Doing as they saw fit

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Judges 17:6 & 21:25
God had deliberately not given Israel a king, because He wanted to be their King. While he established Moses, Joshua, and the various judges in their time as leaders over the nation, their reliance on the Lord to lead them as they led the people was evident. However over time, the people became numb to God’s leadership over them, and the morals of society became relative.
It’s s similar situation today: many people will say truth is relative, there is no absolute right or wrong, and ‘you have your truth, and I have mine.’ This was what ultimately happened in the times of the judges. While it sounds like freedom for everyone to do what is right in their own eyes, eventually anarchy reigns. Just read Judges 19 for an example.
There are rights and wrongs. God has told us what they are in His Word. He has not left us to figure them out by ourselves, because human nature is sinful and depraved (Rom. 3:10-18). When people invert what God calls good and evil, all that is left to say is “Woe to them” (Isa. 5:20).