Right in Their Own Eyes
Scripture Reading: Judges 20-21; Luke 18; Psalm 99
Today we come to the end of the book of Judges—a book filled with difficult stories, moral collapse, and spiritual confusion. It reads less like a series of children’s Bible stories and more like a documentary of a nation unraveling. But the final verse captures the heart of the matter:
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” —Judges 21:25
That verse is not just descriptive—it’s diagnostic. This is what happens when people reject God's authority: chaos reigns. Since the Fall, human hearts have been bent toward sin, and God in His mercy has provided restraints to hold back evil: the family, the church, and the civil government.
None of these institutions are perfect. But without them, we see the results all too clearly: the breakdown of order, morality, and compassion. Just read Judges.
There’s a reason why the family is under attack—because it’s God’s first line of defense in forming character and passing on truth. The church, when healthy, teaches us to walk in grace and truth together. And governments, though flawed, are tasked by God to uphold justice and restrain evil.
When these fail or are undermined, we begin to live like the Israelites of old—everyone doing what’s right in their own eyes.
But here's the good news: we do have a King. Judges ends with the longing for one, but the rest of Scripture points us to Jesus—the righteous King who reigns in truth and grace. Where human institutions fall short, He never does.
So we pray for strong families, healthy churches, and just governments. And more than that, we commit ourselves to being faithful—raising our children in truth, living as active members of the body of Christ, and doing our part as citizens to uphold what is good.
And we look to Jesus, the true King, who alone can rule our hearts and restore our world.
