I was reading in the book of Judges this past week and I had a thought. And verily I say unto you this is the thought that I had, even so I commence with the explanation of the thought even the one that I had.
Im sorry I did that. Its been a long day and it seemed fun to me.
Anyway, while I was reading I was thinking about the Israelites and how dark of a time it is during the Judges. The 17th and 21st chapter have the phrase “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
This is what I have been thinking on. The book of Judges is filled with broken people doing horrible things, but it says that they were doing what they thought was right.
As we learn from our friend King Benjamin natural men are enemies of God, so it stands to reason that when people do what they see as right they will stray far from God.
It then occurred to me that we live in a world very similar to that if the one at the time of the Judges in Israel. Men don’t follow God so much anymore and countless thousands are living horribly wretched live in the name of doing what they see as right. The US’s church attendance as plummeted in recent years and we can see the social impact of that in almost every aspect of the world arround us.
This is not good. But the thought occurred to me: how can this be fixed? As I thought long and hard on that, it dawned on me that the answer is also held in that same verse: In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. But it is the first part of the verse now.
There was no king in Israel in those days… that is kind of the source of the problem. In the book of judges this is not resolved but it is in Samuel. A King is ordained and this crazy awfulness begins to receed. It’s not gone by any means but greatly reduced.
Why? Why does a king help fix this? Thats a two part answer, the first part is found with our firend Mosiah at the time he set up the Reign of the Judges in the Book of Mormon. (Different place, different people, entirely different meaning for judges too) but there he says: Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.
And the second part of the answer is found in Deuteronomy chapter 17. Moses instructs Israel in what a king of Israel needs to do:
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Thus we see the reason a King in Israel helps fix the horrific situation Israel because they are supposed to be a righteous king well versed in the laws of God. But how does that help us today?
Israel has a president not a king these days? And the US is quite far away from Israel. But if we are living in a Israel/judges kind of world it seems pretty clear we need a King of Israel kind of solution. But alas there has not been a king in Israel since the Babylonian exile what are we to do?
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Brothers and Sister we have a King in Israel who can deliver us from this dark time of judges if we will but turn to Him.
He, as Moses instructs, knows the law of the Lord for it was he who caused it to be written. He is always righteous as Mosiah sets forth as a requirement of a King. There has been no other King in Israel since.
At what should have been His coronation He was crucified for us with a sign hanging above: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews. Written in the common languages, as to be read by all.
We have a place we can turn to see our King and not fall in the same fatal trap as the time of the Judges. Turn to the King and be saved!
As always, I’m praying for thee please pray for me!