Right in His Own Eyes

Man to Man  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  44:14
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Right in His Own Eyes

Judges 17:6 KJV 1900
6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
It was God’s desire to be King to the children of Israel. God gave them His commandments through Moses and spoke to them about blessing and the curse. It says it this way in
Jeremiah 7:23–24 KJV 1900
23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
Walking in their own plans made them worse and further separated them from God and His promise “that it goes well with you”.

Evil in the Sight of the Lord

Judges 2:11 KJV 1900
11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:
We find this recurring statement “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord” through Judges, Kings, Chronicles, all through Israel’s history.

Evil: that which is not morally pure or good according to a proper standard this evil hinders or severs a relationship to a person or principle which is proper

But that is a very clinical definition. We need some real examples of evil and how it affects the lives of people. In
Genesis 37:20 KJV 1900
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
The brothers of Joseph were jealous of the attention their father paid Joseph and sought:
to kill him
to abort his dreams
and to separate him from their father
We find the prophetic dream of Pharoah in
Genesis 41:19 KJV 1900
19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
The dream of Pharoah about the future of Egypt was of seven healthy cows that represented seven years of plenty.
This was followed by seven poor, very ill favored, leanfleshed cows that represented seven years of famine that consumed everything in the land. Badness like had never been seen in Egypt.
In the history of the Kings of Israel there were many the “did evil” as found in
2 Chronicles 21:19 KJV 1900
19 And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
This king, Jehoram, died in terrible agony … with no one’s regret.
We have already defined evil as:
That which is not morally pure or good according to a proper standard
That evil is that which hinders or severs a relationship to a person or principle which is proper

How evil is experienced

1. The Bible uses many words to indicate evil, like: bad, wicked, no good
2. poor, no good, - that which has undesireable features and so, lesser or no value (Lev 27:10ab)
3. fierce or wild - that which can harm or injure (Ge 37:20)
4. sad - sorrow or troubled feelings (Ge 40:7)
5. troubled - miserable, distressed, an attitude or emotion of anxiety and worry (Ps 94:13)
6. ugly, unseemly - physically undesireable in appearance (Ge 41:3, 4+ )
7. evil spirit - as tormented Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14
8. bad name, of bad reputation - bad that is said about another person, warranted or not (Dt 22:14, 19; Ne 6:13)
9. great pain, horrible torment - evil of disease - to have a high degree of physical pain and discomfort (2Ch 21:19+ )
But, what is described as “vanity”, “an evil disease” is in
Ecclesiastes 6:2 KJV 1900
2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

How evil is seen by the Lord

Evil may be described as sin, wickedness, iniquity, wrongdoing
But there is also a focus of liability or guilt for the wrongs incurred.
There is guilt, a judicial state of being liable for a wrong done, and so a punishment or judicial sentence (1Sa 20:8)
And, punishment means to justly inflict pain or damage to an object as a consequence of the object’s state of guilt or liability.
In God’s eyes, there is perfect judgement, perfect justice, and perfect punishment.
Exodus 34:7 KJV 1900
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

What God Said

God had instructed the Children of Israel as in
Exodus 20:4–6 KJV 1900
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
They were not to make “divine images”
But the children of Israel responded to the Prophet Jeremiah this way when they were admonished to change their ways in
Jeremiah 44:16–17 KJV 1900
16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
Again, the Lord has explained that there is a way to blessing, and it is to follow the Lord. He says to the Children of Israel again in
Deuteronomy 12:8 KJV 1900
8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
He doesn’t say they cannot do what they think is right in their own minds. God will never force you or override your free will to choose.
He does say “you must not”, but why? Because evil brings destruction.
Proverbs gives us a different view that says in
Proverbs 14:12 KJV 1900
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
What we learn through the natural world is the way of death.
There is another way, the way of life.
Proverbs also says in
Proverbs 12:15 KJV 1900
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: But he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

