The book of Judges covers a turbulent time in Israel’s history after they had settled in the promised land. This period is characterized by the refrain “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6, 21:25). This statement comes up twice in Judges to summarize the overall moral and spiritual condition of Israel during this 300+ year span between the death of Joshua and the establishment of the monarchy with Saul.
On an individual level, “everyone did as they saw fit” meant people lived according to their own standards rather than following God’s laws. There was a lack of authoritative leadership after the death of Joshua, allowing sin and idolatry to increase (Judges 2:11-13). The Israelites failed to drive out the Canaanites as God commanded, so they were influenced to worship false gods like Baal and Ashtoreth (Judges 2:2, 11-13). Everyone did their own thing without regard for God or the good of the community as a whole. This led to the tragic refrain “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
There are two key stories that illustrate the self-centered mindset during the judges period:
Micah’s Idolatry (Judges 17-18)
Micah was a man from the hill country of Ephraim who took some stolen silver from his mother and had it made into an idol. He set up shrines with ephod priestly garments and household idols, and installed one of his sons as the priest (Judges 17:5). This shows a blatant disregard for God’s laws about proper worship, priests, and idols. Micah did whatever he wanted in terms of worship, creating his own idolatrous religion.
The Danites later came through Micah’s area looking for a new place to settle. They discovered his shrine and idols, and convinced his priest to come with them instead. Micah protested at first but eventually let them take his idols and priest (Judges 18:18-21). This whole situation highlights the moral confusion and selfishness of the time period. Both Micah and the Danites stole things or people that did not belong to them, showing little regard for God’s laws about stealing, idolatry, or proper worship.
Benjamite Atrocity and Civil War (Judges 19-21)
In Judges 19, a Levite’s concubine was abused and murdered by wicked men in the Benjamite town of Gibeah. The other tribes were incensed and demanded that the Benjamites hand over the offenders, but they refused. This led to civil war between the tribes, and the near destruction of the Benjamites (Judges 20). Rather than working together for justice, the Israelites fought against each other in an overly zealous and violent manner. They made rash oaths and decimated one of their own tribes, except for 600 men (Judges 21:6-7).
To preserve the Benjamites, the Israelites came up with a troubling solution. They raided and destroyed Jabesh Gilead except for 400 virgins, whom they gave to the Benjamites for wives (Judges 21:10-12). They allowed the Benjamites to abduct brides from a festival in Shiloh (Judges 21:16-23). While securing wives for Benjamin, their methods showed a lack of regard for God’s principles or sanctity of life. Their actions were driven by self-interest instead of seeking God’s will.
These stories illustrate how far Israel had drifted from God’s standards during the judges period. Micah created his own idolatrous worship system. The Danites stole Micah’s idols for their own purposes. The Israelites fought against each other and committed atrocities while trying to punish sin. Without godly leadership, the people did whatever they wanted without regard for God’s principles of holiness, justice, or unity among the tribes.
Results of Everyone Doing What’s Right in Their Own Eyes
The attitude that “everyone did as they saw fit” had serious consequences during the days of the judges:
- Increased wickedness and idolatry as people abandoned God’s laws (Judges 2:11-13)
- National security threats from foreign invaders allowed by God to discipline Israel (Judges 2:14-15)
- Lack of cooperation and unity among the 12 tribes of Israel
- Injustice, violence, immorality went unpunished (Judges 19-21)
- Confusion about proper worship and preservation of godly traditions (Judges 17-18)
Overall, the book of Judges documents a dark spiritual period in Israel’s history. Doing what’s right in one’s own eyes may seem appealing in the moment, but it breeds sin, division, conflict, and idolatry. Israel’s progression shows the foolishness of abandoning God’s standards for self-willed religion. There was even a faint memory of truth left, with crying out to the Lord in distress at times (Judges 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6). Yet the stubborn sins of the people prevented them from fully repenting and aligning their lives to God’s laws. Simply put, departing from God’s word and doing whatever you want is a recipe for disaster.
Lessons for Today
While we don’t live in Israel’s unique historical context, the period of the judges offers several relevant lessons:
- Need for God’s authoritative word – When a society lacks moral absolutes, sin increases. We need Scripture as our compass for life.
- Dangers of idolatry – Whatever we put before God easily becomes an idol, whether success, relationships, entertainment, social media, politics, social causes, etc.
- Sin spreads like yeast – Evil influences spread quickly when left unchecked, corrupting both individuals and nations.
- Need for godly leadership – Character and integrity are essential in leaders to positively influence a nation toward righteousness.
- Guarding your own walk – Even if culture embraces sin, we must personally live by God’s standards and resist compromise.
- Cry out for revival – The only remedy for national sin is returning wholeheartedly to the Lord.
The refrain “everyone did as they saw fit” remains just as relevant today. As Proverbs 14:12 reminds us, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” We desperately need to reject the pull of moral relativism and self-willed living. Our only hope is surrendering fully to Jesus Christ and the complete transforming work of the Holy Spirit. By God’s grace, may we champion God’s truth and live passionately for his glory during our short time on this earth.