The book of Judges is largely an intentional contrast between the faithlessness of God’s people and his own faithfulness. Repeatedly in Judges we read that Israel turned against God’s laws and commands, suffered under foreign oppressors as a result, and then had to be bailed out of their misery by God. The first chapter sums it up: “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. . . . And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods. . . . And they were in terrible distress. Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them” (Judg. 2:11–12, 15–16).
When we see the word “judges,” we think of people who decide legal cases and pass out sentences to criminals. That isn’t who’s in view here. Reading through the book of Judges makes it clear that, with the exception of Deborah (who actually did listen to complaints and make decisions for people; see Judg. 4:4–5), judges were military leaders that God raised up to defeat Israel’s enemies.
The period of the judges was one of lawlessness. It was chaotic and unpredictable. Twice the book tells readers that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6; 21:25). On nearly ten occasions the author offers the blunt assessment that “Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (e.g., Judg. 2:11; 3:7).
Several analogies to the judges suggest themselves. The time of the judges could be looked upon like the Wild West, when gangs of outlaws controlled towns and territories by fear, ignoring the law. That would make judges the equivalent of sheriffs or hired guns. Perhaps more familiar, we could think of Canaan at this time like the fictional Gotham. None of the judges had a cape and lived in the Batcave, but you get the idea. Judges were deliverers, the superheroes of their day.
Judges were not kings. They did not rule over all the tribes, or even any tribe. They did not have dynasties, although Gideon and his son Abimelech tried to pull that off (Judg. 6–9). Judges were a temporary solution to the problems of the time. They defeated foreign enemies and restored law and order, ushering in a time of peace until the next judge was needed (e.g., Judg. 3:11, 30). Their authority was regional. For example, sometimes Israel’s oppressors only controlled specific cities (Judg. 3:12–14).
The book of Judges serves an important purpose. It offered a vivid argument for kingship as a permanent solution to foreign conquest. As we’ll see, God had planned all along for Israel to have kings. Having a king wasn’t a sin. But trusting a man instead of God was.