JUDGES
Title:
The Hebrew word here translated “Judges” also means leaders or defenders. In this book the “judges” God raised up did more than try to administer justice; they led the people and delivered them from their enemies.
Author:
According to ancient Jewish tradition Samuel wrote this book, but there is no definite proof either for or against this. The author left no clues in the text itself to indicate who wrote it. The writers of the Bible were not concerned with promoting themselves. They would all have agreed with the psalmist who said “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory” (Ps 115:1). They wrote by the inspiration of the one true God (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:21), and their concern was to record exactly what God inspired them to record. In a very real sense the author of every book of the Bible was God Himself using human instruments. This does not mean that the writers of the Bible were like robots or inanimate word processors. God took the writers as they were, with their faults and failings, with their human intellects and emotions and wills, and worked in them and through them to bring His Word into the world, just as He wanted it to be. God is great enough and wise enough to be able to do this, and He did do it. Men wrote the Bible, but what they wrote came from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4).
Date:
Probably about 1000 BC.
Themes:
This book contains events in the history of Israel from the death of Joshua to the time of Samuel. It reveals what any people can become when they do what they please rather than what God pleases. It reveals also God’s compassion and help for the people even when they were guilty of detestable sins. It speaks too of God’s hatred of sin and how He punished it. From another viewpoint it is the story of God’s deliverance of an unworthy people and the great heroes of the faith He used to do this. Some key verses are Jud 2:10-23; 21:25.
Contents:
Taking the remaining areas of Canaan 1:1—2:5
A new generation falls into evil ways 2:6-20
God allows some Canaanites to survive 2:21—3:6
Othniel 3:7-11
Ehud 3:12-30
Shamgar 3:30
Deborah and Barak 4:1-24
Deborah’s song 5:1-31
Gideon 6:1—8:35
Gideon wants a sign 6:11-23
Gideon wants a second sign 6:36-40
Gideon defeats the Midianites 7:1—8:21
Gideon makes an idol 8:22-27
Gideon’s death 8:28-35
A tyrant called Abimelech 9:1-57
Parable of the thorn bush 9:8-15
God punishes Abimelech 9:52-57
Tola 10:1-2
Jair 10:3-5
Israel’s repeated sin, their repentance,
and God’s compassion 10:6-18
Jephthah 11:1—12:7
Jephthah’s daughter, his foolish vow 11:34-36
Jephthah and the men of Ephraim 12:1-7
Ibzen, Elon, and Abdon 12:8-15
Israel oppressed by the Philistines 13:1
Samson 13:2—16:31
His birth 13:2-25
His marriage to a Philistine girl 14:1-20
Samson kills a lion 14:5-6
His riddle 14:12-20
He burns Philistine harvest fields 15:1-5
He kills 1000 with the jawbone of donkey 15:14-20
Samson and Delilah 16:1-21
Samson brings down the temple of Dagon 16:23-31
Micah’s idol, his priest, people from Dan 17:1—18:31
The horrible incident at Gibeah 19:1-30
The destruction of Benjamin 20:1-48
How the remaining men of Benjamin got wives 21:1-25