“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Four times in the book of Judges a similar refrain is repeated. Those sentences mean the Israelites did not view God as their King and had decided to call their own shots. They did whatever they wanted to do. That may sound like the best way to live, but it’s actually the worst way to live. Doing whatever you want leads to broken hearts, broken families, and broken promises—our promises, that is, not God’s. All God’s promises are true as true can be.

One of the best promises that God gave us was the promise of a coming king. This king would save God’s people. This king would lead God’s people. This King is Jesus, the Snake Crusher. Without King Jesus, we’d all be our own kings, doing whatever it is we think is right. But King Jesus changes our hearts so that we actually want to do what God wants. There’s even a fancy name for it: regeneration. King Jesus makes us new!