As I was in college, a classmate of mine did many weird things, one of which he did was to make a carved image for himself.  Asked what the image was, he would respond proudly, “This is a god made from my hands and I’ll worship it.” In fact, he worshipped that image every day from then on and recited some unknown words or kind of spells to it.

In the times of Israel’s judges, because of no king in the land of Israel people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. A man named Micah (Judges 17) set up a shrine for the cast image his mother bestowed on him and some household idols. Later he even hired a man from Judah as his personal priest, which was against God’s commands, for all the priests must be chosen from the tribe of Levi as well as ordained by God. Mica did whatever he felt like doing and thought God would bless him indeed. “I know the Lord will bless me now,” said Mica after installing his household priest.

Individualism has become the mainstream in society since  nations adopted the democratic system.  We are being taught to respect others, their behavior or opinions, as long as  they don’t violate our rights or endanger the society. Truly, we don’t or even can’t judge others, but God, who has created heaven and earth and human beings, has the absolute right to do so.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 16:25). Our eyes need to be opened to  walk in God’s way, not ours.