Judges

Judges covers a dark period in Israel's history, spanning from Joshua's death to the establishment of the monarchy, characterized by repeated cycles of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. The book opens with incomplete conquest—Israel fails to drive out the Canaanites as commanded, instead making treaties and tolerating idolatry. An angel announces that God will not drive out their enemies, who will become thorns in their sides. The recurring cycle begins: Israel does evil and worships Canaanite gods, God delivers them to oppressors, they cry out in misery, God raises up a judge to deliver them, and after the judge's death, they return to idolatry.

Judges include Othniel, Ehud who assassinates the obese King Eglon, and Shamgar. Deborah, a prophetess and judge, leads Barak against Sisera's army, which is destroyed supernaturally. Jael kills Sisera by driving a tent peg through his temple. Gideon defeats the vast Midianite army with only three hundred men using torches and trumpets, demonstrating God's power.

However, Gideon makes a golden ephod that becomes a snare. His son Abimelech murders his brothers to become king, initiating civil war. Jephthah, a rejected outcast, becomes judge but makes a rash vow concerning his daughter. Samson, blessed with supernatural strength, battles the Philistines but is compromised by his relationship with Delilah.

The book concludes with horrific stories illustrating Israel's moral decay: idolatry, civil war, and shocking violence. The refrain 'every man did what was right in his own eyes' underscores the chaos resulting from rejecting God's authority.