Buoys

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).

A buoy is an anchored floating device used as an aid in allowing boats and ships to navigate safely. There are all kinds of buoys on the water, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that buoys are not out there without a reason. They are costly and even more costly when ignored.


God never sends His children into uncharted waters. Now it may be unfamiliar waters to us but not for God. God knows every square inch of the ocean floors, lake beds, and river beds. When we set sail on the ocean of life, God is thoroughly aware of every hazard beneath the surface.That is why He has provided all kinds of buoys in the Scriptures to keep us in deep water to prevent running aground or becoming a shipwreck. There is one buoy, however, that is largely ignored. It is called the YOU buoy, an acronym for "Your Own Understanding."


Within the pages of the book of Judges God's people experienced seven cycles of apostasy, a turning away from God's law, spanning 350 years (circa 1398 B.C. to 1043 B.C.). This period was characterized by God as every man doing that which was right in his own eyes or understanding, and not God's. They pleased themselves and others, but not God. There was no fear of God in their eyes.


The seven cycles ran something like this. There was a time of peace in Israel, then a falling away because of sin. Then God's enemies oppressed the nation. The people cried out to God for deliverance, turning away from their wickedness; God sent a deliverer (judge). God's enemies were defeated; peace ensued. Then it would start all over again with a different generation.


Where was the hazard? It was beyond the YOU buoy. Those shallow waters where everyone lived their life through their own understanding rather than staying in the deep waters of God's law. Moral relativism was alive and well way back then. Anytime man charts his own course and considers God's buoys as outdated or irrelevant, something disastrous always happens.


You think people would pay attention to all the vessels strewn along the shoals and rocks of man's own understanding throughout history that have ventured beyond the warning of the YOU buoy. One thing that history teaches mankind is that mankind doesn't learn from history. Navigating beyond the YOU buoy is a testament to that mentality.


God's YOU buoy warns sailors that if you ignore the boundaries set by God by your own understanding, you are sailing in dangerous waters. God does this for our protection not because He wants to restrict our freedom. Anytime we navigate by our own charts rather than God's Word we will run aground or worse become shipwrecked. History teaches this repeatedly. There are many buoys found in the Scriptures, but sailors need to take heed of the one looming large on the sea of life. Ignore the YOU buoy to your peril. <><


Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not unto (don't go beyond that buoy!) your own understanding (there it is!); In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6).