“Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” – Judges 17:6
The book of Judges is one of the saddest and most confusing books in the Bible. Over and over again, God’s people turn from Him, get in trouble, cry out, and God rescues them. Then they go back to their sin again. There was no king in Israel, and everyone just did what they thought was best. No standard. No fear of God. Just feelings, opinions, judgment and chaos.
Judges 17 is a strange and sad chapter. It doesn’t have a battle or a big miracle. Instead, it gives us a look into the broken spiritual life of Israel at that time. It starts with a man named Micah—not the prophet Micah, but just a regular man from the tribe of Ephraim.
Micah had stolen a large amount of silver from his own mother. When he heard her curse whoever took it, he got scared and confessed. His mom was so happy he returned it that she said she’d dedicate it to the Lord. But instead of giving it to the tabernacle or to God’s work, she used the silver to make idols.
Then Micah made a house of gods. He set up his own worship system and even made one of his sons a priest. Later, a Levite came through town. Now, Levites were supposed to serve in the temple, not go freelancing. But Micah offered him money and a place to stay, and the Levite took the deal. Micah was thrilled—he thought that having a real Levite made everything okay.
Micah said, “Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest” (Judges 17:13). But he was dead wrong. You can’t buy God’s blessing. His religion was made-up, and his heart was far from the Lord.
This chapter shows what happens when people try to mix God’s name with man’s ways. It looks religious, but it’s all wrong. It’s one of the clearest pictures in the Bible of man-made religion that has no power and no truth.
And all of it starts and ends with that chilling phrase:
“Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
When we throw out God’s Word and do what we think is best, things always fall apart.
Let’s look at five dangerous substitutes we find in this chapter—and how we still see them today.
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1. Substitute for God’s Law: Personal Morality
Judges 17:2 – “And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee… behold, the silver is with me; I took it.”
Micah stole a big amount of money from his mom. But he didn’t confess because he feared the Lord. He gave it back because he felt bad and got nervous. He was sorry, but not repentant.
Proverbs 14:12 – “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
People today still live this way. They follow their heart instead of the Bible. They say things like, “I just feel like this is right for me.” But feelings don’t change truth.
“Follow your heart” has replaced “follow God.”
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2. Substitute for God’s Worship: Homemade Religion
Judges 17:3-4 – “I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord… yet he made thereof a graven image and a molten image.”
Micah’s mom talked like she loved the Lord. But then she used the silver to make an idol—something God had clearly said not to do. She mixed truth with error, just like many do now.
2 Timothy 3:5 – “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
People will say, “I’m blessed” or “God knows my heart,” but they live however they want. There’s a cross on the wall, but sin in the house. They want the feel of religion without the obedience.
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3. Substitute for God’s House: A Personal Shrine
Judges 17:5 – “And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.”
Micah didn’t want to follow God’s design. He built his own little worship center and made his son the priest. He created his own version of church.
Hebrews 10:25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.”
A lot of folks now say, “I worship God my own way,” or “My home is my church.” That’s not how God set it up. God uses the local church to teach, train, and send His people. Lone ranger Christianity skips God’s plan.
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4. Substitute for God’s Priesthood: Hired Religion
Judges 17:10 – “And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me… and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year… So the Levite went in.”
Micah finds a Levite and pays him to be his personal priest. Not because he was called. Just because it was convenient. Micah thought, “Now the Lord will bless me.”
John 6:26 – “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves.”
Some people only want church or religion if it benefits them. They treat God like a lucky charm—something to help their business or fix their problems. It’s not “What can I do for God?” It’s “What can God do for me?”
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5. Substitute for God’s Authority: Self-Rule
Judges 17:6 – “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
This is the real problem behind all the others. No final authority. No fear of God. Just people making their own rules.
2 Timothy 4:3 – “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
We live in a world where people rewrite truth, ignore conviction, and make themselves the boss. They pick what they want to believe and toss out the rest.
Feelings over faith. Opinion over obedience.
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Judges 17 sounds like today. When people stop following God’s Word, they don’t stop being “religious”—they just replace the real thing with something that feels good. Substitutes might look right, but they lead us away from the truth.
Let’s not fall for the fakes. Let’s follow the Lord fully—with His Word, His worship, His church, His calling, and His authority. Anything else is just a cheap knockoff.
