The book of Judges is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. On a timeline, it occurs immediately after the book of Joshua. Following it are the events recorded in Samuel and Kings.
Once the people settle in Israel, they are governed by a series of judges, hence the name for this book.
These people are not judges in the sense that we would understand today, but instead, they should be thought of as informal military heroes who were called and empowered by God to rescue his people from the oppression of surrounding nations.
A reoccurring pattern in the book of Judges is that the Israelites are oppressed, they call out to God for deliverance, he raises up a judge to save them, they turn to God for a time, but later fall away. The cycle repeats.
The actions of some of the judges are noteworthy and significant. Other judges are scarcely mentioned, some only garnering the briefest of citations in a single paragraph or verse.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
