Every Man Did That Which Was Right in His Own Eyes

 

As the passages above say, during the time of the judges, each person did what was right in his own eyes. The reason given is that “there was no king in Israel.” Since the word of God is truth, even today, if a person recognizes no authority higher than himself and becomes his own master, that is, his own king, then he will live according to whatever he wants to do. Therefore, each person follows what he likes. That object may be a famous person, someone who has said many right things or done many good works, a bestselling book, higher learning, or an excellent theory... Since people are so varied, each person seems to like and follow many different things. However, we must know that depending on what we obey, the results will be completely different. Therefore, the apostle Paul preached as follows:

 

Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

 

That is right. All of us serve something or someone. We may become servants of sin and end in death, or we may become servants of obedience and come to righteousness. Therefore, whom we serve and what we obey is an extremely important matter for us, and something we must decide carefully. Sadly, however, because people want to do what they themselves like, just as in the days of the judges long ago (2 Timothy 3:1-5), it is easy for them to become servants of sin and end in death (Matthew 7:13-14)...

 

In fact, it was not that there was no king in the days of the judges. In the days of Samuel the prophet, the last judge, when the people of Israel wanted to set a man as king over them, God said the following to Samuel:

 

1 Samuel 8:7-8 “7And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.”

 

As God said to Samuel the prophet, God had been the King of the people of Israel from ancient times until that day. Nevertheless, they tried to make a man their king. In fact, when we look at the whole period of the judges, we can see that because God was their King, whenever the people of Israel sinned and repented again and again, He raised up judges each time and saved them from their distress. Nevertheless, they thought that they had no king, and therefore every man did that which was right in his own eyes...

 

Truly, Jesus, who is God, is the King not only of the people of Israel, but of us all. Nevertheless, as in the days of the judges, do we today also fail to know this King, make other things our king, or live as though we ourselves were our own master?

 

1 Timothy 6:15-16 “15Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”

Revelation 17:14 “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

 

Through these passages, we can know that Jesus is the King of us all and the Lord of us all. When we compare the passages above, 1 Timothy says that because God is the blessed and only Potentate, there is also only one King of kings and Lord of lords. And Revelation reveals that “the Lamb, namely Jesus,” is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Therefore, we can know that this God is Jesus. Thus, it is not that we have no King; rather, a great, mighty, and eternal King surely exists for us. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, if we know, believe, and follow this King, we have eternal life. But if we live according to what is right in our own eyes, then the only result will be death (Romans 6:16).

 

Matthew 19:20-22, 27-29 “20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

 

Therefore, we must now listen carefully to the words of Jesus, our King, and obey Him (2 Corinthians 10:5). This is the way for us to live, and the way for us to prosper (Ecclesiastes 8:10-11). Long ago, through Moses, God caused the following to be spoken to the people of Israel in the wilderness for their benefit:

 

Deuteronomy 12:8 “Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.”

 

Yes. Since Jesus is now the King of us all, this is not the time for every man to do what is right in his own eyes. Rather, it is the time to hear the words of Jesus and do according to those words. If we think about it, even in this world, do not subjects live for their king and according to the command of their king? How much more, then, should we live in obedience to God, who is far greater and more powerful than man (Hebrews 12:9-10)?!

 

If a man is made king, then, as Samuel the prophet declared,

 

1 Samuel 8:11-17 “11...He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.”

 

Such a king does everything “for himself.” But Jesus did the following only “for us.”

 

Philippians 2:5-8 “5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

 

Romans 5:6-8 “6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

John 10:11-15 “11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

 

In contrast, although Jesus, our King, is God, He laid down everything for us and died for us on the cross. And after rising again on the third day and ascending into heaven, He even now makes intercession for us (Romans 8:33-34). Because we have received such great grace, it is only right that we also live “for Jesus.”

 

Romans 14:6-8 “6He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

 

Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

 

Truly, because Jesus is our King and we are His own special people (1 Peter 2:9), we must forsake doing what is right in our own eyes and, as the passages above say, live in all things “in the name of Jesus.”

 

Amen.