What is the book of Judges all about? 

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25)

What is the book of Judges all about? In the book of Joshua we read about how God came through on His promise to establish and settle His people in the Promised Land. And so now it’s time for “They all lived happily ever after…” Right?

Not quite! In fact, not by a long shot! In fact the book of Judges is a harrowing story of moral and religious failure, of judgement and terrible consequences, mixed in with a healthy dose of God’s wonderful grace. I heard one preacher describe the book of Judges like the “Horrible Histories” of the Old Testament – and it’s true that the gory bits are all left in. In fact it’s arguably one of the bloodiest books on the whole canon of Scripture, with a body count perhaps only surpassed by the cataclysmic events described in Revelation. According to the aforementioned preacher, who has done the maths, the book of Judges records 122,576 unnatural deaths, which is more than 5800 per chapter!


What do we need to know to read Judges?

Here's the problem at the outset, captured in the very final verse of the book: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25.) The problem is that although God had settled them in the Promised Land, He hadn’t yet settled them under a Promised King. Remember the song that describes the pattern of Abrahamic blessings throughout the Bible? “God’s people in God’s place under His rule; they will know His blessing…” Well we have God’s people in God’s place, but we don’t yet see them under God’s rule.
 

The shape of the book of Judges

One key passage in the book of Judges comes in chapter 2 verses 10-19. Here we find a description of a repeated cycle: God’s people turn away from Him and serve idols (v11-13); God responds in judgement by allowing enemies to conquer them (v14); God’s people cry out in distress (v15); God sends a rescuer (v16); then the cycle starts all over again, with God’s people turning away from Him (v17-19). The rescuers are called “judges”, because they are meant to represent and reinstitute God’s justice in the land. Their job wasn’t just to fight for God’s people, but to call God’s people back to Him.

So we could describe the shape of the book as a repeated cycle, going round and round this loop ad infinitum. But it’s actually worse than that. Because each iteration of the cycle is a little worse than the last; and each Judge is a little less “hero” and a little more “anti-hero” than the last. If you’re a fan of Marvel superheroes you might say that the earlier Judges (Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak) are more like “The Avengers” – the shining goodies. But the latter Judges (Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson) are very much more like the “Thunderbolts”. In other words, the pattern of the book isn’t a cycle, but a downward spiral into chaos. After Samson’s death in chapter 16 there are no more Judges: there is simply anarchy. And accordingly chapters 17-21 are the most harrowing of the book.
 

The importance of the book of Judges

How does the book of Judges point us to the gospel? In multiple ways!
 

It encourages us to take God’s warnings seriously.

He spoke truly through Joshua (see Joshua 24:20) in warning that there would be terrible consequences for the people if they turned away from worshipping Him. Sin is really serious: God won’t tolerate it!
 

It encourages us to take our human sinfulness seriously.

The book is a sad story of what people are like when they are given freedom to behave as they see fit (21:25). Left to our own devices we veer towards selfishness, violence and anarchy. It is only the restraining grace of God that stops our own nation behaving like the events of chapters 17-21, let alone the rest of the book. One of the stories that stands out as most instructive for me is that of Gideon, who starts off as a timid servant of God made bold by His presence (chapter 7) who then becomes corrupted by power (chapter 8).
 

It reminds us that God uses flawed people for His glorious purposes.

Just think of Samson! Would you have chosen him as a leader for God’s people? Yet from birth he was set apart to serve God’s purposes, and God used him mightily to judge the Philistines and save His people.
 

It leaves us longing for a better hero!

As we watch hero after hero ultimately fail to bring lasting peace and lasting change, and as we watch our heroes becoming progressively less purely heroic, we are left crying out for the true Judge who is to come and put an end to all evil. And as the book closes with those words, “In those days Israel had no king,” we’re left waiting and longing for the true King who is to come. Praise God that we know who that Judge and King is!