The last chapters of the book of Judges have to be among the most disturbing in all the bible. The train wreck of a life that marked Samson’s “rule” as a judge of Israel was but a relatively small indicator of the cultural chaos that consumed Israel at the time.

Silver idols cast and dedicated to the God who said not to do idols (Judges 17:3). Household altars erected to household gods with household members appointed as private priests for self-directed, household worship (Judges 17:5). Rogue tribes building their own religious order and ruthlessly acting on their own, self-imagined imperialistic ambitions (Judges 18:17). Sodom and Gomorrah-esque sin overtaking entire cities of God’s chosen, resulting in unimaginable desecration to those who were to be image-bearers of the Creator (Judges 19). Civil war in the name of justice as vengeance is left to the whims of men while others defend evil for the sake of tribal fidelity (Judges 20). And then, the goofiest of goofiest of reparations devised to “save” a tribe from extinction, with no regard to the souls of others in enacting the plan (Judges 21).

This whole era summarized with these bookends:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

(Judges 17:6, 21:25 ESV)

And in case the reader misses the point, in case they fail to connect the dots between the craziness described and the cause at its roots, two more times in this section is it stated that, “in those days”, in Israel, “there was no king” (Judges 18:1, 19:1).

When there’s no king, everyone’s gonna do what’s right in their own eyes. And then watch the gong show that takes place.

I just finished a book by Carl Trueman, “The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity.” In some ways — though in ways that we’ve become used to and no longer seem as crazy as they really are — the book is a kind of reflection on our own “end of Judges” era. Having declared “God is dead” back in the ’60’s, having kicked out the King, Trueman says it’s been left up to us to be gods. Or, to employ Judges language, it has fallen to each man and woman to do what is right in their own eyes. To use cultural terms, it’s fallen to “expressive individualism”, to everyone vying for “authenticity” and being led by being true to his or her own self. So, looking back on 60 years of “no king” and what’s right in our own eyes, Trueman asks the question, “So, how’s that working out for us?”

I hover over these mind-bending, last chapters of Judges, and I think to myself, “Self, we need a king!” Not a man who thinks he’s king. Not a political system that we look to as king. Not a confidence in self so that each of us rules our own lives as king. But we need a king. A King of kings. A Lord of lords. Even so, Lord Jesus, come!

To be sure, come again, Lord, to reign physically on earth, but come even now — come this day — to take up Your rightful rule in this man’s life. That while there may be no king in Israel, there will, by Your grace, be a King over this man’s heart.

Only then, can we swim against the tide of the cultural wave of expressive individualism, and not be overwhelmed by the tsunami of angry tribalism, nor subject to every other whacked-out ism that seems right in the eyes of men.

Only then, when there IS A KING, will we do what is right. Not in our own eyes, but in His. Not according to our own wisdom, but according to His. Not through our own power, but through His. Not for the sake of our own kingdoms, but for His.

How we need a King.

The King of grace. The King of glory.

Amen?