Intro:

The book of judges is named for their various leaders they are called “judges” In Hebrew word
(shofet) you can see at (judges 2:16-19) that’s the book central figures. This is the saddest history
of entire Israel and they call it the dark age of the nation and this book spans 300 years. This book
contains the rebellion , retribution , repentance , and restoration . The root of Israel’s problem
when Joshua died ,God could find no man to take his place as he did when Moses died and in
those days there is no man who is right in God’s eye

Simple summary of the judges

Defeat earthly emphasis
Slavery sorrow
Unbelief weakness
Declension disunity among tribes
Disobedience no leader

Authorship:
As you read this book there’s no identification as to who wrote this book ,but most of bible
scholar’s believe’s that Samuel is the author of the book . and why Samuel ? he certainly lived in
early day’s of the monarchy ,we can see the reccuring statement in ( judges 17:6 ,18:1-19,21-25)
it points out the contrast between events happening in the when it is written .

The fruit of Israel’s problem

Compromise – she did not do what God told her to do
( judges 1;21 ,27-33,2;1-5)

Apostasy -they worship other God’s (2;11-15,6;8-10)

Theology :
Judges is a part of Deuteronomic history ,that single narration from Joshua through kings
,covering the period from Israel’s entry in to the land through the time the land was lost .

Judge is not a systematically theology ,but a history of a relationship and a cycle like in
Deuteronomic history .the book of judges has a familiar series that make up the core of the book
Twelve Military Reformers ( Judges)
 Othniel-Son of Kenaz ,Calebs younger brother 8 yrs of oppression and 40 yrs of peace
 Ehud-son- of Gera left handed Benjamite 18 yrs of oppression 80 yrs of peace
 Shamgar-unrecorded yrs of oppression and yrs of peace
 Barak /Deborah-Son of Abinaom 20 yrs of oppression 40yrs of peace
 Gideon-Son of Joash 7 yrs of oppression 40 yrs of peace
 Tolah-unrecorded yrs of oppression 23 yrs of peace
 Jair-unrecorded yrs of oppression and 22 yrs of peace
 Jephtah-18 yrs of oppression and 6 yrs of peace
 Ibzan-unrecorded yrs of oppression and 7 yrs of peace
 Elon-unrecorded yrs of oppression 10 yrs of peace
 Abdon-unrecorded yrs of oppression 8 yrs of peace
 Samson-40 yrs of oppression and 20 of peace

