• Judges 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
• Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
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The book of Judges is a record of Israel’s ups and downs into righteousness and depravity. In Judges there is a constant cycle of corruption, captivity, confession, cleansing, and conquering. Eventually such repeated cycles resulted in some atrocious sins by the end of Judges. The reason for all of this unfaithfulness and inconsistency is seen from our two texts: “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” While prophesying about the Messiah, the prophet Isaiah mentioned of sinful man:

• Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;”
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“All have sinned” (Rom. 3:23) and as such all of us bends toward living life our own way. The rebellious culture of this world even encourages this unseemly behavior. However, just as “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23) so doing whatever is right in our own eyes brings death.

• Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
• Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
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Our modern churches, Christians, and homes are more akin to the book of Judges. We are going our own way. We are doing whatever “seemeth right” in our own eyes. If you bring up Scripture for music or dress standards, you are attacked, not by the world, but by those calling themselves Christian. Many of believers’ practices these days have no Scriptural foundation, only opinions and peer reviews. If God’s Word is brought up, it is usually knocked aside with no Biblical replacement. As a result of all of this, our churches are backslidden cycles of corruption like Israel in Judges and our fruit is death. It is time to live “according to” God’s Word. Every question and every word and every action and every activity and every thought should be dealt with “according to” God’s Word. Enough of our own ways. May God’s Word be done.

(This article is from the “According To Thy Word” series.)