Creator, Father, King #103

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

CYCLES CAN BE GOOD in life.

Bicycles are great for fun, exercise, and competition. A washing and drying cycle helps us clean our clothing. Then there are various cycles that are vital to life on earth, such as the water cycle, where water evaporates from the earth, condenses in the atmosphere, and falls to the earth as precipitation over and over.

These are all good cycles. But the book of Judges describes a terrible cycle.

Once Joshua died, a new generation of Israelites who didn’t follow the Lord grew up. Because they failed to drive out all the idolatrous Canaanites, God’s earlier warnings came true: “They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD” (Judges 2:12).

And so began Israel’s maddening cycle of rebellion, judgment, and forgiveness. God punished Israel’s wickedness by allowing enemies to oppress them. When the people cried out in despair, God mercifully raised up judges to save them. But then they quickly fell away from the Lord, beginning the maddening cycle again. This period spanned approximately four hundred years.

Perhaps the most accurate, chilling summary of this regrettable period in Israel’s history comes from today’s verse: “All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”

What’s It Mean?

Doing what is right in your own eyes means you are giving in to pride. It means you are acting like you are the final arbiter between good and evil. It means you are trying to arrogantly rule your own life, as if you don’t have to answer to a higher authority.

Ultimately, it means you are buying into Satan’s original lies in the Garden of Eden:

• “Did God really say . . .”
• “You won’t die.”
• “You will be like God!”

Left to ourselves, we are poor judges of right and wrong. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.” We need God’s wisdom to rightly discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Praise God that he willingly gives us his wisdom in abundance! Call on the Lord to help you do what is right.

Now What?

Want to see constant examples of God’s steadfast love, patience, and mercy with a stubborn people? Read the entire book of Judges!

Did You Know?

The book of Judges mentions twelve judges, and eleven were male. The wisest seemed to be Deborah, the lone female (Judges 4–5).