The Book of Judges illustrates the disastrous consequences of breaking fellowship with God through idolatrous worship. Sin separates from God. The Lord requires commitment from His people. When we commit sin, the Lord in His love chastises us until we come to full repentance. When we cry out to Him, the Lord faithfully responds to us. He forgives us, brings deliverance to us, and restores fellowship with us.
The main body of the book (3:7—16:31) illustrates this recurring pattern within Israel’s early history. The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord (apostasy); the Lord delivered them into the hands of enemies (oppression); the people of Israel cried out to the Lord (repentance); and in response to their cry, the Lord raised up deliverers whom He empowered with His Spirit (deliverance). Six individuals—Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson—whose role as deliverers is related in some detail are classified as the “major” judges. Six others who are only briefly mentioned—Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon—are referred to as the “minor” judges. The thirteenth individual, Abimelech, is supplemental to the story of Gideon.
The Lord is our Judge—our Deliverer. He is able to do impossible things. Just as He appointed deliverers and empowered them with His Spirit to do exploits, He is able to endue us with His Holy Spirit and to use us to bring deliverance to those who are bound in sin and despair. He responds to the cry of a penitent heart. The Lord is faithful and His love is constant.
Humankind’s need of a divine deliverer or savior is emphasized in the Book of Judges. Throughout history, God’s people have sinned. God as the Lord of history has always delivered His people from oppression when they repented and turned their hearts toward Him. In the fullness of time, God in His love sent forth His Son Jesus Christ as our Deliverer, our Savior, to redeem us from the bondage of sin and death. Our Lord is a righteous Judge (2 Tim. 4:8) who will one day “judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31).
The activity of the Spirit of the Lord in the Book of Judges is clearly portrayed in the charismatic leadership of the period. The following heroic deeds of Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson are attributed to the Spirit of the Lord:
1. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel (3:10) and enabled him to deliver the Israelites from the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia.
2. Through the personal presence of the Spirit of the Lord, Gideon (6:34) delivered God’s people from the oppression of the Midianites. Literally, the Spirit of the Lord clothed Himself with Gideon. The Spirit empowered this divinely appointed leader and acted through him to accomplish the Lord’s saving act on behalf of His people.
3. The Spirit of the Lord equipped Jephthah (11:29) with leadership skills in his military pursuit against the Ammonites. Jephthah’s victory over the Ammonites was the Lord’s act of deliverance on behalf of Israel.
4. The Spirit of the Lord empowered Samson to perform extraordinary deeds. He began to stir Samson (13:25). The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him on several occasions. He tore a lion apart with his bare hands (14:6). At one time he killed thirty Philistines (14:19) and at another time he freed himself from ropes that bound his hands and killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (15:14, 15).
The same Holy Spirit who enabled these deliverers to do exploits and fulfill the Lord’s plans and purposes is at work today. He desires to move upon His people so that they too can do impossible things. The Lord wants to bring deliverance to His people, and He is looking for consecrated men and women whom He can empower with His Holy Spirit. ~NSFL
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