EVERYONE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES

EVERYONE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THEIR OWN EYES-7-12-15

Right now I’m doing a study on the book of Judges. Yes, Judges! That Old Testament book that is sandwiched in between the books of  Joshua and Ruth. I would guess that Judges is not one of the top 10 favorite book in the bible.  I love the Old Testament as much as I love the New. It’s important for all of us who call Jesus our Lord and Savior to know the full council of the word of God… and that includes Judges!

The book of Judges is about a very very dark time in the history of Israel.

 

A time when the Israelites

“did not know the Lord nor yet the works which He had done for Israel”.

Judges is a book about APATHY AND APOSTASY! About a time when the chosen people of God turn away from Him and did what was right in their own eyes.

From the time the people of Israel knew and followed God until the apostasy, or falling away of their faith, took a mere couple of generations! WOW!  After Joshua, a great and mighty servant of the Lord, died and his generation along with him the next generation did not know God. Oh, they knew of God… but did not know Him and His word. They were no longer obedient to Him and did not cling to His ways!

The book of Judges is VERY convicting to me!!! It is a lesson in what happens to an individual and a nation as they stray from being committed to knowing and following the Lord. When God is no longer important and the very center of their lives. It teaches us about what happens when we start doing what WE think is best and not what GOD knows is best! The downward spiral and unravelling of a person and a society is jaw-dropping!

The book of Judges is very, extremely, overwhelmingly relevant for not only us but for our nation today!

To understand Judges, we need to get a little insight on the relationship between God and the nation Israel.

God chose the people of Israel to be a light in a dark world. To shine so that as they lived and obeyed the Lord they would show just who God was to a world that was mired in idolatry and spiritual darkness! The Israelites were to be the way the whole world would come know God and worship Him! God promised to bless them so greatly, IF THEY OBEYED HIM,  that all the world would wonder who the great and benevolent God of the Jews was. In ancient times everyone believed in a god.  (Deut. 30)

But God also promised the people of Israel that if they would turn away from Him and not obey Him and would be a bad representation of who He was to the world that He would punish them. (Deut. 30) Not because He was mean or spiteful… but because of God’s righteous judgement. The people of Israel had made a covenant, better than a promise, and agreed to this deal. Every evil act has a consequence.  

God punished the Israelites as a way of waking them up so they would turn from their evil ways and turn back to Him. And in turning back to Him the Israelites would again show the world who the real God is.  

During the time of Judges the stubborn nation of Israel started a very dangerous and downward spiral! They would turn away from God and…

“do what was evil in the sight of the Lord”   (seven time is the book of Judges)

…Then God would punish them for their disobedience and disregard for being God’s representative in the world.

…Then the people would cry out to the Lord when things got really bad for them. I find is so interesting that not until the things bad in their lives that they concerned themselves with God. Sound like many of us today!

…Then God would answer them and send them a leader called a Judge to set them on the right path of obedience to God and get them out of the trouble they were in.

…Then there would be peace and rest in the land until the Judge died.

…THEN THE CYCLE WOULD START ALL OVER AGAIN!!!! SEVEN TIMES!!!! OVER 300 YEARS!!!!

And why did the nation of Israel sink into this downward spiral of disobedience and judgement?  It was a matter of THEIR EYES!

The Hebrew language is very literal. It use lots of concrete words to define abstract ideas. The word “eye” in the context of Judges means “sight or perspective or arrogance”. During the time of Judges the people did what they THOUGHT was right… not what WAS right. 

The whole book of Judges can be summed up in these few words…

EVERYONE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES. Judges 21:25

The book of Judges can be a very “eye opening” book! It shows us what happens to us when we forget God and go our own way… and it isn’t pretty! It shows us how we too can get caught in recreating the same sin over and over again because it is our very nature.

Thankfully, God has a cure for our eyes!!!! 

FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS THE FOUNDER AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISING THE SHAME AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Hebrews 12:2

Fixing, or looking at nothing else than Jesus, is a way to stop the cycle of our own eye problem! And how do we do this? By bowing our knees to the authority and kingship of Jesus in our lives. Living for Him and not for ourselves! Accepting His free gift of salvation and becoming a disciple of His and His alone!

Then under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, reading and studying and obeying the very Word of God! How can you know and see Jesus if you do not read and study your bible?

Let’s not take our eyes off of Jesus! For if we do we will develop the same eye problem the nation of Israel had in the time of the Judges! 

Thank you God for the Jesus!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

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49 Comments

  1. Barb Konie says:

    I really enjoyed your post today. Thank You

  2. Karin Hensley says:

    Great message this morning! I love the connection of their “eye problem” to God’s solution in Hebrews by fixing our eyes in Jesus! That’s a new angle for me!! Our nation is headed in this same direction I fear without Jesus. Blessings to you and yours this Sunday morning.

