Judges 21:25 — “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (NKJV)

The book of Judges ends in a mess.

Idolatry. Immorality. Violence. Confusion. God's people have drifted so far that some of the final chapters are difficult even to read.

Then the very last verse tells us what went wrong:

“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Notice what it doesn't say.

Everyone did what they knew was wrong.

They were doing what seemed right to them.

Somewhere along the way, the question had changed from, “What has God said?” to “What seems right to me?”

You can see it clearly in Micah's story.

In Judges 17, Micah makes an idol, establishes his own shrine, creates an ephod and household gods, and eventually hires a Levite to be his personal priest.

Then Micah says something astonishing:

“Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!” (Judges 17:13)

Don't miss that.

Micah was living contrary to God's Word while expecting God's blessing on it.

He hadn't completely removed God from his life. He had simply created a version of worship that worked for him.

And that may be one of the most dangerous forms of spiritual drift.

We can still talk about God, pray, attend church, and call ourselves followers of Jesus while quietly allowing our own desires to determine what is true, good, and right.

Judges repeatedly tells us why this was happening:

“There was no king in Israel.”

Everyone became their own authority.

And by the final chapter, we're meant to feel how badly God's people need a king.

But even the kings who eventually came would fail.

David failed.

Solomon failed.

Israel needed more than another human ruler.

They needed the King.

Jesus came declaring, “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). And unlike everyone doing what was right in their own eyes, Jesus perfectly submitted Himself to His Father, even praying before the cross, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

That's the invitation of following Jesus.

Not simply adding Him to the life we've already decided to live.

It's surrendering the throne.

So perhaps the question Judges leaves us with isn't merely, “Do I believe in God?”

It's something more searching:

“Who gets to decide what is right in my life?”

Because when Jesus is truly King, His Word—not my feelings, preferences, or desires—has the final say.

Truth to Stay Anchored In: The safest place for your life is not doing what seems right in your own eyes, but living under the loving authority of Jesus. Don't ask Him to bless the life you've already chosen. Let the King lead it.

Judges 13:8 — “Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, ‘O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.’” (NKJV)

Samson wasn't even born yet.

His mother had been unable to have children, but the Angel of the LORD appeared to her with an incredible announcement: she would have a son.

And this would be no ordinary child.

God said Samson would be a Nazirite from the womb and that “he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5).

When Manoah heard what had happened, he prayed.

But notice what he asked for.

He didn't ask God to make his son successful.

He didn't ask how strong Samson would become or how many victories he would win.

Manoah prayed:

“Teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”

What a prayer.

Before Samson was placed into Manoah's hands, Manoah was asking God how to handle what He was giving him.

When the Angel of the LORD returned, Manoah asked again:

“What will be the boy's rule of life, and his work?” (Judges 13:12).

Manoah understood something every parent eventually has to learn:

This child belonged to God before he belonged to them.

And knowing the rest of Samson's story makes Manoah's prayer even more meaningful.

Samson would grow up with incredible strength and an incredible calling. But he would also make choices his parents couldn't make for him.

They could seek God for wisdom.

They could obey what God told them.

They could point their son toward the calling God had placed upon his life.

But they couldn't live Samson's life for him.

That's true for every parent.

There comes a point when the little hand you've been holding begins making decisions of its own. That's why we need God's wisdom from the beginning.

But Manoah's prayer reaches beyond parenting.

God places many things into our hands—children, relationships, opportunities, responsibilities, ministries, influence.

And sometimes our first question is:

“What do I want to do with this?”

Manoah gives us a better one:

“Lord, what do You want me to do with what You've given me?”

James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5).

And Jesus perfectly shows us what a surrendered life looks like. He said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30).

Whatever God has entrusted to you today, you don't have to know exactly what to do with it.

You just need to know where to go for wisdom.

Truth to Stay Anchored In: What God places into your hands still belongs to Him. Ask Him for the wisdom to handle it faithfully: “Lord, teach me what to do.”