What term describes the period after Joshua's death, when there was no king?

• A. Israel's Blessing
• B. Israel's Prosperity
• C. Israel's Problem
• D. Israel's Failure

Answer: (C)

After Joshua’s death, Israel lacked a centralized king, so there was no single, stable leadership over the nation. This time in Israel’s history is described in the Bible as the period of the judges, a era marked by cycles of turning away from God, oppression by enemies, cries for help, and deliverance by various judges. The defining feature of this era is the leadership problem: without a king and without strong unified leadership, Israel struggled with obedience and unity. That makes the phrase describing the period—Israel’s Problem—a fitting summary of what characterized the time. The other options don’t match the historical tone of this era, which is not presented as blessing or prosperity, but as a recurring struggle and lack of centralized governance until the monarchy begins. For context, Judges 21:25 captures the situation: there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.