The Right To Decide

TITLE: THE RIGHT TO DECIDE

SCRIPTURE: JUDGES 21:25 / PROVERBS 14;12

The OT book of JUDGES is a book about apathy and apostasy! About a time when the chosen people of God turn away from Him and did what was right in their own eyes. From the time the people of Israel knew and followed God until the apostasy, or falling away of their faith, took a mere couple of generations! WOW! After JOSHUA, a great and mighty servant of the Lord, died and his generation along with him the next generation did not know God.

• Oh, they knew of God

• But did not know Him and His Word

• They were no longer obedient to Him and did not cling to His ways!

It is a lesson in what happens to an individual and a nation as they stray from being committed to knowing and following the Lord - When God is no longer important and the very center of their lives.

• It teaches us about what happens when we start doing what we think is best and not what God knows is best!

• The downward spiral and unravelling of a person and a society is jaw-dropping!

• The book of Judges is very, extremely, overwhelmingly relevant for not only us but for our nation today!

God chose the people of Israel to be a light in a dark world. To shine so that as they lived and obeyed the Lord, they would show just who God was to a world that was mired in idolatry and spiritual darkness! The Israelites were to be the way the whole world would come to know God and worship Him!

• God promised to bless them so greatly, if they obeyed Him, that all the world would wonder who the great and benevolent God of the Jews was

• In ancient times everyone believed in a god

But God also promised the people of Israel that if they would turn away from Him and not obey Him and would be a bad representation of who He was to the world that He would punish them.

• Not because He was mean or spiteful

• But because of God’s righteous judgement

• The people of Israel had made a covenant, better than a promise, and agreed to this deal

• They would come to understand, every evil act has a consequence

God punished the Israelites as a way of waking them up so they would turn from their evil ways and turn back to Him. And in turning back to Him the Israelites would again show the world who the real God is.

• During the time of Judges, the stubborn nation of Israel started a very dangerous and downward spiral!

• They would turn away from God and…“DO WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD”

• Seven times in the book of Judges do we find these words

The Bible says in this OT book, every man did was right in his own eyes.

• We are not talking about people who chose to do wrong here

• They chose to do right

• The Bible says - but they chose for themselves what was right

• These are sincere people who said, “I want to do right, but I will decide what’s right”

This is the condition our nation is in today.

• We are in a state of Unrest

• We are in a state of Distress

• We are in a state of Confusion

• Because we as a nation have decided to do what is right

• What is right in our own eyes

May I say, the word of God should decide what is right! The King James Bible tells us what is right. Let’s walk down the road of history together for a few moments -- The devil came to Eve in the GARDEN OF EDEN and quoted God’s Word to Eve. Satan said, “IF YOU WILL JUST EAT OF THE TREE, YOU WILL BE AS GODS KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL.”

• So, Eve said, “I want to know what’s good and what’s right, what’s so bad about that”

• Eve ate of the tree of the Garden so she could decide for herself what’s good and evil

Hear me clearly this morning –

• No one has a right to decide what is good or evil

• No Preacher has a right to decide what is good or evil

• No Church has a right

• No Young person has a right

• No Government has a right

• No Feminist has a right, to decide for them self what is good and evil

• God has the only right to decide what’s good and evil

The Bible says that every man did right; but he decided what was right in his own eyes.