Judges - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

The book of Judges¹ describes events that took place in ISRAEL following the death of Joshua; these events occurred over a period of approximately three hundred years, between the fourteenth and eleventh centuries B.C. The book gets its name from the leaders of Israel during this period, who were called judges. They were men (and one woman) who were raised up by God to lead the nation in times of crisis. They were used by God to bring JUDGMENT on Israel’s enemies and also to judge disputes among fellow ISRAELITES.

The central theme of the book of Judges is the apostasy and spiritual decline of the Israelites following their confident reaffirmation of the COVENANT at Shechem (see Joshua 24:1–27). This covenant with God was what held the Israelites together as a nation. God had first established this covenant with ABRAHAM (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:18–21), and then He had reestablished the covenant with the entire nation of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:1–8). Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites had kept their covenant obligations, and as a result God had blessed them and had driven out the Canaanite tribes before them (Leviticus 26:3–13). And God had settled the Israelites in their new land.

But after Joshua and the elders serving with him died (Joshua 24:31), the Israelites began to worship the gods of the Canaanites. They broke their covenant with the Lord. And, as a result, the Lord punished them—as He had warned them He would do (Leviticus 26:14–39).

God used foreign nations (mainly from outside Canaan) to punish His people. But then they would begin to cry out to Him in distress; and God would hear their cry and raise up a judge to deliver them—just as He raised up MOSES to deliver the Israelites from bondage in EGYPT (Exodus 2:23–25). This sequence of events—apostasy, distress, deliverance—happened over and over during the period of the judges.

None of the judges was a leader like Moses or Joshua; though some were godly, others were seriously flawed. Yet God used them all. In particular, He empowered them by His HOLY SPIRIT so that they could accomplish special tasks (Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6,19). But such empowerment was only temporary. For Christians, it is ongoing, because the Holy Spirit dwells within us (John 14:16–17; Ephesians 5:18).

The period of the judges ended when Saul was chosen to become Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10:17–25). Under the judges, the nation had almost disintegrated. The tribes of Israel had begun fighting among themselves. They were attacked from outside. The people had begun to clamor for a king, thinking that a strong central leader would be able to keep them united and protect them from enemies. But how wrong they were! All through Israel’s history up to that time, God had been their King; God had been the One holding the nation together. But the people had turned away from God; if that situation continued, no human king would be able to save them.

The lesson of the book of Judges is this: if people obey God they will be blessed; if they turn from Him they will be punished—both as individuals and as a nation or church. Israel only survived because of the GRACE of God. God’s commitment to Israel never failed—even when He had to banish them from their promised land. And His commitment to Israel continues to this very day. Even though the Israelites—because of disobedience—were never able to fully and permanently possess their inheritance (Canaan), God has now offered to them and to us an even greater inheritance: an inheritance in heaven for all who put their FAITH in Jesus.