The 7th Book of the Bible: A Book of Failure and Salvation

The Book of Judges describes the centuries following the successful conquest of the land up to the establishment of a unified monarchy in Israel.
The people lived merely in a loose confederation among the twelve tribes, with only one common spiritual center for all: the Tabernacle (Moses’ Tent of the Covenant) in Shiloh.

The Book of Judges (Hebrew: Shoftim) is the second book of the Prophets in the Hebrew Tanakh; for us, it is counted among the historical books.
Here we learn of seven successive periods of apostasy, bondage, and liberation.

A key verse in the book is mentioned four times: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

Actually, this sole rule of God over Israel would have been ideal!
No king, no nobility to oppress the people—but that also meant that every single person mattered.

Although God’s commandments and regulations applied to the entire people, without an authority to enforce them, selfish human nature gained the upper hand, and soon anarchy and the tyranny of the strong prevailed.

We learn how the people repeatedly turn away from their God, begin to worship the idols of other nations, and become increasingly like those nations. It is a disturbing account of a time filled with violence, perversion, and moral depravity.

As a result of their apostasy from God, the land is invaded by various hostile forces that subjugate and exploit its people.
In response, God raised up one of the “judges”—a leader of the entire people—to save them, who eliminated the threat and for whom the administration of justice (the modern role of a judge) was only a small part of his duties.
Each time, it was God’s grace that Israel experienced when they repented and sought their God.
There is always a way back for us when we repent.

Significantly, the same events repeated themselves over and over again after the death of each judge, and Israel fell deeper than ever before.
The time of the judges did not end until the prophet Samuel, who is also considered the author of the Book of Judges, anointed Saul as the first king of Israel.

Outline of the Book of Judges:

Content of the book of Judges:

The book of Judges

• Judges chapter 1
  • I. Introduction: Conclusion of the Account of the Conquest of the Land (1:1-2:5)
• Judges chapter 2
  • II. Main Body: The Stories of the Judges (2:6-16:31)
• Judges chapter 3
• Judges chapter 4
  • King Jabin and his commander Sisera enslave Israel
  • The alliance between Deborah and Barak; Barak leads the army of the northern tribes into battle on Mount Tabor
  • Sisera’s defeat and murder in the Kishon Valley; Jael’s remarkable act of heroism
• Judges chapter 5
  • Deborah’s (and Barak’s) Song of Victory
• Judges chapter 6
  • The people’s renewed apostasy results in their subjugation and plundering by the Midianites
  • A prophet’s message of condemnation
  • Gideon’s calling by an angel; his doubts dispelled by a sign from God
  • Gideon’s confrontation with Baal; his rescue by his father; the gathering of an army against the Midianites; his two trials by God
• Judges chapter 7
  • Gideon’s victory over the Midianites
  • Gideon’s forces are reduced to 300 men through two rounds of screening
  • Gideon’s confidence is strengthened by a reconnaissance mission into the enemy camp
  • Gideon’s victorious raid on the Midianite camp
  • Successful pursuit; Gideon appeases the jealous Ephraimites
• Judges chapter 8
  • Gideon’s Deeds in the Land East of the Jordan
  • Gideon Rejects the Kingship; His Idolatry and the End of His Life
  • The Israelites‘ Renewed Apostasy from God and Their Ingratitude Toward Gideon
• Judges chapter 9
  • Abimelech’s fratricide in Ophrah and his reign in Shechem
  • Jotham delivers a solemn warning in the form of a parable to the people of Shechem and curses them and Abimelech
  • Ominous developments in Shechem
  • Abimelech’s bloody victory, the destruction of the city of Shechem; Abimelech’s Atrocity Against the Inhabitants of the Fortress and His Inglorious End in Thebez
• Judges chapter 10
  • A New Apostasy of the People Brings New Tribulations at the Hands of the Ammonites; Sincere Repentance Brings Divine Mercy
  • Jephthah’s Call to the Office of Judge
• Judges chapter 11
  • Jephthah’s Unsuccessful Negotiations with the Ammonites
  • Jephthah’s Vow; His Victory over the Ammonites
  • Jephthah’s Return and the Fulfillment of His Vow by Sacrificing His Daughter
• Judges chapter 12
  • Jephthah’s Victorious Battle with the Ephraimites and His Death
• Judges chapter 13
  • The Background: Philistine rule; two appearances of an angel announcing Samson’s birth and his consecration to God
  • Samson’s courtship of a Philistine woman; his tearing apart of a lion, his wedding, his riddle, and his revenge
• Judges chapter 14
• Judges chapter 15
  • Several acts of revenge and feats of strength by Samson
• Judges chapter 16
  • Samson Betrayed by Delilah, Blinded by the Philistines, and Imprisoned in Gaza
  • Samson’s Humiliation, Final Revenge, and Death
• Judges chapter 17
  • III. The Two Appendices to the Book of Judges (Internal Troubles in Israel) (Chapters 17-21)
• Judges chapter 18
• Judges chapter 19
  • A Levite’s Visit to Bethlehem to Reclaim His Concubine
  • The Man’s Stay and Welcome in Gibeah
  • The Outrage Against the Woman and the Levite’s Return Home
• Judges chapter 20
  • The Council of the Israelite Tribes at Mizpah; Their Mobilization for War
  • Instead of handing over the offenders, the Benjaminites also prepare for battle
  • The Israelites‘ Bloody Defeat on the First Two Days of Battle; Their Inquiry at Bethel
  • The Destruction of Gibeah and the Near-Total Extermination of the Tribe of Benjamin
• Judges chapter 21
  • Mourning of the community; virgins from the city of Jabesh are assigned to the Benjaminites
  • The abduction of the virgins of Shiloh by the Benjaminites; conclusion of the narrative