King James Version

Book of Judges

Author: Unknown. Date: 11th Century. Content: The book of Judges covers a period of several hundred years following the conquest of Canaan, during which time the people were ruled by individual leaders called judges or saviors. Their task was primarily  military, being to expel the enemy from the land. Throughout this period of Israel's history there is a tragic cycle to be observed, that of rebellion against God, followed by the judgment of God, usually in the form of foreign invasion. The children of Israel then cry to God for help and a "judge" is sent to save them.  This cycle is repeated numerous times throughout the book. Tragically, the people never seemed to learn that rebellion against God is a sure road to disaster. Theme: The grim lesson of Judges is that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom.6:23). Sin takes many forms, from the sophisticated sins of kings to the barbaric events that close the book, but the net results is always the same: when everyone does his own thing, chaos and destruction are the inevitable out come (judg.2125). Through it all, however,  God in his faithfulness saves people when they truly repent and turn to him.