Conquest descends into chaos.
Following impressive victories during the military conquest of Canaan, God’s people began to settle the land that the Lord had promised to Abraham long before. Yet the new nation faced serious vulnerabilities. As citizens put their wartime vigilance behind them, they exposed themselves to military attack and spiritual decay.
The Book of Judges makes for troubling reading because it shows a nation in moral and spiritual decline. After Joshua and his generation passed away, Israel succumbed to moral and civil anarchy. This period of Israelite history was plagued by chronic disobedience and repeated departure from the Lord. It was an era when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25).
The narrative of this book is built around a recurring cycle of spiritual rebellion, judgment by the Lord, a cry for help, and the Lord’s response of raising up leaders, called judges, who ushered in periods of revival (see “Twelve Heroes” at Judg. 2:18). As this cycle of rebellion and deliverance repeats itself throughout the book, Israel spirals further and further downward. Leaders become less godly, and ordinary people habitually abandon God. By the end of the book, the nation reaches a new low (see “Heading for Disaster” at Judg. 21:25).
The judges for whom this book is named were not legislative officials but national leaders who served as spiritual authorities as well as political mobilizers and military heroes (see “The Judges” at Judg. 2:16). The book mentions twelve judges, including Gideon (6:11—8:32) and Samson (chs. 13–16). Samson’s story epitomizes the larger context of the book. He frequently turned his back on God, with tragic outcomes, yet the Lord nevertheless remained faithful to His chosen leader—and His people—whether in judgment or in grace.
Judges also presents another figure prominent in ancient Israel, the Canaanite god Baal, a deity worshiped in the hopes of promoting fertility. Baal worship involved occult rites, ritual sex acts, and even child sacrifice (see “The Abominations of the Canaanites” at Lev. 18:24–30). When the Israelites joined in the evil deeds of their neighbors, they brought judgment on themselves according to the terms of their covenant with God.
Many of this book’s most well-known events are troubling, including Jephthah’s vow (Judg. 11:29–40), Samson’s immorality (16:1–4), and an incident involving a Levite’s concubine (19:1–30). It is important to remember that the Bible’s reporting of these happenings does not imply approval. These were dark days for Israel, and Scripture faithfully relates what happens when people abandon God and follow their own sinful inclinations.
The writer of Judges is unknown. The book may have been compiled during the early days of the monarchy, and ancient tradition held that Samuel was the author, a possibility that remains uncertain. Judges spans the history of Israel from after Joshua’s death (Judg. 1:1) to the time of Samuel, the last of the judges—roughly 1380 to 1050 B.C. All of the book’s events took place in Israel (see the map at “Unfulfilled Expectations” at Judg. 1:27–36).
Key People in Judges
A table at Judges 2:18 lists the twelve judges of Israel listed in this book. But many other people enter into the narrative, which presents them as side characters in the judges’ stories. Some of these other people worth noticing include …
• Sisera, a Canaanite general defeated by one of Israel’s female judges (Judg. 4:2).
• Jael, a homemaker who earned renown through her cunning assassination of a fleeing commander (Judg. 4:21).
• Abimelech, a son of Gideon who aspired to be king of Israel and had himself crowned king of Shechem (Judg. 9:1).
• Jephthah’s daughter, a young woman who shared her father’s uncompromising reverence for God, even at the cost of her marriage, children, or life itself (Judg. 11:29–40).
• Manoah, a man who joined his wife in giving God their only son, who grew up to become one of Israel’s most famed judges (Judg. 13).
• Delilah, a Philistine temptress who wore down Samson’s resolve and ultimately betrayed him to his enemies (Judg. 16:4).
• Micah, a man who used his mother’s wealth to create an idolatrous shrine that brought destruction to an entire city (Judg. 17–18).
• The Levite’s concubine, a woman whose faithlessness led to her tragic death and resulted in civil war (Judg. 19–20).
• Phinehas, a grandson of Aaron who displayed a zeal for the Lord until the day of his death (Judg. 20:28).
Key Events in Judges
• Gideon uses a fleece to make sure of God’s will (Judg. 6:36–40).
• Gideon’s army of three hundred defeats the Midianites (Judg. 7:1–25).
• Samson kills a lion with his bare hands (Judg. 14:5, 6).
• Samson gives in to Delilah, who betrays him to the Philistines (Judg. 16:1–21).