At the end of Judges, we find one of the most heartbreaking verses in all of Scripture:
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
– Judges 21:25
It’s hard to believe this came immediately after the people of Israel renewed their covenant with God in the book of Joshua. What changed? How did the generation that declared loyalty to the Lord drift so far into disobedience?
And maybe more convicting, how often do we do the same?
A Tale of Two Moments: Joshua vs. Judges
Let’s look at two powerful moments. One in Joshua, one in Judges.
In Joshua 24:
The people renew their covenant with God. Joshua reminds them of everything God has done to bring them to this point:
“Any greatness Israel achieved was not by her effort but through God’s grace and enablement… their conquests, deliverances, and prosperity were because of God’s good mercies.”¹
Then he draws a line in the sand:
“Choose this day whom you will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
– Joshua 24:15
The people insist they will be faithful. Joshua warns them of the cost. They double down. A stone of witness is raised.
It’s a moment of commitment, clarity, and spiritual focus.
In Judges 17:
We meet Micah, who confesses he stole 1,100 pieces of silver from his mother. Instead of rebuke, she praises him and turns the silver into an idol. Micah creates a shrine in his house and installs his own son as priest until he finds a wandering Levite to replace him.
“A carved image and a cast idol” represented two different forms of forbidden worship – yet both were welcomed into Micah’s home.²
We’re told again:
“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” – Judges 17:6
Micah was worshiping… but on his own terms.
What Changed?
The short answer: everything.
In Joshua, the people had godly leadership. Joshua followed God closely and called the people to account. While they weren’t perfect, Achan’s sin and the Gibeonite treaty come to mind, they were quick to repent and realign with God’s instruction.
But in Judges, we see cycles of disobedience and chaos. There’s no central leadership, and people continually drift into idolatry and rebellion. Instead of living by God’s standard, they lived by their feelings and cultural norms.
As I wrote in response to a classmate’s post about Jericho and leadership:
“Even when [Rehoboam] was given counsel by the elders and had access to the vast amounts of wisdom in Solomon’s legacy, he rejected all of it.”
And I see myself in that. How often do we ignore godly wisdom because we want control, ease, or approval?
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God’s Mercy in the Midst of Rebellion
The most stunning part of the Judges story isn’t the disobedience. It’s God’s response.
He could have turned away completely, but He didn’t.
He continued to raise up deliverers, continued to keep His covenant.
God also allowed natural consequences to unfold, like Micah’s idols and priest being stolen (Judges 18), showing how weak our man-made gods really are.
“God allowed the situation to play out naturally instead of punishing Micah directly.” And in that, we still see grace.
Even in disobedience, God was present, waiting, working, calling His people back.
What This Means for Us
This story hits too close to home.
We’ve all had Joshua 24 moments where we recommit, re-center, and declare, “I’m in.” And we’ve all had Judges 17 moments, where compromise sneaks in, and we begin shaping our lives around what seems right in our own eyes.
But here’s the hope: God’s grace never runs out.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
– Isaiah 1:18
If you’ve drifted, turn around. Repent. Let Him cleanse the idols and realign your heart.
His mercy doesn’t excuse sin, but it meets you right in the middle of it and leads you home.
Footnotes:
- Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 369.
- F. Duane Lindsey, “Judges,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 1, 409.
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