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Judges is a fitting name for a book that highlights the leaders God gave to Israel to protect and deliver them from their enemies. If you remember the commentary we did on the preceding book, Joshua, you will remember that Israel took the land they were promised by God. Unfortunately, Judges is somewhat of a downer in comparison, at least as far as obedience is concerned.
Thematically, Judges covers a broad range of merciful acts by God despite the people’s persistence in wandering away from Him. It is very much about God’s deliverance despite the circumstances. However, in this book, we will get a glimpse of the extraordinary feats God can accomplish from some of the most ordinary people.
It is important to understand going into this book that the themes take center stage while the chronology does not. It is a collection of narratives that illustrate great truth, but it cannot be read like it’s in order because the timing of the events is relatively unknown. Scholars are also undecided on who wrote the book, though many believe it could have been Samuel, Hezekiah, or Ezra.
More than anything else, we will see in Judges the state of life when men do as they see fit in their own eyes. This will be a constant theme. Through this state, the glory and mercy of God is clearly seen, and we should continually be gracious for the Gospel which allows our life to be used for His glory.