Samson's last hurrah!
Although not all of the promised land has been delivered into the hands of the twelve tribes of Israel, each tribe has been allotted its inheritance and they are getting on with life. There are still skirmishes with Philistines and the like, but generally all is going well, at least until the people rebel against God. He then appoints a judge over them, a godly and wise leader who directs them back onto the straight and narrow. (Twelve judges in all.) We have Old Testament heroes depicted in this book, such as Gideon and Samson. After each judge, there seems to be about 40 years of peace, one generation, until someone carves an idol or adopts some pagan practice and the troubles begin once again. By the end of Judges the Israelites are in a worse condition than they were at the beginning, with God's treasures used to make idolatrous images, the Levites (priests) corrupted, the tribe of Dan conquering a remote village instead of the Canaanite cities, and the tribes of Israel making war on the Benjamites, their own brothers.
Impressions: The history of Israel is rich in characters and stories. Without further research and degree in Old Testament studies, it is not always easy to understand the behaviour of the people and their leaders. However, it is clear that God demands total allegiance and as he so many times promised, when He does not get it, things go badly.
Readability: four stars
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