How does Judges 17:6 illustrate the dangers of moral relativism in society? The Context of Judges 17:6 - Judges 17 details Micah’s household idols and the hiring of a wandering Levite as a personal priest. - Verse 6 sums up the spiritual vacuum behind it all: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” - The book repeatedly echoes this refrain (Judges 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), underscoring a pattern, not a one-time lapse. A Snapshot of Moral Relativism - “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” describes moral relativism—truth defined by personal preference rather than by God’s revealed standard. - Scripture warns against such self-made ethics: • Proverbs 14:12 – “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” • Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” • Deuteronomy 12:8 – “You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes.” - When God’s objective truth is sidelined, individual opinion becomes the final authority, opening the door to spiritual confusion and societal decay. Consequences Then and Now - Spiritual compromise • Idolatry flourished in Micah’s home (Judges 17:3–5). • When truth is negotiable, false worship rushes in (Romans 1:21-25). - Breakdown of authority • With “no king,” civil order weakened. • Relativism erodes respect for any God-given leadership—parents, church, or government (Romans 13:1). - Social chaos • Judges 19–21 records violence, civil war, and near annihilation of a tribe. • Where everyone writes his own rules, the vulnerable suffer and justice collapses. - Loss of gospel witness • Israel was meant to model God’s righteousness (Deuteronomy 4:6-8). • A relativistic church loses credibility and blurs the line between holy and profane (1 Peter 2:9-12). The Call to Objective Truth - God’s Word stands as the unchanging measure: “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) - Truth is located in a Person: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’” (John 14:6) - Submission to Christ’s authority rescues us from doing “what is right in our own eyes.” Living Under Christ’s Lordship Today - Anchor daily decisions in Scripture, not shifting cultural moods. - Teach the next generation objective truth early and often (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). - Hold leaders—spiritual and civil—accountable to God’s standard while honoring their God-given role. - Confront idolatry in all its modern forms: self-gratification, materialism, misplaced loyalties. - Cultivate church communities that model humility, repentance, and righteous living as a counter-culture to relativism. Judges 17:6 is more than ancient history; it spotlights the perennial danger of a society that crowns personal opinion as king. God’s unchanging Word offers the only reliable compass, steering hearts and cultures back to life, order, and blessing. |
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