Doing What Is Right in One's Own Eyes
Why do we call the time period covered by the Book of Judges "the dark ages"? The answer can be found in Judges 21:25: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25; cf. 17:6). The Israelites were morally and spiritually adrift. Micah thought God would bless him because he had a Levite living with him. How could anyone fail who had his own personal priest? However, not all Levites were priests. Besides, he had made a carved image and a molded image, as well as having household idols (Judges 17:4-5). Before the Levite came along, he had made one of his sons a priest. All of these actions lacked Biblical authority.
However, long before these events Moses accused Israel of the same practice and warned them: "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes" (Deut. 12:8). However, was there not a time previous to the era of Moses when the same thing occurred (by implication)? How about prior to the Flood? We read: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence" (Gen. 6:11). What? Did some believe in "the survival of the fittest"? It turns out that the fittest were those in spiritual accord with God—those who obeyed Him (Gen. 6:22; 7:5). They are the only ones who survived. The rest had given themselves over totally to thinking about evil (Gen. 6:5).
It seems that once again the earth has entered into a period where men are doing what is right in their own eyes. Do we really need proof that this is the case? Okay. Check the percentages of those living together before being married. Have they not rejected God's teaching concerning this moral issue and replaced it with their own idea? Do we not have a culture obsessed with the defense of homosexuality? All who do so are walking by their own judgment, having rejected God's revelation of truth on the matter. Despite God's institution of marriage being a lifetime commitment, human beings have decided they can marry and divorce freely to suit themselves.
Perhaps even worse is the fact that mankind thinks he knows better than God concerning salvation. He has decided that salvation by "faith only" is right in his own eyes. If he simply agrees that Jesus is the Son of God and maybe whispers the non-Biblical "sinner's prayer," this is all that is necessary. In his judgment, just asking Jesus to save him is all that it takes. He may or may not choose to be baptized. He may or may not desire to attend worship or be a part of any church (notwithstanding Jesus gave His blood to purchase it—Acts 20:28). Human judgment concludes, "I do not need to be obedient to the Scriptures—or even know what's in them; I'm basically a good person, and God will save me." Is that right?