Template:Eyes
In his own eyes
Judges 17:6 "In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes."
Some believe that this was a bad thing, but it could be good too, depending on the eyes of each man.[1]
People "doing what's right in their own eyes" only produces what would be the kingdom of God when the people keep their eyes on the righteousness of God. Moses and Jesus were taking people to the same form of government, which is why we are told to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You cannot have one without both. Our view of the Old Testament has been heavily biased by the teachings of people like the Pharisees who got it wrong.
Understanding what ancient Israel was doing and how it operated as a nation would be essential to understanding Israelite form of government and Christian form of government preached by Christ.
The word 'eyes' in the text of Judges 17:6 is the word ayin[2] which is also translated fountain and well and even face.
What if you were to translate eyes into well or fountain?
Judges 17:6 "In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own fountain."
What flows from a man, flows from his heart, and the Bible tells us
- Proverbs 21:2 "Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts."
It has been suggested that Israel simply invaded Canaan and conquered it, but if you Google "peaceful invasion of Canaan" you will find that there is another opinion, based on the archaeological record. In truth, the Hebrew text also reveals that Israel did not oppress the original inhabitants, but were accepted and respected there, except by the die-hard Rulers of the Canaanites.
When society has people that are tending to the weightier matters for all the inhabitants, God's way will prevail, but when men are slothful or turn away from God, and when the voice of the people elect men to rule over one another, then men with an evil eye will take control of a nation. The leaders will become rulers deciding good and evil instead of God. As lawmakers with power over the people, they will become greedy and corrupt, and the people will lean toward wantonness for their benefits at the expense of their neighbor.
- Proverbs 23:6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
- Proverbs 28:22 He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
Poverty is mentioned in the book of Proverbs more than any other book. It is normally from a word that may appear as ReishVavShem or ReishYodShem Or ReishAlefShem.[3]
Changing letters in Hebrew changes the meaning of words. In the three Hebrew words listed above, only the middle letter is different. Alef has to do with the relationship of God and Man and the Yod can represent the revelation of God, the divine spark and a Vav can have to do with a connection or a separation from something. The word is like the Hebrew letter Reish which has to do with kingly authority or dominion. God gave every man dominion over himself, but men gather and give the right to choose to other men, making them rulers over the people, thinking it will bring benefits, but it seldom does. This rejection of God always brings a poverty of the heart and then a poverty of the soul.
Plutarch said “The real destroyers of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits” but is it the government that makes the offer or the wantonness heart that justifies taking the benefits?
- Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Hundreds of years before John the Baptist and Jesus brought their message of the Gospel of love, Rome was already being told by the historian of historians that "The masses continue with an appetite for benefits and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others... institute the rule of violence;
[4]
and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder,[5] until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch." [6] Polybius.
Proverbs 6:11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
Revelation 2:9 "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan."
How many people today call themselves Christians but are really the churches of Satan? How many claim they love the word of God but their Corban makes the word of God to none effect? Are the many claiming to be Christians true Believers, or are they just Modern Christians and actually workers of iniquity?
- ↑ : Deuteronomy 13:18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
- Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
- Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
- 1 Kings 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
- 1 Kings 14:8 And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;
- 1 Kings 15:5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
- 1 Kings 15:11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
- 1 Kings 22:43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.
- 2 Kings 10:30 And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 13:4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
- 2 Chronicles 14:2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:
- Psalms 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
- Proverbs 4:25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
- Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
- ↑ 05869 ^ןיע^ ‘ayin \@ah’- yin\@ probably a primitive word, Greek 137 ~Αινων~; n f/m; AV-eye 495, sight 216, seem 19, colour 12, fountain 11, well 11, face 10, pleased + 03190 10, presence 8, displeased + 03415 8, before 8, pleased + 03474 4, conceit 4, think 4, misc 66; 887
- 1) eye
- 1a) eye
- 1a1) of physical eye
- 1a2) as showing mental qualities
- 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.)
- 1a) eye
- 2) spring, fountain
- 1) eye
- ↑ 07389 ^שׁיר^ reysh \@raysh\@ or ^שׁאר^ re’sh \@raysh\@ or ^שׁיר^ riysh \@reesh\@ from 07326; n m; AV-poverty 7; 7 1) poverty
- ↑ Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
- ↑ Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
- ↑ "But when a new generation arises and the democracy falls into the hands of the grandchildren of its founders, they have become so accustomed to freedom and equality that they no longer value them, and begin to aim at pre-eminence; and it is chiefly those of ample fortune who fall into this error. 6 So when they begin to lust for power and cannot attain it through themselves or their own good qualities, they ruin their estates, tempting and corrupting the people in every possible way. 7 And hence when by their foolish thirst for reputation they have created among the masses an appetite for gifts and the habit of receiving them, democracy in its turn is abolished and changes into a rule of force and violence. 8 For the people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others, as soon as they find a leader who is enterprising but is excluded from the houses of office by his penury, institute the rule of violence; 9 and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder, until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch" Polybius: The Histories (composed at Rome around 130 BC)Fragments of Book VI, p289