Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Judges 21 Devotional

Waiting for the True King

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”Judges 21:25 (BSB)

Judges ends with Israel weeping at Bethel, asking the LORD why a tribe is missing (21:3), though the loss came from their own war. They had sworn an oath not to give their daughters to Benjamin (21:1), and want to keep it while saving the tribe. So they destroy Jabesh-gilead and give four hundred of its young women to Benjamin (21:10-14). When that is not enough, the elders tell the Benjamites to hide in the vineyards at Shiloh and seize young women dancing at the LORD's feast, with an excuse ready for their fathers (21:19-22).

God says nothing in this chapter. The book closes with its verdict: no king, and everyone doing as he saw fit (21:25). But the story is not over. The book of Ruth is set in these same days and ends with the birth of King David's grandfather (Ruth 1:1, 4:17). From David's line came Jesus, the King who does not seize a bride but gives his life for her. Our hope is that he reigns.

To think about: Where do you most need to stop doing what seems right to you and submit to Jesus as your King?

About Judges 21: Wives for Benjamin's Survivors

Grieving that a tribe is nearly lost, Israel seeks wives for the Benjamite survivors without breaking its oath. The assembly strikes Jabesh-gilead and takes four hundred unmarried women, then lets the Benjamites seize more at a feast in Shiloh. The book ends noting Israel had no king and each man did as he saw fit.

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