2. Introduction

Introduction This week we have been considering the book of Judges, and I thought it might be a message for us this evening, and to complete in some measure the study of the book of Judges, if we considered the beautiful book of Ruth, because the incidents that are considered there happened in the time of the Judges, "when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1).

We saw earlier that the times of the judges were days of alternating darkness and brightness. The cause of the darkness was the disobedience and failure of the people of God; the cause of the brightness was God’s mercy and grace in allowing deliverance and freedom from their enemies.