 |
| To Part 1 |
If you and I are so inclined to do what is right in our own eyes rather than God’s eyes according to His Word, it is highly unwise, foolish, arrogant, and disobedient on our part. Should this apply to us, we might just be a Christian redneck or an OT Jewish fool (or redneck!).
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jdg 21:25).
“In those days there was no king in Israel.”
This clause is referring to the pre-monarchical period of the Judges (c.1383 – c.1051 B.C.). Unlike the rest of the nations on earth, Israel was under a theocracy, Divine rule, rather than a king or a monarch. Among evangelical conservative scholars, there is a general agreement that this time initiated at the death of Joshua (c.1383 B.C., Josh 24:29; cf. Josh 14:7-10) and concluded with the coronation of Saul as monarch (c.1051 B.C.). It is important to note that the rub is not in the bookends but in the time in between them (thus the use of c. or circa). Even so, the dates given here are within the range of evangelical conservatism. We will leave the good scholars to their academic battles.
The exodus out of Egypt was c.1445 B.C. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for approximately 40 years (probably 38) until 1405 B.C. At that time, they crossed over the river Jordan, and the corporate conquest of the promised land (all 12 tribes participating as a unit) began. The first target selected by Yahweh was the city of Jericho. This military campaign against the inhabitants of the land of milk and honey lasted for about 7 years and was completed c.1398 B.C. (cf. Josh 11:18; 21:43-45).
The mop-up operation of residual inhabitants was left up to the individual tribes to test their obedience to God (cf. Josh 23:11-13; Jdg 2:20-23). Joshua died 15 years later, c.1383. And from this time forth to c. 1051 B.C., with the crowning of Saul as the first king of Israel, the rule of life was not the Law of Moses but everyone doing what was right in his or her own eyes.
“Everyone did”
This spiritual anarchy was more inclusive than to a limited few which is why I say that a Christian redneck can apply to all, not just to poor southern white boys or those redneck OT saints during the judges. Gender, race (there were proselytes), age, socio-economics, education, etcetera were not factors because doing what is right in your own eyes transcends all of that.
“What was right in his own eyes (understanding)”
Whatever happened to the oath of the people in Shechem?
“And the people said to Joshua, ‘The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey’” (Josh 24:24, emphasis mine)!
There was a large stone set up under a terebinth tree as a witness to this covenant (Josh 24:26-27). It is implied in v31 that this covenant was broken after the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel passed away, and Israel no longer served Yahweh,
“Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel” (Josh 24:31).
There is no mention of any service to God after the death of the elders! Though this turbulent time was before the monarchy, they still had the Law of Moses and all the instructions from Moses about living in the land. They were forewarned to avoid adopting the practices of the inhabitants of the land, but for one reason or another, they broke their agreement of serving only Yahweh and followed the dictates of their own hearts, which naturally lead to idolatry.
At this juncture, their standard of living or rule life was based on what they thought was right in their own eyes rather than in the sight of God. Believers don’t just automatically reject God’s authority; there is usually a ramp-up in going downward! God doesn’t care what we think is right; His directive is that we do right according to His standard of righteousness, not our own. Israel made a covenant; they broke it. This covenant was perpetually binding; it mattered not if another generation rationalized, “That was then, this is now.” In so doing, they rejected Yahweh’s authority to call the shots in a theocracy!
Everybody is doing their own thing on what is right or feels right. Sounds like today, eh? What is right is predicated on their own understanding. Feels right is a poor standard because it projects no accountability. What is right now may not be right tomorrow! Who is to say differently? If you do, you are considered judgmental. Free-spirited thinking that contradicts the principles of Scripture is a Satanic entrapment and introduces chaos and challenges to any nation. My pastor was spot on when he said, “What feels right and what is right are not always the same thing” (Dr. Alan Lockerman, 9.30.12).
“Right”
Whenever I read this, I think of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” How much misery could have been avoided if the Israelites would have stuck with the covenant made in Shechem! How much trouble could have never materialized in our lives had we stuck with the teaching of Scripture rather than launching out in disobedience? I guess we will find out when we get to glory.
“In his own eyes”
“In his own eyes”
This phrase reveals that the mindset or standard was self-driven; this is secular humanism in reality; God is not part of the equation of life; it is fraught with me-isms and also spawns the practice of atheism, “Man, not God, is believed to be the captain of his own ship!”
Sadly, Christians begin to buy into the pagan propositions of the world that the Bible is arcane, archaic, overrated, irrelevant, and full of philosophical potholes and contradictions. They claim it to be the work of man (contrast 2 Pet 1:20-21). The Apostle Paul, however, held to a loftier view concerning the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-17; Rom 15:4). Our view of God can be no higher than our view of Scripture.
