When Everyone Did What Was Right In Their Own Eyes

How do you determine what is right in your own eyes and heart? How do you know it’s right?

Moses led Isreal to the Promise Land. Joshua took over from there.

After Joshua died, the nation of Israel stood at a crossroads. They had inherited the land God promised, but without strong leadership, they started to drift.

It didn’t take long for their hearts to wander, chasing after the false gods of the nations around them. They forgot who they were — and more dangerously, they forgot whose they were.

The Book of Judges tells the story of this tragic cycle, one that repeated again and again: Rebellion → Oppression → Repentance → Rescue.

When the people turned away from God, He allowed foreign nations to oppress them. They were beaten down, crushed, and desperate.

And when the pain became too much, they cried out to God for help. Every time they did, God, in His mercy, raised up a judge — a leader — to deliver them.

Some of these judges are famous even today:

Deborah — A prophetess and warrior, bold enough to lead an entire nation when men shrank back in fear.

Gideon — The scared young man who hid in a winepress, yet God called him a “mighty warrior” and used him to defeat an army with just 300 men.

Samson — A man given supernatural strength by God, yet his downfall came when he trusted his lust over his calling.

And others, like Ehud, Shamgar, Jephthah, and Othniel, played their roles too — imperfect people used by a perfect God.

Each time a judge rose up, the people were rescued. Peace would return for a season. But as soon as the judge died, the people quickly forgot again.

They did what was right in their own eyes. They chased idols. They abandoned the God who loved them.

And so the cycle spun once more — downward, like a whirlpool pulling them further from God's heart. It’s what we do without God in our lives.

One of the saddest lines in the whole Bible is repeated in Judges:

"In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

It was spiritual chaos. Moral decay. A nation that desperately needed more than temporary heroes — they needed a Savior.

And that’s the deeper message of Judges:

Human leaders could only do so much. Rules and warnings only lasted so long.

The heart problem was bigger than disobedience — it was about needing a King who could rule not just a country, but the human heart.

The Book of Judges points us forward — past the failures, past the temporary fixes — to Jesus Christ, the true and final Judge.

The One who wouldn’t just save His people for a season but would save them forever.

JESUS, without you, we are lost. Not just for now, but for eternity. You came. You left Heaven. You lived a life we would not and could not. You paid a price we could not pay. A perfect life and sacrifice for our sin, not yours. So thank you for being our Judge. One we can truly trust and save forever. In your name we pray - amen. ♥️