Judges

Judges 1
After Joshua died, the Israelites asked God who should lead the attack against the Canaanites. God chose the tribe of Judah. Judah allied with Simeon, and together they defeated 10,000 Canaanites at Bezek, capturing Adoni-Bezek. However, the Israelites failed to drive out all the Canaanites as God had commanded.

Judges 2
An angel rebuked the Israelites for not obeying God by making covenants with the Canaanites instead of destroying them completely. After that generation died, the Israelites violated God’s commands by worshiping Canaanite gods like Baal and Ashtoreth. As punishment, God allowed enemy nations to oppress them.

Judges 3
When the Israelites cried out for deliverance, God raised up leaders called “judges” to rescue them. The first judge was Othniel, who defeated Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram. After him were the judges Ehud who killed the Moabite king Eglon, and Shamgar who killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.

Judges 4-5
The Israelites again disobeyed God by worshiping idols. God delivered them into the hands of the Canaanite king Jabin whose army captain was Sisera. The judge Deborah summoned Barak to lead troops from Zebulun and Naphtali. At Mount Tabor, Sisera’s forces were swept away by the Kishon River. Sisera was killed by Jael, wife of a Kenite man. Deborah’s victory song praised God and commemorated the battle against Sisera’s forces.

Judges 6-8
The Israelites disobeyed God again, and he allowed seven years of oppression by the Midianites. God called Gideon to deliver Israel. Gideon destroyed an altar to Baal and gathered troops from several tribes. God reduced Gideon’s forces to only 300 men as a lesson in trusting divine power over human strength. With torches and trumpets, Gideon led a night attack that caused the Midianite forces to turn on one another in panic and flee. However, the people wanted to make Gideon king, but he refused.

Judges 9
After Gideon died, his son Abimelech massacred 70 of his brothers, then the people of Shechem made him their ruler. Jotham told a parable warning that following Abimelech would lead to disaster. Civil war broke out when the Shechemites turned against Abimelech. After reigning only three years, Abimelech was killed during an attack on Thebez when a woman dropped a millstone on his head.

Judges 10-12
The Israelites disobeyed God again, and He allowed 18 years of oppression by the Philistines and Ammonites. God raised up Jephthah, an outcast son, to lead the Israelites to victory over the Ammonites. Tragically, Jephthah vowed to sacrifice the first thing that greeted him after the victory, which was his daughter. Later, conflict erupted between Jephthah and the tribe of Ephraim, ending with 42,000 Ephraimites killed for failing a speech test.

Judges 13-16
God allowed 40 years of oppression by the Philistines. An angel announced that Samson would be born to deliver Israel. Despite supernatural strength, Samson struggled with impulse control, exemplified by his riddles and killing a lion with his bare hands. His biggest weakness was his attraction to Philistine women like Delilah, who learned that his strength came from his Nazirite vows. She had his hair cut, allowing the Philistines to capture him. But in a final feat, the blind Samson pushed apart the pillars of a Philistine temple, killing himself and thousands of Philistines.

Judges 17-18
In a case of idolatry and rebellion against the Levites, a man named Micah set up illegal shrines in his home. A group of Danites stole the idols to take for their own worship. They also captured the city of Laish/Leshem and renamed it Dan.

Judges 19-21
A horrific incident involving the brutal gang-rape of a man’s concubine by wicked men in Gibeah of Benjamin almost wiped out the entire tribe of Benjamin. The other Israelites went to war against the Benjamites over this crime, only narrowly failing to exterminate them after two bloody battles. The Israelites had to devise creative means to preserve the tribe of Benjamin and provide them wives from Jabesh-gilead and Shiloh so that tribe would not become extinct. The book ends noting the cycle of disobedience and lack of central leadership in Israel at that time.