04/10/2026
When Everyone Does What Is Right in Their Own Eyes
Judges 19:1, 22–25 (see also 21:25)
Judges 19 is one of the darkest chapters in Scripture. It tells the tragic story of a Levite, his concubine, and a community that had completely abandoned God’s ways. The repeated theme of this period is summed up later, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25).
Think about a team sport like football. If every player on a team, say the Atlanta Falcons, (feel like this is a reality sometimes 🤪) decided to ignore the playbook and just run whatever route or play felt right in the moment, the result would be chaos. Linemen wouldn’t block the right defenders, receivers would run conflicting routes, and the quarterback would have no structure to rely on. Talent wouldn’t matter, without shared direction, the team would fall apart.
Judges 19 shows a similar kind of breakdown, but on a societal level. When people reject God’s authority, moral structure collapses. What replaces it isn’t freedom, it’s confusion, harm, and injustice. The chapter is disturbing because it shows just how far things can go when God’s truth is abandoned.
This passage is not meant to be imitated, it’s meant to be a warning. It reminds us that we need God’s guidance just like a team needs a game plan. His ways bring order, protection, and life, things we can’t create on our own.
Where in my life am I ignoring God’s “playbook” and choosing my own way, and what would it look like to trust His direction instead?
