Our culture is constantly consumed by individualism. We glorify it as what freed us from the chains of England in the revolutionary war. It is what marked Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, and the reformers who broke away from the Catholic Church claiming salvation by grace alone by faith alone. The institution no longer held sway over the individual believer. As time has progressed, our culture has become well more progressive. In fact the motto of the culture has become, “I can do what I want, when I want to do it, with whomever I wish.” We have incorporated a very sweet caveat to that to free us from the guilt that accompanies statements like that. We add, “as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody.”
However, those who have trail blazed their own morality haven’t found amazing success. A lot of pain, hurt, and struggle have accompanied those who have said, “No thanks” to God’s standard for living and not only have some settled for a lesser life, but more importantly people have gotten hurt. Relationship decisions have left people broken hearted, which counts as someone getting hurt. Children have grown up not knowing fathers or have grown up not wanting to commit, because they have come to realize marriage is a failed institution.
Contemporary America is facing a time of making our own morality. But so did ancient Israel. During the time of the Judges, the motto was similar. “Do what is right in your own eyes.”
This 5 part series, Making My Own Morality, walks through the story of Judges starting with the death of a great and godly leader Joshua and ending in rape, murder, and civil war. The verse that resonates as the theme verse for this series is In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).
