Many people remember a repeated phrase from Judges: Every man did what was right in his own eyes. We understand the principle of that phrase, but we seldom see it illustrated like in Judges 17-18. These chapters feature a man stealing from his mom, a graven image dedicated to Yahweh, a priest hired to serve the idol, a tribe choosing their own inheritance and annihilating a defenseless people, and that tribe stealing the idol and the priest. How could they get away with all this? It was because Israel had no king. No one was upholding the law of God and the punishments that rebellion demanded. Although they had God as their king, they had no interest in following Him or His rules. They were intent on doing what they thought was a good idea. Their self-guidance led them to break God’s commands against stealing, idolatry, and murder. Add to that the priest, who should know better, does nothing to stop this. Instead of defending the prescribed worship of Yahweh, he enabled syncretism. His silence makes him complicit in not only the idolatry of one man but the stealing and idolatry of a whole tribe. We must be careful not to fall into the same pattern of thinking. I don’t think that we should give them a pass as if they didn’t know any better. However, I do think that we have greater resources. And we will face a greater judgment because of the revelation we’ve received. We have the Bible anywhere we need it. And James warns us about the foolishness of being a hearer, but not a doer. So we have no excuse when we do what is right in our own eyes. We must not compromise so that we can enjoy the world. We must never fear standing out as a Christian. No one should ever say of us that we did what was right in our own eyes! The availability of God’s Word limits our excuses. We know; the question is “Will we do it?” –Pastor Rory
Sunday at Liberty
9AM: God Protects the People–Ezra 8
10AM: Pastor Nate–A Rebellious Priest–Judges 17-18 (sermon notes)
11:45AM: Potluck
12:30PM: First Quarter Meeting
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