Yes — Judges 21:25 illustrates Israel at a point of spiritual anarchy and collapse, where no king ruled and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
The Bible's closing statement in Judges pictures a nation without a governing king, so the people followed their own personal judgments. Les Feldick calls this condition anarchy and traces it to Israel's recurring cycle of spiritual highs under righteous judges followed by plunges into idolatry after those judges died. Israel also absorbed Canaanite practices and lost their separated character, leaving them spiritually destitute.
Judges 21:25 — This verse directly answers the question by summarizing Israel's condition: no king, and every man doing what was right in his own eyes.
The closing verse of the book of Judges reads: "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." The Bible presents this as the final summary of Israel's spiritual condition at that time. The nation had no king to rule over them, and the people lived according to their own personal standards rather than according to God's direction.
Les Feldick teaches that Judges 21:25 is a plain statement of Israel's spiritual anarchy. He points to the last verse of Judges — "and everybody did which was right in his own eyes" — and says, "Well, it's anarchy" (Clip 3). He explains that common sense says a nation cannot operate as a society without some kind of government; without it, all you have is anarchy, and this is exactly what happened so often in Israel's history.
Les Feldick says that the last verse of Judges — where every man did what was right in his own eyes — is a description of anarchy. He reasons that you cannot have a nation of people operating as a society if there is no kind of government. Without government, all you have is anarchy, and that is what Judges 21:25 reveals.
Les calls the book of Judges a "roller coaster." Under a righteous judge, Israel would come up spiritually and prosper materially. But when the judge died, Israel would forget God, dip into idolatry, and be overrun by enemies. Then Israel would cry out, God would raise another judge, and the cycle would repeat for three to four hundred years. Les adds that God chastised Israel but never gave up on them.
God gave Israel explicit instructions not to leave a single Canaanite alive, but Israel got soft-hearted and made servants of them instead. Within a couple of generations, Israel incorporated the Canaanites into their very lifestyle and turned from Jehovah to the gods of the Canaanites. Les points out that Israel walked in the statutes of the heathen and set up images and groves on every high hill, showing how deeply they had absorbed the pagan culture around them.
Les explains that whenever Israel had a knowledge of God and His word, they were a separated people. But when they went far down into idolatry and lost belief in God, they lost that separation, and God's judgment fell. He cites the Balaam and Moab incident as an example: when Jewish young men were seduced by Moabite women, judgment fell and 23,000 Jews had to be put to death because they had lost their separated character.
Why God Separated Israel: The Meaning of the Blood on the Doorposts
spotless, in order to prove that He was sinless, how long did He minister? Three years. And so as this lamb was kept up for three days to be completely observed, the household was to look for any blemish, any sign of poor health, any sign of anything that may have been wrong with it, and if at the end of those three days the lamb was whole, then they could kill it for the Passover sacrifice.
The Cycle of Judges
Les describes the 300–400 year pattern in Judges: Israel rises spiritually under a judge, falls into idolatry after he dies, then cries out and is delivered again.
Roller Coaster History
Les compares Israel's history in Judges to a roller coaster, with spiritual heights under good judges followed by depths of idolatry.
Anarchy in Israel
Les quotes the last verse of Judges — everyone did what was right in his own eyes — and explicitly calls the condition anarchy.
Chastened but Never Abandoned
Les uses the Judges period to show that God chastised Israel but never gave up on them, reinforcing the spiritual pattern behind Judges 21:25.
Failure to Separate from Canaanites
Les explains that Israel spared the Canaanites, absorbed their lifestyle, and soon turned to their gods — a key cause of Israel's spiritual collapse.
Walking in Heathen Statutes
Les shows that Israel feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the heathen, setting up idols and groves on every high hill.
Loss of Separation Brings Judgment
Les teaches that Israel was a separated people only while they knew God's word; when they lost that separation, God's judgment fell — as with the 23,000 who died in the Balaam incident.
Judges 21:25: In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
This verse directly answers the question by showing that Israel had no king and was living according to personal preference rather than God's standard.
Yes. Les Feldick explicitly says that when there is no king and everyone does what is right in his own eyes, that is anarchy. He explains that a nation cannot operate as a society without some form of government.
Les teaches that God chastised Israel over and over but never gave up on them. Even after repeated cycles of sin and deliverance, God continued to raise up judges and remain faithful to the nation.
Les explains that Israel failed to cleanse the land of the Canaanites and instead incorporated them into their lifestyle. Within a couple of generations, Israel turned from Jehovah and followed the gods of the Canaanites, walking in the statutes of the heathen.
Watch the Teaching: Why God Separated Israel: The Meaning of the Blood on the Doorposts