The book in front of us is filled with stories of men of God who
dominate the scene during the dark years of Israel’s beginnings as a
nation. You will enjoy reading the exploits of faith, especially those
of Deborah, Samson and Gideon. However, you will probably have many
problems concerning what God was doing with His people and the nations
around them.
When we understand the purpose of God that is being worked out in the
book of Judges, we can enter into and enjoy what the Spirit is saying to
us through these histories.
BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK
The book takes place in a period of transition that is crucial in the
history of God’s people.
Their fathers had lived in the wilderness with the ideals of the
covenant received at Sinai etched in their minds. Added to that were the
miracles which had been experienced while coming out of Egypt and
walking through the wilderness for forty years. Entrance into Canaan had
been under the charismatic leadership of Joshua with miracles attending
the covenant people. In those days no one had challenged their faith or
God’s promise.
(Judges 2:1-10)
Now they settle in a land where Baal is the god and the worship of
Yahweh is being challenged. They have to make costly choices between the
God of Sinai and Baal. They also have to work out the terms of the
covenant their fathers had carried through the wilderness. Their sin is
to constantly forget this and to fall into the worship of Baal or, worse
yet, to put the worship of Yahweh along with the worship of Baal, making
him an alternative God.
Each time Israel breaks the covenant God allows them, until they return
to Him, to be delivered into the hands of their enemies.
In this time of transition there was no central leader figure, and so
the various tribes were fragmented. At their lowest times, when everyone
did that which was right in their own eyes, they approached anarchy. The
two stories at the end of the book describe some of the conditions
during these bad periods.
NAME OF THE BOOK
The word Judge is not to be understood as a judge in the United States.
The best definition is found in Judges 2:16: “Then the Lord raised up
judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.”
A Judge was a deliverer and savior of the people, leading them out of
the results of their sin back to the covenant. Having led them back, the
Judge ruled over the people and acted as their leader.
THE JUDGES
To be called a Judge meant that there was always the coming upon of the
Spirit that gave
wisdom, insight and understanding. At times, because of the physical
oppression of the
people, the Spirit gave military wisdom to the Judge enabling him or her
to lead the people to
a military victory over their enemies.
Read carefully Judges 11:27. Yahweh is seen to be the ultimate
Judge/Deliverer. He allows
the covenant people to fall into the hands of their enemies because of
the broken covenant.
He then raises up the deliverers and endues them with His Spirit. In
this connection read
carefully: Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6; 19; 15:14.
The men He chose to deliver the people did not live particularly
exemplary lives. Look at some them:
Ehud uses a very cowardly way to assassinate the oppressor.
Gideon leads the people astray after his victory over Midian.
Jephthah acts like a politician.
Samson leaves all of us embarrassed by his actions.
- God is celebrating His grace. He uses men like this not because they
One characteristic of all these men which has been recognized through
the centuries is that God’s grace enabled them to have faith. With all
their faults, they responded to Him; and so He was able to use them to
achieve His purpose.
Read carefully Hebrews 11:32, 33; I Samuel 12:8-11.
REVELATION OF GOD
In this book we meet with God as He is in His Person and as revealed in
His dealings with men.
He is the Holy One who must deal with their breaking of the covenant.
Because of their sin they have to discover by experience what it is like
to live without their covenant God.
He is the Sovereign One who rules in the affairs of all men and nations.
He raises up His men in history to achieve His purpose and controls the
course of the enemies of God’s people!
He is the covenant keeper in spite of the lapses of His people. He
abounds in lovingkindness or loyal love. With this we see His living,
long-suffering and patience.
Read Exodus 34:6,7 in which God declares His character.
He is the upholder of His people. The fact that Israel came through this
period without losing their faith altogether is a miracle in itself.
TIME SPAN
The period of the Judges takes in more than is included in this book.
The student should read the book of Ruth at this time and also I Samuel
1-12. The book of Ruth is a story that took place during the time of the
Judges, when Samuel was the last Judge.
Also take note that the stories in the book overlap. While one deliverer
is the savior of the northern tribes, another may have been in the
south. These, for the most part, are not national stories but local.
Read each story carefully to discover where each event was taking place.
TYPES OF JESUS
As in all the stories of the Old Testament, Jesus is pictured in His
work toward us. Moses pictures Him as the One who leads us out of the
world and sin by His blood and power. Joshua typifies Jesus as He leads
us into rest and freedom from our enemies. The book of Judges shows
Jesus who is now the High Priest ever living to save us and bring us to
maturity through all of our failures and stumbling.
OUTLINE OF JUDGES
1:1-2:5 THE FAILURE TO CONQUER CANAAN
1:1-21 Conquering southern Canaan
1:22-26 Capture of Bethel
1:27-36 The unconquered cities
2:1-5 The Messenger of the Lord
2:6-16:31 THE JUDGES
2:6-3:6 The introduction to the period
3:7-11 Othniel overcomes Cushanrishathaim of Aram
3:12-30 Ehud and the king Eglon of Moab
3:31 Shamgar defeating the Philistines
4:1-5:31 Deborah and Barak overcome Jabin and Sisera of Canaan
6:1-8:35 Gideon
9:1-57 Abimelech
10:1, 2 Tola
10:3-5 Jair
10:6-12:7 Jephthah
12:8-10 Ibzan
12:11,12 Elon
12:13-15 Abdon
13:1-16:31 Samson
17:1-21:25 TWO STORIES FROM THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES
17:1-18:31 Micah and the immigrants of Dan
19:1-21:25 Gibeah and the Benjamenites