  3. Debbie L. says:

    Thank you for this insight today Yvonne. I found it interesting how the Israelite’s disobedience to God compares to what is going on in our nation today. So many are going there own way and leaving God out of their lives and we too will face judgement for doing so.

    I carry this scripture in my wallet on an index card.
    “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

    May our eyes keep focused on Jesus!

  4. Our world is living in such critical times right now, and so many problems are coming from people turning away from God. It hurts my heart to see this. Your post was so on point for what we are living today. Thank you Yvonne, I am enjoying your Sunday messages so much. I’m keeping my eyes on Jesus.
    Blessings,
    Cindy

  5. I loved your post. Made me think that we need to choose very carefully the next person we elect to be our President!
    Thank you.

    1. We certainly do need to choose carefully the next President. The world is in such a mess and so many are trying to do away with anything related to our Christian beliefs. Yvonne’s messages are always so good. Keeping my eyes on Jesus also.

  6. Thank you for sharing this particular word … this beautiful Sunday morning.

  7. Thank you for this message. I really needed to hear it this morning. This week I have taken my eyes off Jesus and went my own way. It is a lonely place. I am going to church this morning seeking His face and putting Him back in the center of my life.

  8. Marcy Zmarzly says:

    Are you a Precept girl?

  9. Naomi Frost says:

    So true, and well said, and thank you for saying it.

    Loving Jesus

  10. Thank you for sharing this very encouraging word!

  11. Thank you so much for reminding me of this important and timely message from Judges. I am going to share it with my Tuesday morning Bible study group.

  12. Thank you for such a great message.
    Have a blessed day.

  13. Thanks for sharing a timely message. Many nations were founded on Biblical principles and have gone astray. Our prayer is constantly that people will pray so that we can again see God’s blessing because the people follow His way. More than ever we realize that our leaders NEED our prayers. Love your blogs and all you share with us!

  14. Thank you. Very inspiring.

  15. Great insights Yvonne. I pray for America to again be a nation who’s God is The Lord. He can’t and won’t bless us until then.

  16. I’m certain you were led to read Judges at this exact time and to share what it says to all of us who are lucky enough to be part of your blog. It is a very appropriate book of the Bible to be reading at this time in knowing and seeing what is going on in our own Nation as well as Israel and other nations around the world.
    That inner voice we all have, the angel God gave to each one of us when He created us and named us, helps us at all times “less our foot should stumble on a stone”. Some of us think that our thoughts are our own, that we are not being prompted by some other force, but you know that isn’t true and so do I, so do the majority in this nation of ours. That is what amazes me that if we are the majority, faithful to our God, listening to Him, being obedient to the best of our ability, knowing we are always being prompted by that inner voice which is the Holy Spirit and our Angel(s), how is it that those who want to live life in this world, (“you are in this world but not part of it”) seem to be making decisions that are so far from the way God wants us to live?
    Thank you for writing this today. Thanks to your Angel for prompting you to go beyond just reading the scripture, but sharing it. God bless you!

  17. Thank you so much for your message today. So often we read the scriptures and think “What is wrong with those people, how dense can they be? How many times do they have to go around that same mountain of disbelief and back again?” Then, we find ourselves doing the same thing. I really so enjoy your Sunday Messages. You always make me stop and think. Thank you and God Bless.

    1. Debbie, it is the brokenness of our humanity that causes us to do all sorts of self destructive things!

  18. Yvonne,

    Thank you for your timely message today. I, like so many others, am concerned about our nation and world today. I have never seen us so divided. Like you have said, the reason is that we need to follow God’s way. Only then can we heal. Not only do we need to pray for our leaders, we need to select the right ones. Let’s also pray to guide everyone to vote for someone that heals, not divides our nation. I think the next election is critical for our Country as well as the world. I pray everyone takes a higher ground and just doesn’t vote for their our self interests, but votes for the good of our Country.

  19. Thank you very much, Yvonne, for your insights. You really make a study of truth, and I am fed visually and spiritually by your sweet blog. Thanks for standing as a witness.

    Lori

  20. Vicki Lay says:

    Yvonne,
    I love your Blog, and am especially blessed by your Sunday morning devotions. Our nation is certainly standing in the crossroads. It seems Evil is speaking louder at this moment in time than the Light. But The Light shines best in the darkness. As Christians, WE are to be the salt and the light to a lost world. We serve an Awesome God who isn’t freaking out about what He sees. He knows about all sin–past, present, and future; thus He gave His only begotten Son to redeem us unto salvation. He knows what is happening and what will happen and He is coming again very soon to Rapture His children and judge the rest. It is our duty to share Him with others and prepare ourselves and the redeemed for the Blessed Hope to come. Keep sharing Jesus, Yvonne, with all your heart.
    Blessings,
    Vicki

  21. Thanking God for your bold proclamation of The Truth!

  22. Elizabeth says:

    Thank you for your insights on Judges. Although I’m not in church this morning, I have been blessed by a sermon on Romans 8 by one of my favorite pastor’s by internet and now your wonderful lesson. I think I will read Judges again today. Every reading reveals something new and wonderful. God bless you!

