Articles
Right In Our Own Eyes
Right In Our Own Eyes
As we begin the last part of the book of Judges (chapters 17-21), we are given a glimpse of the deplorable conditions within Israel. We see a nation chosen and blessed by God that has forsaken the Lord. We read of a nation that was commanded to be holy even as God is holy that has become as ungodly and immoral as the nations God destroyed.
A repeated phrase describes the underlying problem: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25, cp. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1). Man's ways are NOT God's ways (Isa. 55:8-9). The ways that seem right unto men are the ways that lead to death (Prov. 14:12). God instructed them and revealed HIS ways unto them, but they rejected His teaching and set their own course to their own destruction.
While they forsook the Lord and rebelled against His law, they did so 'religiously'. We see a mother saying: “I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you.” (Judg. 17:3). How can she dedicate money to the Lord to be made into a graven image? Did she not even know the 10 commandments? (see Ex. 20:1-6). Then the son consecrates his own son to be 'a father and a priest' to him, although only those chosen by God were to function as priests (remember the rebellion of Korah and Dathan?). Then a young Levite is lured into being a 'private priest and father' to this man and his idols. To this, Micah, the misguided idolater, said: "Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.” (Jud. 17:13).
Not much has changed in people's thinking. They still 'do what is right in their own eyes' and ignore the teaching of the Lord. They still maintain that such is not only acceptable unto the Lord, but that He will bless them in it. They yet attempt to 'fear the LORD and serve their idols' (2Kings 17:41)
It is a small step from this misguided religious thought to unthinkable immorality (yes, the story gets worse to the point of turning the stomachs of the godly). If God's word does not function as our spiritual guide we are left to our own devices. God has repeatedly shown, even as He does here in Judges, that the end of such thinking is disaster for the soul.
Hugh DeLong
