Judges Opening Remarks

Joshua 2:18 "And when the LORD raised them up judges then the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them."

Judges covers 305 years (Usher). There were 13 judges (Scofield).

The judges were tribesmen, not of any special position in Israel except that they were chosen for the job.

Compare to 1 Cor. 1:26 . "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are clled: v27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."

Judges covers the time after Moses and Joshua until the time of the kings. It is a time of Israel going after the strange gods of those people who were not cast out of the land. Scofield calls them "seven apostatsies, seven servitudes to seven heathen nations, seven deliverances." Note: Judges is the seventh book in the Bible.

After the judges came the prophets and the kings.

We will find Samuel the prophet soon after the short book of Ruth. Samuel waxed old and made his sons judges but they did not follow the Lord bringing the cry from the people of Israel for a king.

I Samuel 8:4-5 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

Psalms 119:169 "Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word."

Keywords: Bible Study, Old Testament, Judges, Milton Southerland