  23. what a wonderful post, thank you for your boldness to share the gospel ! You have described what is happening in this nation and around the world so well I will be sure to share this. It will not return void ! May God be glorified in all we do and say.

    Thank you,
    Jan

  24. Once again Yvonne, you seem to touch on a passage that needs to be studied in our minds, held in our hearts and lived in our lives! Our country needs strong faith-filled leaders. I was especially moved by a follower of yours who asked the question of WHY if we are such a Christian people proclaiming it and claiming to live it choose such a disasterous path for our country? Remember, if we allow God to be taken out of our country, something else will fill the void. If God is Perfect, than anything else is less……………….much less, even to the point of evil. Blessings to you Yvonne and to all of your faithfilled followers! Amen Nanny

  25. Thank you for saying for what is in my heart. Everyone is so afraid of being politically incorrect. Say the word “Jesus” “Bible” “Ten Commandments” we are hateful and biased etc. etc. . You are courageous and silence by all of us who believe is acceptance of what is wrong. Why can’t we say what we believe — en masses– and be heard. We aren’t hateful — we are loving Christians who believe in Jesus and salvation. Again thank you, Yvonne.

  26. Linda Turcotte says:

    I don’t think that the end is very near and it is now the time to draw closer to the Lord ourselves and share His word to those who are not walking with Him. We all have loved ones that are not living for God and we need to pray for them and for Israel. I thank you for your sharing of God’s word, and pray that we as Christians can finally have the courage to stand up and declare ourselves as Children of God. God will be standing with us.
    Linda

  27. What a great post today and its a very nice reminder… Another thing to mention is that in 1 Peter, he speaks of being persecuted for our beliefs, but to remember…this earth is not our home and to keep our hope in Heaven, not on things (social and worldly acceptable things) of this world! What a refreshing read today!

  28. Thank you Yvonne!. Loved this post!. We need more of this as of the past few months!. I feel we’ve gone in a downward spiral in this country lately. Love a breath of fresh air and “truth”!. You are a wonderful teacher!.
    I believe I learned more from you in this post then I did in my churches sermon today..shhhhh!!.. I won’t tell the pastor that 😉
    Thank you again!

  29. Thank you Yvonne, for taking time to share so clearly this section of Scripture. I need to look in the mirror of God’s Word, and our dear nation does as well.

  30. Marilyn (in Ohio) says:

    Thank you for this….I’m going to have to read Judges more carefully for myself. I need these insights of others to help me to see more clearly.

    Very timely message for us today.

  31. Thank you so much for sharing this word with us, your blog community. Our nation is headed in this direction, not only doing what is right in their own eyes, but mocking God in the process. May God intervene and bring us back to Him.

  32. GwenCondit says:

    I have a small group of high school friends that study Gods Word via email. We’ve done much of the NT and want us to read Revelation for even though we may not understand everything there is a blessing to those that just read it. But I’d also like to do Judges. Your lesson today pointed the finger at ME lest I fall like the Jews. As Christians, let us not generalize lest we fall prey to Satans attacks. Vast generalizations about “this country” but I like to make it personal. How am I doing with my neighbors? How did that all happen when it was never me?? How kind am I to a sick elderly neighbor who needs me now to call. We talk about verses now. Who can I share my faith with in prayer not just so I can say I did? And pray beforehand?? And praise God for helping me with all our too early handicaps. My husband and I. Lest I lose sight of all the blessings even in these dark days my husband and I are experiencing. Thank you for what I took personally not as a way to attack “those” people

  33. Yvonne – thank you for posting this Bible study. I must fix my eyes on Jesus to stop my own eye problems!

  34. Thank you Yvonne — I too have an “eye”- “I” problem. When I fix my eyes on Jesus and stop trying to fix it myself “I” it always works out for the best! And why not — Jesus wants only the best for us. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly!! Thank you so much for your Sunday morning blogs! God Bless you!
    Kathy

  35. How sad that it is our judges who are now changing our land and our future! What a perfect scripture for this time. My favorite thing I read recently was “Spoiler alert – Jesus wins!” And those whose eyes are focused on Christ will be winners also despite what evil judges and people choose to do.

  36. Donna Brown says:

    Thanks for this message, as this is a time of struggle in our church about building or saving back for disasters. I feel God will
    take care of me (if it is in his will) because I believe, trust and know he is my Saviour. Some times I feel alone in my feelings.
    If it is my time to leave this earth then I am ready.

  37. Yvonne, I read your post Sunday morning before going to church. As I was reading, I was in awe of how relevant this scripture is regarding society today. And guess what???? Our pastor’s sermon that morning was from Judges 21:25!!! May God bless you and the work you are doing for Him.

  38. Amazing word!! Thank you so much!!!!

  39. Shameka from STL says:

    Thank you for sharing this!