Why was Israel destitute in the time of Judges 21:25?
Israel was destitute because the era had no king and no authoritative guidance, so every man did what was right in his own eyes. This produced spiritual famine and near anarchy, leaving the nation without a standard to follow. The book of Judges shows repeated rise and fall, ending in that condition.
Les explains that Judges is the account of Israel's rise and fall, rise and fall. The people would sink into sin and rebellion, cry out for help, and God would raise up a judge to bring them out; they would be spiritual for a while and then fall again. As the book ends, there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes. Les says this was almost anarchy and a spiritual famine. Israel was destitute because there was nothing to guide them; the verse also fits the present day, when sin is seldom mentioned and everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.