Having no king

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.- Judges 21:25

It's easy to read the book of Judges and wonder what God is up to. People killing each other left and right, committing sexual sin, doing basically whatever they want. So this verse that ends the book of Judges, and in fact is a constant refrain throughout the book, seems to explain that fact. With no king to direct them, they did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Obviously, it's no different today. True, we have a president and a congress and a judicial system and governors, mayors, senators, city councilors, police officers, and other officials that tell us what we can and can't do. But American government really just represents the minimum standard for how we should act. In fact, the whole premise of the constitution is limited government over our actions- as it should be. But this doesn't mean we should do whatever seems right in our own eyes.

Primum non nocere is one of the first concepts students are taught at medical school. It translates in English as "first, do no harm." This is great instruction for our future doctors, but it is certainly not all-inclusive. They go on in medical school to learn how to actually do good.

In the same way, we can't make a difference in the world by just following the law- just doing no harm. We must decide to do good. Having no king, though, we often decide to do what seems right in our own eyes. It is only by having a set of standards- a measuring stick, a "moral code" as it were- that we can know what is good and what is not.

Having no king in your life is a lonely place to be. Now that I have a King, I am pushed to do the things that are right in His eyes. It's not enough to "first, do no harm." If only all the people had a King...