The book of Judges is one of the often overlooked books of the Old Testament and is not always easy to understand. Perhaps the stories in Judges are too reminiscent of the evening news with its topics of war, weaponry, genocide, immigration debates, cultural and religious tension, and moral absenteeism. On the other hand, since the issues people deal with today are not so different, perhaps the book of Judges is worth investigating.
There are a few elements that can help readers understand the book of Judges and its purpose. The first is putting Judges into its canonical context, or understanding what comes before and after the book of Judges in the Bible. Judges follows Joshua, which is preceded by the Torah, the most authoritative part of the Hebrew canon. The Torah contains the commandments and all the laws and the story of the Exodus. Following the book of Judges, is the story of the united monarchy, then the divided monarchy, and finally the fall of both the northern and southern kingdoms. Therefore, Judges is located between the gift of God's law, and the eventual loss of the monarchy and the land.
The second element of Judges, which is related to its canonical context, is understanding the viewpoint of the editors, whom scholars refer to as the Deuteronomistic Historians. These anonymous editors and writers probably wrote and/or revised all the books from Deuteronomy through Second Kings circa 640–587 BC. They wrote over a time period stretching from King Josiah to the exile. Because the editors were looking at the story of the Israelites being promised land, finally getting land, and then losing land again, they were trying to discern why this happened. The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. pp. 192–195 . The basic premise or thesis of the Deuteronomistic Historian can be summarized thus: If you worship and follow only God, then you will be blessed, but if you turn away from God and worship other gods, you will suffer. See Deut., Chap. 28 . This thesis colors the book of Judges.
