Judges: A Judge in Old Testament times was not
just a person who presided over legal difficulties but was one who was raised
up by God to correct injustices. We might call them “heroes” or leaders. The
Book of Judges tells the stories of some of these mighty people. Judges tells a
cyclical story. The people of Israel
prosper. In their prosperity they forget God and they chase after other gods
(Idolatry.) God permits their enemies to punish them. Under the oppressive
thumb of their enemies, they cry out in their suffering to God for deliverance.
God sends a mighty hero (Judge) to deliver them. They are delivered from their
oppression. The people remember God and they prosper. The cycle repeats.
Although many Judges are mentioned, five (5) of them have extended narratives:
Elhud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. The book of Judges was written by
an unknown author or authors.
Judges can be outlined as follows:
·
Judges 1:1-2:5 The settlement of the tribes and
ongoing struggles
·
Judges 2:6-3:6 Introduction that recalls the contribution of
individual judges and recounts the death of Joshua, the Israelites’ life
thereafter, and the raising up of judges in Israel
·
Judges 3:7-16:31
Stories of twelve (12) judges with five (5) extended narratives:
o
Judges 3:12-20
Elhud
o
Judges 4-5
Deborah
o
Judges 6-8
Gideon
o
Judges 9 Gideon’s wicked son,
Abimelech;
o
Judges 10:6-12:7
Jephthah
o
Judges 13-16
Samson
·
Judges 17-18
Tells of the migration of Dan
·
Judges 19-21
The trespass of the Benjaminites and solution
A vital
lesson from the colorful stories of Judges is that loyalty to God brings
national success, but disloyalty to God guarantees failure and disaster.
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