In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Judges 21:25 (ESV) I doubt that any verse gives a more accurate description of the respective book than Judges 21:25. This verse, the final verse of Judges, is the culmination of nearly 400 years of disobedience, conflict, war, repentance, and temporary peace through God-appointed leaders. In twenty words, this little excerpt manages to capture both the heart and the soul of the Israelites after the conquest of the Promised Land. They were set apart; they had no earthly king and their history was full of miracles and impossible victories. Yet the people of Israel were still human; their failures were almost equal to their victories, and their frequent disobedience to God had cost them dearly. They were certainly not a united nation, and despite a rich history of God's provision, they were rebellious. Throughout the book of Judges, Israel turns away from worshiping their God no fewer than six times. Each time they are invaded by neighboring nations and eventually forced into war. God-appointed judges each time restored Israel to its inheritance in the Lord, but the death of a judge often signaled Israel's imminent relapse into idolatry and immorality. Because of a decision made out of complacency – not to drive the Canaanites out of Israel – four-hundred years were spent in a cycle they could not escape, or perhaps were unwilling to. In Judges 2:3, God tells the Israelites that the remaining inhabitants would be a “thorn in your sides” and that “the portion of their gods would be a trap for you.” The Israelites should have expected this, they knew that the land was only for God's nation and His people. A single disobedient choice made by the people has haunted their nation... middle of paper... in their nation. Israel had steadily fallen into idolatry and was unable to break the cycle. Despite years of slavery in Israel and decades lost to disobedience, their nature has never changed. The lessons learned did not carry over from the first generation to the next, and this was their undoing. The mistake of one generation soon became the mistake of many, and the trap turned into a chain. Judges is a tragedy that takes place over four hundred years and twenty-one chapters. It details the ups and downs of a people learning to follow their God when He does not lead them with a pillar of fire. The sins found in the Judges are no different than the rest of humanity's misdeeds, and their story is made even more tragic in light of this. Because in those days Israel did not have a king. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and still does.