History :
When Israel’s fearless great leader Joshua died , God tells the tribe of Judah lead to attack the
Canaanites with the help of the tribe of Simeon, Othniel lead and they kill ten thousand men and
also capture the king Adoni-bezec and cut of his thumbs ,he done the same thing to seventy other
king’s. Othniel won his wife by successfully defeating a strong enemy and her name was Acsah. A
spies from tribe of joseph convince the man with the prayer to show the entrance to the city of
bethel and for that they live his family and they successfully over run the place .
We can see at ( judges 2;14-19 ) the pattern or cycle God say’s “ Israel you done me wrong “ He
scold Israel because they follow other God’s and making a league with a inhabitance of Canaan
,because of that God promise “ wherefore I also said ,I will not drive them out from before you
;but they shall be as thorns in your sides ,and their God’s shall be a snare unto you “ and the
people feel bad and cry (judges 2;4 ) but the other generation serve Baal and Asheroth ( judges
2;13) the lord can’t stay mad at Israel and he raise up the judges (judges 2;16) but Israel repeat it
seven times and the judges stack on that cycle
The lord left the Philistines ,Sidonians, Hivites in Canaan to test the Israel’s devotion and as we
can see again they worship other God’s and they taken over Mesopotamia by 8 years ,and the
Israel’s try again and the lord gave Ehud and he is a left handed Benjamites (judges 3;15 )in old
testament time God blessed especially left handed warriors (judges 20;16) Ehud chosen to carry
Israel’s annual tax money. When Ehud arrives he tells the king of Eglon that he has a secret to tell
him(3:19) and he stab the kings belly and the dagger stack on his belly because he was very fat
and Ehud leaves (3:20) Ehud rallies the Israel to battle the Moab ,and they kill 10,000 men (3:26-
30)
Shamgar lead the Israelites and kill 600 Philistine with an ox goad (3:31)
Israel turns away from God again and they reconquered by Joban, then Israel’s cry again then
Deborah came(4:4) She informed Israel’s army , a man named Barak that God chosen him to
mobilize 10,000 men from the tribes of Nephtali and Zebulun ,he was leading them to Mt. Tabor
and do battle in Sisera (4:14-13) But Sisera escapes in the tent of Jael, pretending to be a friend
and she kill Sisera while sleeping (4:17-21)Deborah and Barak sing hymn to praise God and you
can see it at chapter 5
After Barak’s death ,Israel returned to idolatry and God delivered them into the hands of
Midianites for 7 years (6:2-6) a nameless prophet remind Israel due to their sin(6:8-10) .An angel
of the Lord appeared in the reflection of Jesus at this point Gideon threshing wheat by hand in the
bottom of a wine press to hide it from Midianites(6:11)
Gideon is divinely commissioned to defeat the Midianites and build an altar to God and call it
“Jehovah shalom”(the Lord send peace)(6:12-24).That night God commanded Gideon to pull
down the altar of Baal and replace it the altar of God (6:25-27).Then the crowd gets angry at him
in the morning and try to kill Gideon and his father Joash calms the people and said “if he be a
God let him plead for himself ,because one hath cast down his altar (6:31) then Gideon reassured
his call by throwing the fleece twice(6:36-40).Then God cuts down the army of Gideon 32,000 to
22,000 and finally to 300(7;2-7)then in their way Gideon divided his army into 3 ,and upon on the
signal ,each man blew a trumpet ,broke a jar clay and raise the blazing torch (7:16-20)the Midians
are panic and defeat them (7:21-24)then Gideon pursued them across the Jordan river and he
finished defeating them.
Then Gideon returned and settled down ,married many wives ,and raised 71 sons and one of them
is Abemilech and his mother was a concubine (8:31) Abemilech brutally murdered his 69 brothers
and become king in his own home town Shechem. Jotham was the only survivor and give a 2
fables(9:7-25) 3 years later some Christians bothered to that statement (9:23) some men fight
him and in a fight on Thebes a woman upon the tower door throw a big pebbles upon
Abeoppmilech’s head and broke his skull and he call his armor bearer to kill him because it is s
shame unto him to die unto woman’s hand
When Abemilech died another judge came and his name was Tola and he died then buried in
Shamir. Then next is Jair and he has 30 ass colts and 30 cities and it called Havotjair until now.
And again Israel do evil and they serve Baal and Asharot and God get’s angry and they sold them
to the Phalistines (10:6-7) and they beg for mercy then Jephtah came nd they call him the “a
mighty man of valour” Jephtah is also a son of a harlot and rejected by his own brethren .(11:1-
11).but God make a way and he became a leader .Jephtah tried to negotiate with the Ammonites
and he says “the land was originally the Amorites’ and not the Ammonites (Num21:21-31).And
into this statement a war existed between this 2 countries, and God’s Spirit came upon Jephtah
and prepared for battle (11:28-29) before the battle Jethtah takes vow unto the Lord , and said
,if thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands .Then it shall be ,that
whatsoever cometh forth to the doors of my house to meet me ,when I return in peace from the
children of Ammon ,shall surely be the Lords, and I will offer it up for burnt offering.(11:30-31)
God delivered the Ammonites to his hand (11:32-33)and he back to his house the worst his only
child his daughter meet him ,when he saw that he said “Alas, my daughter !thou hast brought me
very low, and thou art the one of them that trouble me :for I have opened my lips unto the Lord ,
and I cannot back’.
And his daughter reply: “Let this things be done for me :let me alone 2 months, that I may go up
and down upon mountains ,and bewail my virginity I and my fellows. Jephtah was buried in
Galaad .
Then Ibzan was the 9th judge (12:8-10)then next is Elon ( 12:11-12)and next is Abdon (12:13-15)
Israel did evil again and they have a bondage in to Philistines (13:1) an angel visits a woman that
is Samson’s mother (13:2-3)and the angel told her that do not touch wine or drink it and Samson’s
hair will remain and untouched by a razor.
Then Samson was born and empowered by the Holy spirit (13:24-25)he determined to marry a
carnal woman and in spite of this sensuality God still used Samson for His glory .(14:1-4 )
In route to Philistine Samson kills a lion and he discover a swarm of bees and choose this as a
basis for his riddle (14:12-14)But the guest dishonesty answer his riddle because his wife tells the
answer and Samson became furious and he pay his debt by the expense of 30 Philistine
victims(14:15-19)then Samson returns t find the girl’s father and he gave is son to the best man
to act of revenge and Samson do this
“Samson went caught 300 foxes, and took fire bands , and turned tail to tail , and put the a fire
brand in the midst between 2 tails .And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into
the standing corn of Philistines , and burnt up the shocks , and so the standing corn , with
vineyards and olives”(15:4-5)Samson killed many Philistines (15:8) and the Philistines threaten
the tribe of Judah they went to Samson to be tied up and delivered them to them, and Samson
allows this to happen but when he the Philistines he breaks the rope , and gets free and he grab
a jawbone of an ass and slaughter 1,000 of them (15:9-17), and then Samson mocked the
Philistines(5:18) And he came to Ga-za and again the Philistines try to capture Samson again but
Samson rips apart the iron gate of the city (16:1-3)and Samson falls into a Philistine girl named
Delilah ,and she ask Samson where his strength coming, and she discover its and by that Samson
was captured (16:4-20)and they mocked Samson and took his sight and it came to pass Samson
ask the lad to held him to the pillars and he prays(16:28)and Samson died with the Philistines
,then Samson’s father came and buried him in Zorah and Esthaol.
The story of Micah a thief and an idol worshiper, and encouraged by his indulgent mother to start
his own religion and he hires his own priest (17:1-13)and this private pastor is enticed by the tribe
of Danites to become their priest (18:1-31)
I think this is the one of the most depressing chapter in this book .This story starts with a Levite
and his unfaithful concubine wife step and had a overnight in Gibeah its located in Benjamin(19:1-
15)This couple stayed in the old mans house and this house was sorrounded by a group of perverts
and they demand the Levite to partake their disgusting and degrading actions and this Levite
saved himself by giving the concubine this perverts sexually murdered her(19:16-27) Then this
Levite cuts the dead body and send its bloody chunk to each tribe of Israel(19:28-19)and Israel
was enraged at this crime and gathered 400,000 troops to punish this perverts of Gibeah (19:30-
20:11)the citizens of Benjamin refuse to surrender this perverts and a war begun and it into a
bloody war Israel lost 40,000 men, Benjamin was defeated when the body count 600 out of some
26,000 soldiers of Benjamin were left alive, and they provided wives unto them and this tribe
disappear(20:12,21:25)