgment. Our true King is God, whose rule brings order where self-will brings chaos. Do not make your own judgment the highest authority over your life.

Notice what the closing line of Judges diagnoses. The book has recounted a long decline, and its final chapters especially are full of confusion, wrong, and tragedy among God's people. And the book names the root of this disorder in a single recurring line: there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. With no acknowledged king, no authority higher than each person's own judgment, everyone simply did what seemed right to himself; and the result was not freedom and flourishing, but confusion, wrongdoing, and chaos, each person's own eyes a poor and often self-serving guide. This holds a searching diagnosis that reaches to us. It is tempting to think that doing what is right in our own eyes, following our own judgment as the highest authority, answering to no one above ourselves, is the path to freedom and good. But Judges shows otherwise: when everyone does what is right in his own eyes, with no authority higher than individual judgment, the result is disorder, for our own eyes are a fallible and often self-serving guide. We need an authority higher than our own judgment to order our lives rightly. And for God's people, that authority, that King, is God himself, whose rule brings order and good where self-will brings chaos. To submit to God as our King, rather than making our own judgment the highest authority, is the way out of the disorder that self-will breeds. We do well to submit to God as our King, rather than doing merely what is right in our own eyes, acknowledging an authority higher than ourselves. Do not make your own judgment the highest authority; submit to God as your King. Doing what is right in our own eyes, answering to no one above, breeds disorder. We need an authority higher than ourselves to order our lives rightly. God is our true King; his rule brings order where self-will brings chaos.

That is worth taking to heart, for disorder follows when everyone does what is right in his own eyes, and we do well to submit to God as our King, as Judges diagnoses the chaos of a people with no king. We can make our own judgment the highest authority; but Judges shows the disorder that follows when everyone does what is right in his own eyes, with no king. Submit to God. Do not answer only to your own judgment as the highest authority; submit to God as your King, whose rule brings order where self-will brings chaos. Submit to God as your King rather than making your own judgment the highest authority and doing merely what is right in your own eyes, acknowledging an authority higher than yourself, as the book of Judges closes on a troubled note, that in those days there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, a picture of the disorder that follows when there is no authority above our own judgment; for the final chapters recount confusion, wrongdoing, and tragedy among God's people, and the closing line names the root, that there was no king and no acknowledged authority over the people so that each simply did what seemed right to himself, and with no authority higher than individual judgment the result was disorder and much of it wrong, which holds a searching diagnosis that reaches to us, since it is tempting to think that doing what is right in our own eyes and following our own judgment as the highest authority and answering to no one above ourselves is the path to freedom and good, but Judges shows otherwise, that when everyone does what is right in his own eyes with no authority higher than individual judgment the result is disorder, our own eyes being a fallible and often self-serving guide, so that we need an authority higher than our own judgment to order our lives rightly, and for God's people that King is God himself whose rule brings order and good where self-will brings chaos, so that to submit to God as our King rather than making our own judgment the highest authority is the way out of the disorder that self-will breeds, and we do well to do so.

Lord, the book of Judges closes on a troubled and telling note: in those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, a picture of the disorder that follows when there is no authority above our own judgment. In those days there was no king in Israel, the book concludes; everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. The final chapters recount confusion, wrongdoing, and tragedy among your people; and the closing line names the root: there was no king, no acknowledged authority over the people, so that each person simply did what seemed right to himself. With no authority higher than individual judgment, the result was disorder, each doing as he saw fit, and much of it wrong. Show me what the closing line of Judges diagnoses. The book has recounted a long decline, and its final chapters especially are full of confusion, wrong, and tragedy among your people. And the book names the root of this disorder in a single recurring line: there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. With no acknowledged king, no authority higher than each person's own judgment, everyone simply did what seemed right to himself; and the result was not freedom and flourishing, but confusion and chaos, each person's own eyes a poor and often self-serving guide. This holds a searching diagnosis that reaches to me. It is tempting to think that doing what is right in my own eyes, following my own judgment as the highest authority, answering to no one above myself, is the path to freedom and good. But Judges shows otherwise: when everyone does what is right in his own eyes, the result is disorder, for my own eyes are a fallible and often self-serving guide. I need an authority higher than my own judgment to order my life rightly. And that King is you yourself, whose rule brings order and good where self-will brings chaos. Take that to my heart. Keep me from making my own judgment the highest authority, doing merely what is right in my own eyes; help me submit to you, Lord, as my King, acknowledging an authority higher than myself, that your rule may bring order to my life where self-will brings chaos.