A Case for the Bible: Answers for the Book of Judges – Introduction

Answers for a study in the book of Judges” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here during the week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

Note: Class presentation, videos, reflections and Bible study questions are posted on the weekend – Bible study answers (like these) are posted during the week.

Bible Study: The Book of Judges

THE HERMENEUTICS

Before diving into a book of the Bible, it will be important to know some things about it in terms of author, audience, purpose and background. Knowing these things will help us understand the context as we begin to read and study the narrative content chapter by chapter.

1.  Author: Who wrote the book and when? (Include anything you can find about the author and when it was written)

• Author: Samuel, the last judge, who also served as priest and prophet to the Nation of Israel. He records the events that happened in the disobedient generations that follow the largely obedient generation that had entered the Promised Land under Joshua.
• The Book of Judges does not specifically name its author, but tradition holds that the Prophet Samuel was the author of Judges. Internal evidence indicates that the author of Judges lived shortly after the period of the Judges, and Samuel fits this qualification. In addition, the Jewish Talmud credits Samuel as the author of this book.
• Dating: The Book of Judges was likely written between 1045 and 1000 B.C.
• The period of the Judges lasts about 330 years, until the last Judge Samuel enters the scene at the beginning of the period of the Kings when the Nation was still united (note: the United Kingdom will function under the rulership of Saul, David and Solomon, and then it will divide in civil war to be known as the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah)
• Note: The Exodus: 1446 – 1406 BC; The Conquest 1406 – 1375 BC; The period of the Judges ca. 1375 – 1075 BC (recorded events in Judges ca. 1383-1052 BC). These are the conservative traditional historical dates for the Biblical record at this time. You will find later dates in some scholarship, but there is ample evidence to conclude these dates are the best.

2. Audience: Who was it written to? (Include anything you can find about the people, the culture or societal norms, of that time period)

• The Nation of Israel is the intended audience as this historical narrative (the genre) was to be passed on for the generations to come so that they would know their history.
• The setting was in Canaan, also called the Promised Land, which occupied the same general geographical territory of modern-day Israel and its surrounding areas.
• The people of Israel, who are partially in their allotment of land in Canaan by tribe, are now functioning as a Nation within the land. They are separated by tribes and are ruled, in part, by various judges throughout this period. The people, for the most part, do not wholly seek the LORD and His Word, and they will suffer the consequences of the Mosaic Covenant (protection vs. loss of that protection).

3. Purpose: Why was it written? (Include anything you can find about their circumstances and what was, or had been, going on in their world at that time; you also want to include the genre or literary style of the book)

• The purpose of the book is to give the history of Israel after the conquest of the Promised Land (a partial fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant which came after their forty years of wandering in the desert following their exodus from Egypt), and was to be used to teach the people of God for generations to come.
• Life Application Bible: The purpose of this book is to show that God’s judgment against sin is certain, and His forgiveness of sin and restoration to relationship are just as certain for those who repent.
• Genre: This book is a historical narrative.
• Brief Summary from gotquestions.org: The Book of Judges covers about 330 years of Israel’s history (c. 1383 BC to c. 1052 BC) and is a tragic account of how Yahweh [God] was taken for granted by His children year after year, century after century. Judges is a sad contrast to the book of Joshua which chronicles the blessings God bestowed on the Israelites for their obedience in conquering the land. In Judges, they were disobedient and idolatrous, leading to their many defeats. Yet God has never failed to open His arms in love to His people whenever they repent from their wicked ways and call upon His name (Judges 2:18). Through the twelve judges of Israel, God honored His promise to Abraham to protect and bless his offspring (Genesis 12:2-3).
• The Book of Judges can be divided into two sections:
  • 1) Chapters 1-16 which gives an account of the wars of deliverance beginning with the Israelites’ defeat of the Canaanites and ending with the defeat of the Philistines and the death of Samson; this book also records Israel’s first civil war.
  • 2) Chapters 17-21 which is referred to as an appendix and does not relate to the previous chapters. These chapters are noted as a time “when there was no king in Israel (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).”
  • Note: The book of Ruth was originally part of the book of Judges, but was separated out in 450 AD as a distinct storyline that highlights the genealogy of King David and ultimately Jesus.

BACKGROUND: It is important to first cover the historical background of the Bible leading up to the events recorded in this book before getting into the content…

BACKGROUND OF THE OLD TESTAMENT TO THIS POINT:
GENESIS THROUGH JOSHUA

• God gives Moses the story of creation; the fall of man; the judgment flood of Noah’s time and the subsequent start of a new world through Noah’s descendants (Shem, Ham and Japheth). 1-10
• At the Tower of Babel (after the flood) we see the defiance and pride of man take hold again (as they had been told to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth), so God scatters the people with a change of language. 11
• The narrative turns at this point to follow a specific line through Shem to the person of Abraham, through whom God promises (makes a Covenant) a nation, a land, and a blessing. 12-21
• The Covenant begins to be fulfilled through Abraham’s lineage: Isaac, Jacob (renamed Israel) and his 12 sons. 22-50
• These 12 sons (tribes of Israel) grow in number to become a large nation of people and are eventually put into slavery in Egypt where we get the story of Moses and the Exodus. Book of Exodus
• The rest of the Torah (Leviticus through Deuteronomy) includes specific Laws and requirements for the Nation of Israel (Mosaic Covenant) to follow in order to be protected by God, and be distinct from the other nations as representatives of God.
• The Torah also narrates the downfall of the people over and over through disobedience; but we also see God’s hesed (unconditional love, mercy and grace) as He reconciles them to Himself when they repent.
• Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses, and then the book of Joshua narrates the conquest of the Promised Land under new leadership (Joshua). Although this is a partial conquest, most of the tribes settle the land in peace as they enter the time of the Judges following the death of Joshua.

Some helpful notes as you study the Old Testament

It will be important to understand some attributes of God as you study:

• He is sovereign, and will always rule with righteousness and justice.
• He is omniscient, knowing the end from the beginning.
• He is omnipotent, showing His power and might over all things.
• He is holy and perfect, and expects His people to be His representatives to the other nations, modeling Him by following His laws, decrees and directions.
• He displays hesed towards His people (the word is indescribable, but includes the idea of mercy, grace and undeserved love; Jesus’ offer of salvation is rooted in this term).

Some additional things to remember when studying the Old Testament:

• It is mainly an historical narrative – it is descriptive (of people and events) not prescriptive (of the way God wants us to be).
• The consequences of a fallen world and fallen people are seen in these narratives, thus showing the need for a Messiah (Jesus) to come.
• As Christians we are not under the “Old Covenant” (Laws), but we are under Jesus and His teachings found in the New Testament.