Judges
Judges covers a chaotic period in Israel's history after Joshua's death, where the tribes failed to completely drive out the Canaanites and repeatedly fell into cycles of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. The book is defined by a repetitive pattern: Israel disobeys God, God allows an enemy nation to oppress them, the people cry out for help, and God raises up a charismatic military leader—a "Judge"—to deliver them. Stories of these Judges, like Gideon, Deborah, and Samson, illustrate both great faith and serious flaws. The book highlights the need for a righteous king, concluding with the famous statement, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
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Abimelech, Gideon's ambitious son by a concubine, murders all 70 of his brothers to seize power. He reigns brutally for three years until a woman drops a millstone on his head.
The cycle continues. The people turn to idol worship, and the Ammonites oppress them. God raises the judges Tola and Jair, who serve to deliver Israel from its oppressors.
The Gileadites appoint Jephthah, the son of a prostitute, as their leader. Jephthah makes a rash vow to God: if victorious, he will sacrifice the first thing that comes from his house—which turns out to be his daughter.
Jephthah defeats the Ammonites. The Ephraimites challenge his authority, leading to a bloody civil war where the Gileadites use the password "Shibboleth" to identify and kill the Ephraimites.
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