JUDGES

Covering a period of some hundreds of years- from the settlement in Canaan to the establishment of the monarchy under Saul- the book of Judges describes a recurrent pattern among the various Israelite tribes.&nbsp; At first the people were faitful to the Lord, but they gradually fell into idolatry;&nbsp; then God punished them through harsh enemies until they repented and called again on the Lord for rescue; and then God raised up some person with authority and charisma (called a judge) to resist and overcome their enemies.</p><p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The twelve judges described in this book served one or more tribes of Israel in this capacity.&nbsp; Some of them may have served at the same time.&nbsp; Among these judges were such persons as Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson.; The pattern of the book of Judges-falling away, punishment, deliverance- is very useful in understanding Gods way. Christians can observe similar patterns recurring in the history of the Christian church.