In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
//With this understatement, repeated roughly four times in the book of Judges, the Bible describes a period of unruly behavior in Israel known as the time of the judges. Six times a vicious cycle repeats itself before, finally, Israel decides to appoint a king. The rebellious cycle runs like this:
- The Israelites “do evil in the sight of the Lord.” See verses 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1.
- God sends an army to slaughter them.
- They cry to God for mercy.
- God sends a “judge,” which pretty much means a military leader, to rescue them.
Here are the six rescuers. You may recognize some of them.
- Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother
- Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite
- Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth
- Gideon, son of Joash the Abiezrite
- Jephthah the Gileadite, who was known as a mighty warrior
- Samson, who probably needs no introduction
