Judges
Joshua is a book of victorious power; Judges a book of failure and weakness. Gilgal—circumcision (death to the flesh)—is exchanged for Bochim, a place of weeping, but the angel of the Lord is there (Judg. 2:1-5).
The children of Israel had been told, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you” (Josh. 1:3). Nevertheless, the energy of faith quickly gave way to complacency and unbelief. Having failed to secure for themselves the land that God had given them, they made leagues with its inhabitants in direct disobedience to God (Deut. 7:2). These inhabitants, allowed of God to remain that He might prove them, quickly became a snare (Judges 2:3, 21-22). Before we reach the end of the book of Joshua, we find idols amongst the people (Josh. 24:23). Falling under the judgment of God, He delivers them into the hands of their enemies.
Upon the death of Joshua, we have no successor. Instead, we find God in mercy raising up judges with authority over a limited portion of the country. These were times of revival; there was repentance, and they were delivered. Upon the death of each judge, the children of Israel returned to their evil ways—corrupting themselves worse than their fathers (Judg. 2:13-19). It was a time in which every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judg. 21:25). It is helpful to note that chapters 17-21 are not chronological, but rather, follow a moral order.
Thirteen judges are mentioned. Their names, and the rest periods that resulted from the deliverance wrought on their behalf, are: Othniel, 40 years (ch. 3:8-11), Ehud, 80 years (ch. 3:12-30), Shamgar (ch. 3:31), Deborah and Barak, 40 years (ch. 4 and 5), Gideon, 40 years (ch. 6-8), Abimelech, 3 years (ch. 9), Tola, 23 years (ch. 10:1-2), Jair, 22 years (ch. 10:3-5), Jephthah, 6 years (ch. 11 - 12:7), Ibzan, 7 years (ch. 12:8-10), Elon, 10 years (ch. 12:11-12), Abdon, 8 years (ch. 12:13-15), and Samson, 20 years (ch. 13-16).
The book of Judges reminds us of the sad history of the church. The Apostle Paul’s parting words to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20) answer to those of Joshua at the close of that book. When Satan failed to destroy the church through persecution, he sought to corrupt it by bringing it into a union with the world. Each period of revival has been followed by greater decline. “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11).