Right in Our Own Eyes

In my annual read through the Bible (October-September), I am now reading through Judges.  A frightening theme throughout the book is how the entire nation of God's people frequently turned away from worshiping and serving the Lord.  The book covers many generations, and throughout that time the people were very fickle in their commitment to the Lord.


There's a descriptive phrase that sticks in my mind, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 21:25).


This is a dangerous way to live.  And, if I may be frank, this same phrase describes our American society today.  So many people around us live by what they individually believe to be right, saying truth is relative, and that everyone is right if they just live according to their personal beliefs.  This is the mistake made by the people of Israel.


May I be even more frank?  Sometimes God's own people, purchased by the blood of Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, adopt the same "do whatever is right in my own eyes" mentality.

Dear Christian, our personal standards of right and wrong must be established by God's standards, as outlined in His Word.  If we go by the desires of our own hearts, we will be led astray.  Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?  I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."  In James 1:14-15 we read about where our personal desires can lead us: "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."

What does the Lord specifically say in His Word about a philosophy of doing what is right in our own eyes?  Deuteronomy 12:8 warns: "You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes."  Instead, this passage goes on to say, we are to live differently as God's own chosen people.


Further, the book of Proverbs offers us some clear words.  Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."  Proverbs 21:2 says, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart."


Just look back through the book of Judges (and many other parts of the Bible) and see the practical outworkings of living by "what's right in my own eyes."  We see just about every sin known to man, with horrendous consequences.  Living by this philosophy is never good. 


God's standards of right and wrong are what really matter.  When we stand before Him one day, as every person must do, He will not compare us to our own standards or the standards of others; He will compare us to the holy guidelines He gave us so clearly in His Word.


Dear Christian, let's spend time studying the Word of God and letting THAT determine our sense of right and wrong.  Then let us follow with unwavering obedience in doing what is right.  Nothing less will do.