GBST 103
Interpretive Paper 2
The book of Judge is also referred to as one of the historical books to bring about the story of the people of
Israel and the taking over the and settle in the promised land. This was a very turmultuous time during Judges as
it was a beginning of many years of exile and to stress the importance of staying loyal and devoted to God.
There are a total of twelve Judges listed in the Bible and there going back and forth repeating themselves is the
same in relation to what we are going through politically today. For the Israelites they kept going around and
around and the simple way to explain it is Israel is at Peace for a period, then Israel Disobeys God, then they get
oppressed, then they cry out to God for help, God answers and gives them a deliverer and are delivered and
back at peace again. Over time, this keeps up what appears to be a circle of disoediencethat keeps going around
and around, keeping back to the same conclusions every time.
All of the twelve Judges listed are: Abdon, Deborah, Ehud, Elon, Gideon, Ibzan, Jair, Jephthah, Othniel,
Samson, Shamgar, Tola. How a Judge is named as a Major Judge is still up for discussion. The “Primary”
Judges are the ones who made impacts of the Israelites, Jephthah is one of them. As after about eighteen years
of oppression from the Ammonites simply by making and keeping a vow with God, which delivered Israel. He
was only a Judge for about 6 years, not as log as many others. However, like Gideon who fought the oppression
of the Midianites for seven years and did it against their Army with less than three hundred fifty men without
any weapons. It was said they used only trumpets and clay pots, God certainly had a hand in defeating the
Midianites and then the country say peace for another 40 years under Gideon. Then one of the most famous is
that of Samson who was a Nazarite who had taken on a thousand Philistines using his super human strength
God gave him and using a simple tool he destroyed the temple of the Philistines and Israel was about to live
under Samson for about 20 years. The one judge that stands out the most was Ehud took rein after years of
oppression from a Evil King Eglon of Moab. They fought Eglon and Moab and won, which gave them eighty
years of Israel at peace was the longest time of any Judge.
Most of the Judges all delivered Israel with unusual and amazing means that all go back to saying was nothing
short of God’s handy work in delivering of the Israelites as his chosen people. According to the book of Judges,
ot does not appea that the Israelites ever repentd in their ways as the cycle went on for about four hundred year
(c. 1400 BC -1000 BC). All the Israelites did is what they wanted as referred to as the Days of Lawlessness (17-
21) as they did not have any King (Judges 21:25) are all the proof that is needed. This all ended up leading up to
a time when Israel was in need of a King, then came along King Samuel, King Saul and King David. Under
Judges, they did see deliverance from oppression for a time until the next oppression and then the next deliverer
and so on. But they did not see any real stable time and were rebellious to obey God and the Laws of Moses.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
ESV® Holy Bible, English Standard Version® 2016 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News
Publishers.
NASB (New American Standard Bible) is an English translation of the Bible by the Lockman Foundation.
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