Judges 21:1-25

Judges 21:1-12
The aftermath of this situation hardly improves for Israel.


The people worship the Lord, the ask ‘why’, but they do not appear to ask him, ‘what next?’

They find one town that has not taken the oath against Benjamin, kill all the men and married woman and steal 400 young girls, virgins, that they may be given to the 600 Benjamites.

We cannot imagine that our Lord would tell his people to do such a thing. It happened, but there is not one word of the Lord commanding it. There is no sign of the Lord approving of this wicked deed. The people have gone off script, not only in chapter 21 but way before this. The continual cycle of sin has lead the nation to this point. There is no other outcome for repeated sin.

Judges 21:13-25
Their first scheme is only partly successful, they need another 200 wives. Why not steal them? Well since you murdered the fathers of the first 400 why not!


Verse 24 may sound as though all is well, each man is entering the promised inheritance. But how have they entered it? Not in the Lord’s way. What are the doing in it? Not living for the glory of God.

Verse 25 is the sad and sober conclusion to this book, ‘there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’

God’s people need God’s leader, God’s King. The situation in the nation does improve (slightly and only for a short time) under David and some other godly kings. However, this verse points us to Jesus, God’s King for God’s Kingdom. Only when he is King and we do what is right in his eyes will we see God's Kingdom established, only then will we live in his promised land.