Who were the judges in the book of Judges? — Cycles of Decline

Bible Question:

Who were the judges in the book of Judges?

Bible Answer:

Gideon Choosing His Soldiers

The book of Judges chronicles the decline of the nation of Israel after the nation entered the land of Canaan and had assigned territories to all of the tribes of Israel. Judges 2:6-16 tells us that while Joshua was alive, the people of Israel served the Lord.

The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Judges 2:7 (NASB)

After Joshua died, a generation arose that did not know the Lord and had not seen the work of the Lord.

All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 (NASB)

That generation was evil.

 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. Judges 2:11-12 (NASB)

Therefore, the Lord punished that generation. Then the Lord raised up judges to deliver them.

Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Judges 2:16 (NASB)

The people were happy that God had delivered them from their troubles. Yet after the judges died, the people returned to committing evil. That cycle repeated itself throughout the book of Judges. That same pattern of judgment is occurring in the United States of America.

Israel went through seven cycles of decline. Each cycle was progressively worse than the preceding cycles. The length of each cycle depended upon the length of the judge’s life. The message is that the judge’s spiritual character led the people to turn to God. Without a spiritual leader, the Israelites pursued evil. Eventually, Israel abandoned God and turned to the gods of the surrounding nations. The most common worship of the pagan gods involved a wide range of sexual pleasures and sinful acts. Any and every kind of sexual stimulation was indulged. Human sacrifice was included in the worship of Chemosh (Judges 11:24). That sounds like the United States and other countries around the world. For years, people in the United States have wanted to follow trends of other nations. For the nation of Israel, the consequences of their abandonment of God were idolatry, immorality, and anarchy. That is occurring today in the United States.

Among the fourteen judges, six are considered to be minor judges because their length of service was shorter and we know much less about them:

Shamgar — Judges 3:31
Tola — Judges 10:1-2
Jair — Judges 10:3-5
Ibzan — Judges 12:8-10
Elon — Judges 12:11-12
Abdon — Judges 12:13-15

The most spiritual judges of Israel were probably Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. Gideon is the most highly respected spiritual leader among today’s Christians.  Hebrews 11:32 agrees, listing him as an example of faith. It is important to note that Deborah was not listed as an example of faith in Hebrews 11:32, but Barak was. Jephthah is listed as a spiritual leader because Hebrews 11:32 includes him as an example of faith. That reveals many do not correctly understand the event that occurred with his daughter. Samson is also listed in Hebrews 11:32 as an example of faith.

Conclusion

Israel’s cycle of decline is a warning to any nation and believer who strays from God and seeks pleasure from the surrounding nations and cultures. The book of Judges is a sad story of man’s lust for pleasure and sinfulness. The last verse of Judges sends a sad warning,

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25  (NASB)

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