Truth shifted from the objective standard of God’s Word (in this case, the Law of Moses) to the subjective and relative standards of human emotions, fleshly impulses, and experiences. What we have here embedded in Jdg 21:25 is historical evidence of a philosophy of existentialism (a philosophical system of relative truth – everyone did what was right in his own eyes) in existence over 3,000 years prior to the 20th-century existential movement in Europe. The antediluvian civilization in Noah's day essentially did the same thing (Gn 6:5); it all leads to destruction. This is a classic example in Judges that illustrates that there are no new heresies under the sun, only a change of clothing.
The period of the Judges was a time of “what is true to me is the truth.” Feelings and experience became the main drivers of relative truth, subjective truth, human reasoning, rationale, and logic that deliberately ignored the absolute, objective, propositional, and directional truth of God’s Word. Every man doing right in his own eyes was nothing more than a testament to making up the truth on the fly via one’s own gut feelings or perceptual experiences. It is difficult to dislodge an opinion that transcends the Word of God!
In Jesus’ day, the entrenched traditions of men trumped the Word of God (Mk 7:9); during the period of the Judges and even today, the truth was a derivative of subjective experiences of own eyes-living. Through an own eyes worldview, the eyes of man became superior to the eyes of the Creator God! We do well to heed these ancient truths because straying from the Word of God is the pseudospiritual forerunner of a host of spiritual errors.
Prov 3:7,
Do not be wise in your own eyes [but everyone was doing right in his own eyes back in the Judges and even today!]; fear the LORD and depart from evil [“own eyes- living” accelerates evil!]. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones [own eyes-living proved to be unhealthy spiritually and physically!].”
Hello? Why is the dog chasing its tail today? Einstein was right, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result! This is not a repeat of history; what is repeating is that history teaches us that man does not learn from history! We are prone to make the same mistakes over and over and over, tail chasing an insane idea (cf. Jer 17:9).
Deut 13:18, Moses tells the people concerning living in the promised land that it pays to listen to the voice of Yahweh their God; blessings follow obedience. This happens when “…you have listened to the voice of the LORD your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God” [emphasis mine]).
Though we are not under a theocracy as was Israel, the principle is germane today, blessings follow obedience. If we pursue doing what is right in our own eyes rather than in the sight of God, disobedience most certainly brings about chastening, which is not a fun time (cf. Heb 12:11).
And this is the pivotal difference between a Christian redneck or an atheist and a true, responsible, and faithful follower of Jesus Christ; the former blazes a trail in his own eyes; the latter is doing what is right in God’s eyes by keeping His commandments. The former sees the world through his eyes; the latter sees the world through the eyes of the Creator God. You can choose the rose-tinted glasses of sin or the clear objective truth through the lens of Scripture?
We all have an innate tendency to incline toward doing what is right in our own eyes or what makes sense to us because of our sinful nature. Rednecks can be quite reactionary and vocal, to say the least, if called out or questioned on it. If you ever tried to convince a redneck, you might just be a redneck! Some reactions are these.
“Mind your own business!”
“How dare you judge me!”
“How dare you force your values on me!”
“That’s your interpretation!”
Check this proverb out,
“Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov 9:8).
Why would a wise person love you for rebuking him? Because a wise person doesn’t want to think, speak, or act unwisely. A fool is just the opposite.
Prov 17:10,
“Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.”
The older and “wiser” I become; the easier it is for me to spot a fool, particularly in times of rebuke.
When you are unsure of what to do, obeying the teaching of Scripture is always the right thing to do (cf. 2 Tim 3:16-17). Feelings come and go; experience can be misleading.
Prov 28:26,
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool [cf. Jer 17:9], but whoever walks wisely will be delivered” (cf. Jer 17:10, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”).
Jer 16:12
“And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me.”
I like the expression found in Jer 34:15, “You … turned and did what was right in My sight….” What a contrast to a Jdg 21:25 mindset that challenges God’s authority to rule in your life and a stark testament to a lack of love for God (cf. Deut 5:10; Jn 14:15).
Wouldn't this make for a cool verse if Jdg 21:25 actually said,
“In those days... everyone did what was right in the eyes of God.”
If this had been the case, there would have been no desire to seek a king like all the other nations of the earth.
“In the eyes of God” is the antithesis or the exact opposite of being a Christian redneck or an atheist – doing what is right in God’s eyes never conflicts with the Word of God. Own eyes-living is nothing short of being foolish, rebellious, and arrogant to do what is right in our own eyes because it says in effect, “I know better than Yahweh; I don’t need Him telling me what is right or what to do.”
Prov 12:15,
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise [emphasis mine].”
