Judges 17:6, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.“
We often hear that things are different today, that times have changed. But an honest look at the world we live in, compared to the men of old, reveals that man’s nature has not changed at all. Sure, there are always segments of the population that are honestly seeking to serve the Lord and walk faithfully according to His will. However, it seems likely that we are living in an age not unlike the days leading up to the “Great Deluge” or the time prior to the destruction of the “Cities of the Plains.”
I believe that what was true of Israel in Judges 17:6 is also true of us today. True in our homes, our nations and sadly even in the church. It is not that we do not have a King, for we do (1 Timothy 6:15). But this King and his proclamations we have ignored. We have become guilty of relying on the unreliable wisdom of man. “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
Our homes are filled with promiscuity, a lack of discipline and structure. Christ is not the nucleus around which the family is structured. There is a lack of love, compassion and respect for God and thus for each other.
Our society has deteriorated to the point where what God calls good is spoken evil of and what God condemns is now socially acceptable. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).
And as the home and society has left off Christ; the church has become infected with sin. Man’s way and not God’s Way has become more and more the pattern we behold. Compromise, selfishness and a lack of humility have led many congregations down the dark valley of apostasy. A lack of love and respect for God and His Word, a people void of zeal for the old paths has left men with false hope.
Friends, God’s proclamation is true! In Ezekiel 22:30 God said He, “sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” Will He say the same for our generation?