God is speaking the way of life

God is speaking but are we listening? God’s voice was heard long ago as it says in
Deuteronomy 4:36 KJV 1900
36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.
In the Old Testament, His voice was to teach us.
In the Old Testament, His voice was accompanied by fire.
This experience was beyond their ability to endure as in
Hebrews 12:18–21 KJV 1900
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
This was the problem in the Old Testament, God was separated from the people in the Holy of Holies. No one could stand in God’s presence and live except the High Priest once a year with the blood of atonement.
Now though, Jesus Christ has finished the sacrifice becoming the atonement for us all so that we can come into God’s presence as in
Hebrews 12:22–24 KJV 1900
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
And here is the warning to us that we not fall into the ways of the Children of Israel as they did as “every man did that which was right in his own eyes”.
We are to “watch out” as it says in
Hebrews 12:25–29 KJV 1900
25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Worship Him in Spirit and Truth

Jesus explained that there was something new coming. God had always been seeking to restore a relationship with us spirit to spirit as in
John 4:23–24 KJV 1900
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
You may say, I already practice my religion.
If so, it may be a shock to you to know that Sodom and Gomorrah had religious practices as described in
Isaiah 1:10–15 KJV 1900
10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; Give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; And I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, Who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; The new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: They are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: Your hands are full of blood.
Their lives were not based on “the law of our God” so their religious practices were in vain.
God sees our heart as in
Isaiah 29:13 LEB
13 And the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with its mouth, and with its lips it honors me, and its heart is far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught,
There is a way that the world promotes as the way to prosperity and fulfillment but that is not God’s way. God’s way is in
Isaiah 58:8–14 LEB
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall grow quickly. And your salvation shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and Yahweh himself will answer. You shall cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am!’ If you remove from among you the yoke, the finger-pointing and evil speech, 10 if you offer your soul to the hungry, and you satisfy the appetite of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like noon. 11 And Yahweh will lead you continually, and satisfy your soul in a barren land, and he will strengthen your bones, and you shall be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water whose water does not fail. 12 And they shall rebuild ancient ruins from you; you shall erect the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the bricklayer of the breach, the restorer of paths to live in. 13 If you hold your foot back from the Sabbath, from doing your affairs on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a pleasure, the holy day of Yahweh honorable, if you honor him more than doing your ways, than finding your affairs and speaking a word, 14 then you shall take your pleasure in Yahweh, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth, and I will feed you the heritage of Jacob your ancestor, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
We are to follow God, not according to the “commandment of men” but

In Spirit

Galatians 4:6 KJV 1900
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

In Truth

Psalm 17:1 KJV 1900
1 Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

Those that are Right in His Eyes

Those that worship in spirit and truth.
Those that draw near with their hearts are described in
1 Peter 2:9 KJV 1900
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
These have a reverential response to the all-encompassing magnificence of God that we call worship.
Psalm 148:1–14 KJV 1900
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: Praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: Praise ye him, all his hosts. 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: For he commanded, and they were created. 6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, Ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; Stormy wind fulfilling his word: 9 Mountains, and all hills; Fruitful trees, and all cedars: 10 Beasts, and all cattle; Creeping things, and flying fowl: 11 Kings of the earth, and all people; Princes, and all judges of the earth: 12 Both young men, and maidens; Old men, and children: 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: For his name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven. 14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, The praise of all his saints; Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.
In the Old Testament, worship encompassed a variety of activities.
Bringing forward an offering to God was an act of worship (קָרַב‎, qārab).
Bowing down in the presence of God was an outward display of an inner attitude of reverence before the Creator (חָוָה‎, ḥāwâ).
The verb רוּם‎ (rûm) could indicate that a person was “lifting up” or “exalting” God with praise.
Together, these last two terms provide a rich image of worship: People both bow before God and lift him up in praise and wonder.
The verb הָלַל‎ (hālal) could be used to designate the act of celebrating God.
The word “hallelujah” is derived from the Hebrew phrase הַלְלוּ־יָהּ‎ (halĕlû-yāh), meaning “praise Yahweh.”
This praise could involve זָמַר‎ (zāmar, “singing”).
Worship could also be described as “serving” (עָבַד‎, ʿābad) God.
The ritual life of devotion was emblematic of a whole life given over to God.
The New Testament carries over many of these actions.
The verb προσκυνέω (proskyneō) means to bow down as an act of worship
while κάμπτω (kamptō) signifies bending the knee or bowing in reverence to God
Other words for praising God include δοξάζω (doxazō), for the act of giving God glory
and εὐλογέω (eulogeō), for praising or blessing God.
praise, praise song. Refers often to the praise or adoration due to God alone.
Psalm 100:4 LEB
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name.
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