Psa 14:1a,
“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
This could be interpreted as the fool denying the existence of God or challenging the authority of God. This is the irreverent, “Talk to the hand,” posture in the face of God verse – “no God.”
Now, allow me to show you historically the byproduct of doing what is right in our own eyes or being an OT saint redneck or a “Christian” redneck today. I am being nice by referring to them as “saints.” I seriously doubt that all of their own eyes-living kind of people were true believers.
There were seven cycles of apostasies, servitudes, and deliverances during the period of the Judges due to the fruit of own eyes-living as opposed to His eyes-living. There was sin, suffering, supplication, and salvation (physical deliverance from oppression). This went on for about 400 years or less. Seven times they forsook God; seven times God punished them; seven times they repented; seven times God delivered them.
God wants to be Lord in our life. Idolatry represented or symbolized a total rejection of Yahweh (polytheism was a rejection of monotheism, Ex 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”). Take note of this about idolatry; idolatry can be more than something simply represented by wood, stone, or metal. Anything (person, place, or thing (an idea, for instance) that competes for the will of God for our lives falls into the category of being guilty of idolatry. Cogitate on that for a while.
The ripple effect of every man doing what was right through his own eyes-living rather than doing right in God’s eyes was in reality an opposition to God reigning over them (an issue with authority) with that rejection culminating in the establishment of a monarchy under Saul (1051 B.C.), symbolizing the nation’s rejection of God reigning over them by desiring a king like the other nations (1 Sam 8:7). Goodness, “like all the nations” (1 Sam 8:5) became the template and trouble of Israel throughout the rest of its history. That ball quit rolling by 70 A.D. with the demolishing of the nation of Israel after Rome dispatched Titus to put an end to the Jewish revolt.
I have this theory about the nation of Israel wanting a king. I think one of the reasons that they wanted a king was in order to keep their options open to retain their pet sins. Get a king to address the oppression aspect, and we keep your pet sin which is the cause of the oppression. Such faulty thinking led to greater and graver oppressions, leading to death, destruction, and deportations, and eventually the utter destruction of the nation of Israel. What a rollercoaster ride of Israel's history from c.1383 B.C. to 70 A.D.! In May of 1948, Israel became a nation once again, unoccupied by Gentiles, but they still are in desperate need of the Lord now as they were in Jesus’ day.
So much for distinctiveness as God’s people when we choose to be like all the nations of the earth! If you lose your identity as a follower of Yahweh, you might be a redneck….
Think about your behavior in light of “You might be a Christian redneck if…”:
You might be a Christian redneck if you do what is right in your own eyes rather than God’s.
If you think that you can violate the teaching of Scripture and still be blessed by God, you might be a Christian redneck.
You might be a Christian redneck if you claim to love God but are disobedient to His commandments.
If you think you can circumvent personal accountability by being ignorant of the Word, you might be a Christian redneck.
You might be a Christian redneck if you camouflage your true spirituality around others and forget that the tree reveals the fruit.
If you think you can be at odds with God and still have the peace of God, you might be a Christian redneck.
You might be a Christian redneck if you think that the attributes of God are metaphorical and not literal.
If you replace the objective truth of God’s Word with your feelings, you might be a Christian redneck.
In order for us to do what is right in God’s eyes, we have to learn the Word, love the Word, and live the Word. By so doing, we are not acting like Christian rednecks or atheists but as true, responsible, and faithful followers of Jesus Christ! People need to see Christ in us, the hope of glory, not someone ignorant of God’s Word, struggling with God's authority in their life, or acting like an atheist – thinking, speaking, and behaving as if God doesn’t exist. Where is the hope of glory in all of that?
It’s easier on the mind and body and far more rewarding to be a disciple of Jesus Christ than being a Christian acting like a redneck or an atheist. It all boils down to what worldview are you basing what is the right thing to do in life, God’s or your own? If you do the latter, you might just be a redneck or an atheist from a practical point of view.
The period of the Judges was a dark and painful time to be sure. Why would we want to go there and invite trouble in our life by doing what is right in our own eyes rather than in the sight of God? Those cycles of madness during the time of the Judges are worth avoiding! If you like unnecessary trouble in your life, you might be a Christian redneck!
Can a believer really act like a redneck or an atheist? Yes, the fruit reveals the tree, right? If you remain spiritually ignorant of the Word, buck the authority of God at every turn, and go about your daily routine as if God doesn’t exist, you might be acting like a Christian redneck or an atheist, and that, my friends, is giving you the benefit of the doubt. I say that only because in reality, all of that rotten fruit is very telling of the tree! <><
%20MG%20t-bkgrd%2060x44.png){kind=small}
%20sunflower%20makeover%2045x63.png){kind=small}
