Judges 21:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Book of Judges brings to mind the account of a time when everyone acted according to their own understanding, a situation explained by the absence of leadership in Israel, as it states that Israel had no king. Reflecting on this, I cannot help but consider a current reality that may be daunting and unusual to express, yet must be acknowledged as entirely just: Is it not the case that the departure from the one, true, and sovereign King of all creation and God is the root cause of the disharmony and conflict within the Church? When individuals stray from the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, they tend to uphold their own opinions and interpretations, seeking to govern in opposition to the Lord instead of submitting to His guidance?

During the period of the Judges, there were numerous occasions when a single judge delivered an entire nation from adversaries and injustices. However, these instances were not common; when centralized authority faded, chaos ensued among the people. Genuine devotion waned, while idol worship and moral decay became widespread, leading to disasters and subjugation by foreign powers. The sacred author recounts how an idol was crafted from silver that had been deceptively taken by Micah’s son from his mother, later seized by the warriors of the tribe of Dan. This illustrates how private idolatry evolved into national apostasy. The extraordinary depravity witnessed in Gibeon led to a civil war that nearly annihilated the tribe of Benjamin. Foreseeing the question of how such madness could arise among God’s chosen people, he provides this explanation: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."