This is one of the saddest books of the whole Bible: it covers the period between the death of Joshua and the judgeship of Samuel. Judges is a record of Israel’s repeated backslidings and God’s faithfulness in delivering them time and again.
Author & date
Author and date unknown. The phrase “In those days there was no king in Israel”, occurs four times and suggests it was written during the time of the monarchy.
Outline
A. The Root Problem Ch.1-2
- In complete victory by Israel
- Nations, which should have been destroyed became a snare to Israel.
B. The Relapses Ch.3-16
During the period of the Judges there was a repeated cycle of failure, judgement and deliverance Jud.2:10-23.
1st period Ch.3:1-11
- The conqueror-Mesopotamia
- Period of subjection- 8 years
- Judge- Othniel
2nd. period Ch.3:12-31
- The conquerors-Moab, Amon, Amalek
- Period of subjection- 18 years
- Judges- Elud, Shamgar
3rd. period Ch.4-5
- The conqueror-Canaanites
- Period of subjection- 20 years
- Judge- Deborah, Barak.
4th. period Ch.6-8:32
- The conqueror- Midian
- Period of subjection- 7 years
- Judge- Gideon
5th. period Ch.8:33-10:5
- The conqueror-Abimelech
- Period of subjection- 3 years
- Judge- Tola, Jair
6th. period Ch.10:6-12:15
- The conquerors-Philistines, Amon
- Period of subjection- 18 years
- Judges-Jepthah, Ibzan, Ebon, Abdon
7th. period 13-16
- The conqueror-Philistines
- Period of subjection- 40 years
- Judge- Samson.
C. The repulsions Ch.17-21
1. In religious life Ch.17-18
- Micha’s idol’s Ch.17
- Dan’s invasion
2. In home life Ch.19
- The Levites’ conduct3. In national life Ch.20-21
3. In national life Ch.20-21
- Civil war Ch.20
- Wives for the tribe of Benjamin Ch.21
Notes
a. Key verse
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25