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The Misguided Search for Kings - Part 2

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Welcome to the month of September and the beginning of the ember months. From this point on, the year often feels like it is running downhill, like the dying embers of a fire. But God never designed our lives to burn out or fade away. His design is that we rise higher, moving from glory to ever-increasing glory. That is why He said in Isaiah that we will mount up with wings like eagles and soar (Isaiah 40:31, ESV).

There is a spiritual reality that takes hold of us in these last four months of the year. It is the busiest stretch: the preoccupation with Halloween, the anxiety of family gatherings at Thanksgiving, and then, breathlessly, the twisted commercialization of Christmas. All of it reflects a deeper truth — the feverish search for a king. Someone to deliver us from ourselves. Someone to help us look beyond the status quo.

As we continue our Misguided Search for Kings series, it is crucial to ask: what is it we truly lacking? And what has God promised us? The refrain of Judges reminds us of what Israel lacked: “In those days there was no king in Israel.” But this was more than a political observation. It was a spiritual longing for someone who could bridge heaven and earth — someone who could speak God’s Word, lead with righteousness, and fight their battles. The companion phrase — “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” — was not just an ancient lament. It is startlingly familiar. We live in an age of moral relativism, hyper-individualism, and deep suspicion of authority, tradition, or any concept of absolute truth.

In many ways, our time mirrors the spiritual and cultural chaos of Israel in Judges. Rejecting God as King and trying to fill the void with human systems or personal preferences always leads to the same outcomes:

  1. The collapse of moral fabric
    Proverbs warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12). When God’s truth is replaced with human preference, the result is moral confusion, emptiness, and ultimately destruction.

  2. Cycles of crisis and false solutions
    The book of Judges describes a repeating pattern: sin → oppression → crying out → temporary deliverance (Judges 2:11–19). “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). True deliverance requires repentance and a return to God, not just rearranging outward circumstances.

  3. The crisis of leadership and disillusionment
    Israel longed for a king to be “like the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). But every human ruler proved flawed and disappointed. Scripture is clear: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3). Judges remind us that leadership apart from God’s Spirit cannot bring lasting peace.

The timeless longing

Despite the chaos, what Judges reveal is a deep and timeless longing:

  • A longing for truth, justice, guidance, victory, and peace.
  • A longing for someone who is both powerful and good, just and merciful.
  • A longing for a true King.

What Israel truly yearned for, though they did not fully grasp it, was one who would unite all three offices: prophet, priest, and king.

  • A prophet to reveal the very words of God (Deuteronomy 18:15, fulfilled in Acts 3:22).
  • A priest to intercede and offer a final sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 7:23–27).
  • And a king to rule in justice and righteousness forever (Revelation 19:16).

The book of Judges, then, does not merely set the stage for Saul, David, and Solomon. It sets the stage for Christ. For in Him, the longing of Israel finds its fulfillment. He is the Prophet who speaks with authority, the Priest who gives His life as atonement, and the King who reigns with perfect justice. The refrain “there was no king in Israel” was never just a political statement — it was a prophetic warning, pointing forward to the day when God Himself would come to shepherd His people.

A call to return

That day has come in Christ. So, what now? In an age where “everyone does what is right in their own eyes,” the call is to return, not to another new thing or leader, but to what is ancient and enduring. Gideon understood this clearly. After the Lord gave him victory over Midian, the people urged him to rule over them. But Gideon refused, declaring: “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). Moses, too, pointed forward when he declared: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you… to him you shall listen” (Deuteronomy 18:15). Alongside this, God established the priesthood to intercede for the people and to offer sacrifices of atonement (Leviticus 16). And later, through David, He promised a king whose throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12–16).

All of these converge in Christ. He is the fulfillment of Israel’s longing and the answer to our restless search.

So, the call is clear:

  • Return to the throne that cannot be shaken.
  • Return to the Word that is eternal.
  • Return to the Rock from whom we were hewn (Isaiah 51:1).

Reflection Questions

  1. Where am I tempted to follow the world’s “do what is right in your own eyes” mindset instead of living by God’s truth?
  2. In what ways have I excused moral compromise or settled for “that’s just the way things are”?
  3. Am I drawn more to leaders who affirm me than to shepherds who faithfully reflect Christ — and how can I pray for and support godly leadership?
  4. In what ways am I chasing after “priests” or voices to validate me instead of chasing Jesus to worship and surrender to Him?
  5. Who or what is truly sitting on the throne of my heart — and what must I surrender so that Christ alone is crowned as Lord?

Responses

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