Following the settlement of Canaan, brilliantly outlined and executed by Joshua, Moses' associate and successor, plans had to be made for the government of the loosely knit Israelite tribes, which at this stage of their development were still largely family units, bearing allegiance to the memory and leadership of the patriarch Jacob.
During the wilderness period, Moses had encouraged them, but also held them in check, establishing their basic laws and recalling them constantly to loyalty toward their God. Under Joshua they saw the glowing dream of the Promised Land become a reality; but, as yet, they were largely nomadic in character, not ready for the responsibilities of settled citizenship and established monarchy—a type of rule later associated with such royal rulers as Saul, David, and Solomon.
These early years in Canaan were transitional, representing in a measure a time of colonization or, perhaps, of Israel's adolescence. When eventually Joshua's strong hand was removed by his passing, there was a tendency toward anarchy among the people whom he had led so effectively. "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6).
