When There Is No King

Intro

Judges 19:1 ESV

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel…

Title: “When There Is No King”

Passage: Judges 19–21 Big Idea: When there is no godly leadership, moral chaos and spiritual collapse consume God’s people.

Introduction

The final chapters of Judges are among the darkest in all Scripture.

They describe a time when Israel had no king — not just politically, but spiritually.

Godly Leadership was absent, conscience was seared, and “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

The story is shocking — but it’s meant to be. It shows us what happens when people reject God’s authority and live without godly leadership.

1. When there is no godly leadership, morality collapses.

Sin must be exposed to be dealt with.

Text: Judges 19:1–30.

Judges 19:15 ESV

15 and they turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibeah. And he went in and sat down in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night.

Judges 19:22–30 ESV

22 As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” 23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. 24 Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.” 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. 26 And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. 27 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home. 29 And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. 30 And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”

A Levite — a supposed spiritual leader — behaves without honor, treating his concubine as disposable.

The men of Gibeah act worse than Sodom, showing that Israel has become as corrupt as the nations they were called to replace.

There is no voice of righteousness, no courage to confront evil — only silence and self-interest.

Stand Firm in the Truth

Ephesians 6:13–14 “13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”

1 Corinthians 16:13–14 “13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.”

2 Thessalonians 2:15 “15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”

Defend the Faith

1 Peter 3:15 “15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

Jude 3 “3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

2 Timothy 4:2–5 “2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Have Courage and Conviction in the Face of Opposition

Acts 4:19–20 “19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.””

Proverbs 29:18 – “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Proverbs 29:18 “18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”

Romans 1:28–32 – a depraved mind without God’s rule.

Romans 1:28–32 “28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

Quote: “When the church fails to be light, the darkness doesn’t just grow—it takes over.” — A.W. Tozer

Illustration: Think of a city with no law enforcement or moral compass — chaos and fear take over. Leadership restrains evil, but when it’s gone, evil runs wild.

We must seek to practice and pursue biblical morality !!

We must proclaim and demand biblical morality !!

2. When there is no godly leadership, justice is distorted.

When sin is not repented from it causes death to ourselves and those around us.

Text: Judges 20:1–48.

Judges 20:8–11 ESV

8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. 9 But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, 10 and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.” 11 So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.

Judges 20:46–47 ESV

46 So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor. 47 But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

Israel unites to punish Gibeah’s sin — but not out of humility or repentance.

They seek vengeance, not justice, and thousands die on both sides.

Even their prayers before battle are more like attempts to justify their rage than to seek God’s will.

Without godly guidance, their zeal becomes destruction.

Cross References:

James 1:20 – “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

James 1:20 “20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Deuteronomy 32:35 – “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 32:35 “35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’”

Micah 6:8 – God calls His people to justice, not violence.

Micah 6:8 “8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Quote: “Without divine direction, zeal is just fury wearing a righteous mask.” — Anonymous

Illustration: Like a mob that starts out with moral outrage but ends in destruction, Israel’s unrestrained anger becomes the very evil they sought to destroy.

We must pursue biblical justice…

Accountability with Grace & Mercy, Consequences with Forgiveness !!

3. When there is no godly leadership, identity is lost.

If it were not for God’s grace our names would be blotted out of the book of life

Text: Judges 21:1–25.

Judges 21:2–3 ESV

2 And the people came to Bethel and sat there till evening before God, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly. 3 And they said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?”

Judges 21:24–25 ESV

24 And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Israel grieves the loss of Benjamin but compounds the sin by creating more evil — kidnapping women to solve the problem.

Their morality is twisted, their worship hollow, and their compassion corrupted.

The book ends with the haunting summary:

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

Without godly leadership, God’s people lose sight of who they are — chosen, holy, distinct.

Romans 11:1 “1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.”

ALL the Genealogies and Identities by Number!!!

Cross References:

Exodus 19:5–6 – Israel’s calling as a holy nation.

Exodus 19:5–6 “5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.””

Gal 4:6 – “and because you are sons”

Galatians 4:4–7 “4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Quote: “When God’s people stop following the Shepherd, they stop being a flock and become a scattered mob.” — Charles Spurgeon

Illustration: A ship without a captain drifts wherever the current takes it — and often crashes on the rocks. That’s Israel without a king.

If you are a Christian then act like it, live it out, tell others, do not forget who you are and what that means !!

Conclusion:

Judges 19–21 is not just history — it’s a warning.

Leadership matters. Godly leadership restrains evil, upholds truth, and points people back to God.

When leaders are absent — or ungodly — the people wander into ruin.

But there is hope:

Out of this darkness, God raises a king — David — and ultimately The King, Jesus Christ.

Where Israel had no king, we have a King of righteousness who restores order and redeems chaos.

Application:

Personal: Are you living under Christ’s authority, or “doing what is right in your own eyes”?

Church: Are we raising godly leaders, or depending on charisma instead of character?

Community: Are we salt and light, restraining evil, or have we blended into the darkness?

Hope: When the world seems leaderless, we fix our eyes on the King who reigns forever.

Final Challenge:

“A nation without godly leadership becomes a tragedy. A church without Christ-centered leadership becomes a cult. But a people who follow the King of Kings become a light in the darkness.”

Small Group Questions

What stood out to you most from Judges 19–21? Why do you think the author chose to end the book of Judges with such dark and disturbing stories?

The phrase “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” is repeated several times (Judges 17:6; 19:1; 21:25). What does this reveal about Israel’s spiritual condition?

In your own words, what happens to a community, church, or family when there is no godly leadership?

What does the story of the Levite and the concubine reveal about how far Israel had fallen morally? How does moral compromise in leadership affect the people under that leadership?

How can we tell the difference between righteous justice and personal vengeance — both in the story and in our own hearts?

Why do you think the Israelites kept trying to “fix” sin by creating more sin? What does this teach us about human attempts to solve problems without God’s wisdom?

What happens to our sense of right and wrong when we live by personal opinion instead of God’s Word?

Where do you see examples in our culture today of people “doing what is right in their own eyes”? How does that compare to what happened in Judges?

Who or what is the real “king” of your life right now?How can you submit more fully to Christ’s leadership this week?

In your church, home, or community — how can you lead in a way that points people back to God’s authority rather than your own preferences?