Judges

What makes Judges special?

Judges is part of the great story, from Deuteronomy through 2 Kings, that tells of God's special people, the Israelites, in the promised land of Canaan. Judges describes the time after the tribes of Israel began to settle in Canaan but before they were united as one nation under a king. It was during this time that the Lord chose special leaders known as “judges” to help the tribes defeat their enemies. Some judges may have led all the tribes together, but usually a judge led a few tribes at the most. The stories about these heroes of Israel make up the largest part of Judges.

Why was Judges written?

In order for the people of Israel to survive as a nation, they had to obey God's Law and worship the Lord God only. If they did this, they would remain in the land of Canaan and receive the Lord's blessings (Deut 7.1-15). But if the people worshiped other gods, the Lord would allow their enemies to defeat them (2.1-3).

The Israelites did not show a strong and lasting commitment to the agreement they had made with the Lord. Judges describes how the behavior of the people of Israel followed a pattern:

So, the conquest of Canaan was a power struggle told on two levels: The Israelite tribes and the native peoples battled for control of the land, while the faith of Israel was severely tested by the religions of its neighbors. The people had to learn that they were to worship only the Lord, and that when they were unfaithful, the Lord would punish them. But the book also shows that the Lord was ready and willing to offer the Israelite people the opportunity for a fresh start. Even though they often abandoned the Lord, the Lord did not give up on them.

What's the story behind the scene?

The period of the judges starts with the death of Joshua around 1200 b.c. and continues at least until Samuel, the last of the judges, chooses Saul as the first king of Israel in about 1030 b.c. (1 Sam 12). Israel at this time was a loosely bound group of tribes rather than a single, united country. The judges would unite some or all of the people for a time, but the writer summarizes this time in Israel's history in this way: “everyone did what they thought was right” (21.25). Canaanite culture and religion remained a heavy influence that tempted the Israelites to disobey and forget God. But individuals and tribes of Israel also treated other individuals and tribes badly.

The judges who led Israel during this violent and unsettled time were not judges in a legal sense, although Deborah and Samuel did sometimes play a legal role. The CEV uses the word “leaders” for these heroes who led the people in battle and sometimes in their faith. For more information, see the article called “From Joshua to the Exile: The People of Israel in the Promised Land,” XXB 7.0.

How is Judges constructed?

Judges mainly consists of a series of independent stories that focus on the leaders (judges) that God raised up to rescue Israel's tribes (3.7—16.31). The actions of some of the judges are described in detail, while a few more “minor” judges are only briefly mentioned.

The opening two chapters set the stage for the stories of the judges, while the final chapters (17–21) do not mention the judges at all. In the final chapters, the threat to Israel is not from outside enemies but from those inside Israel who continued to turn away from the Lord. The final chapters make it clear that Israel was suffering from a lack of leadership and from a lack of loyalty to the Lord. These chapters hint that Israel's problems might begin to be solved, if a king could be chosen to rule over all the tribes.

The following summary is one way the book can be outlined: