The book of Judges
The Book of Judges
What is the book of Judges about?
The book of Judges is named after "judges" chosen by the Lord: They include Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah (the only female), Gideon, Jephthah, and the famous Samson. Think of these judges more as leaders than what we think of as a "judge" today. This book covers a 300 year span in which there are continuous cycle of disobedience, war, despair, and deliverance that the Israelites go through in the Promised Land.
The reason for those continuous cycles was the Israelites' failure to completely obey God. How did this affect them? They failed to completely conquer the Promised Land. This failure to drive out every single Canaanite leaves them vulnerable to pagan influence. This influence includes intermarrying, idolatry, and immorality.
Who wrote the book of Judges?
The author of Judges is unknown but many believe it to be the prophet Samuel.
Who is the audience?
God’s chosen people (the Israelites), and later the church.
Timeframe Judges was written:
Written around 1000 BC, the book of Judges covers events over 300 years going back to around 1300 BC.
"In short" (One sentence summary):
Judges covers the vicious, very long cycle of worshipping false gods, being attacked by different tribes in the Promised Land, and being delivered from evil via a “judge” who God sends to restore order.
Fun facts about Judges/Did you know?
Samson was renowned for his physical strength, but his weakness was his moral strength concerning women. He fell in love with Delilah who was coerced (monetarily) by the Philistine rulers to find out the secret to his strength. Eventually he admitted his unshaven hair was his secret and once that was cut off he was captured and his eyes gouged out. In an attempt to get revenge for his eyes, Samson prayed for one last feat of strength as he leaned against load-bearing pillars during a crowded night at the Philistine temple. God granted him this strength and he was able to collapse the temple by pushing the pillars down, which killed not only himself, but all those who were there.
