Introduction
Most Christians tend to know the Book of Judges mostly from the story of Samson and Deliah. This is a favorite tale among children's Sunday school classes. Who could ever forget the handsome and incredibly strong Samson who had long locks of hair which were the secret to his superhuman strength? Then there is the beautiful woman, Deliah, who seduces Samson and betrays him to his enemies.
The story is usually told in such a way in which we have the unbelievably strong Samson (portrayed as the Hebrew form of the fictional character the Incredible Hulk) who took on the wicked Philistines--one of Israel's main enemies that harassed and controlled a large portion of the 12 Israeli tribes. The climax to the story has Samson sacrificing his own life as a courageous martyr in order to destroy the pagan temple to Dagon while killing many Philistine leaders in the process.
Unfortunately, the way in which the story is commonly told usually misses the point of the story and miscasts the roles of the characters (especially Samson) much the same way King Solomon is often miscast as an extraordinarily wise and regal man just going about doing God's work in the way the Lord approves. Nothing could be farther from the truth in either case.
Authorship
There is no evidence of who wrote the Book of Judges. Jewish tradition says that Samuel did, but otherwise, the author is unknown. The only controversy about the Book of Judges is when it was written, and how many times it may have been edited.
Timeline
There are two basic timelines set forth for the era of the shophetim: the 400-year version and the 200-year version. There are excellent scholars on both sides of this argument, each having a solid foundation for their conclusions.
Within each of these two basic timeline versions, there are differences depending upon whether or not one adds Samuel and Eli as Judges. Their addition automatically extends the period.
Note, one timeline is almost twice as long as the other. The 400-year version sees the Exodus as happening in the 1400's BC while the 200-year version views the Exodus as happening around 1200's BC. The end point of the period of the Judges is around 1040-1020 BC. This endpoint is fairly well established because we have records from a number of sources to show that this is when Saul became the first king of Israel. By definition, when Israel has a king, the era of the Judges ends.
When was the Book of Judges written
The Book of Judges had to be written after all the events of the Book of Judges occurred. Additionally, it had to be penned after the time of Saul because the last words of the Book of Judges says: "In those days there was no king in Israel" (Judges 21:25). So, the writer knew that they would be a king in Israel. Saul was anointed king around 1025 BC or later.
We can probably narrow down the authorship date a little farther because the writer of the Book of Judges tells us that the city of Gezer was still under control by the Canaanites at the time it was written. We know that by the time of King Solomon, Israel had gained control over Gezer from the Philistines.
The Book of Judges was probably written during the early days of King David, perhaps around 990-995 BC. The important thing to note it that it as written soon after the period of the Judges. The information presented in the book was penned a very short time after the events took place.
The book's title Shophetim
Shophetim--A definition
The title of this book (Judges) easily conjures up a false image of its meaning and, in the 21st century minds, just what their function was in the centuries between Joshua and the first king of Israel. The English title "Book of Judges" come from the Latin Liber Judicum, which comes from the Greek Kritai, which indeed means judge just as we think of it today. In all these languages, the words used are an attempt to translate the Hebrew word Shophetim.
We must not think of the judge portrayed in the Book of Judges as a person who sits behind a bench in dark robes and determines the guilt or innocence of the accused. While some of the several shophetim may have performed this function, it was a minor action they performed which occurred during their roles as leaders. These people did not act in the legal sphere. Rather, they were more like saviors and rescuers raised up for the season and usually limited in purpose among a select group of Israeli tribes. Said another way, these judges were only for certain tribes, not for all of Israel. These leaders had a regional and not national focus.
It is difficult to find words to translate the role of a shophet, the singular form of shophetim which is plural. This is partly because shophetim did not do all the same things. They did not all have the same skill sets and attributes. If we use the word savior in a general sense to at least partially define their purpose, it does help a lot to imagine their roles.
Think about Jesus' role, and it helps us to grasp the office of shophet. Jesus explains He did not come to judge but to save. In other words, during Jesus' first coming He did not come to judge mankind, but He came to save us from our sins. At Jesus' second coming, He will come in an entirely different role as a warrior king. He will not come as a savior but as one who carries out the Father's justice. Thus, He will come as one who judges from a bench and orders sentences to be carried out.
So like the Messiah, these shophetim in the Book of Judges were sent by God to save certain segments of Israel from their predicament as opposed to rendering judicial judgments against Israel.
Shophetim--It's origin
The use of the word shophetim did not first appear in the Book of Judges. We find Moses uses it in Deuteronomy chapters 16, 17 and 19 to describe an appointed leader who was to stand side-by-side with the High Priest. This kind of early shophet had civil judicial responsibilities that extended to the military and to a lesser extent to religious matters. The duties of a shophet changed significantly over time because Israel's circumstances changed. Israel moved from living in the wilderness to the conquest of Canaan to this time here in the Book of Judges. In fact, the shophetim of the Book of Judges would not be recognizable to Moses and vice versa.
Shophetim--12 or 13
There were a number of shophetim raised up by God for Israel. The Book of Judges identifies 12 (or 13 if you include Deborah). There is some disagreement among Jewish and Christian scholars as to who counted as a judge. So, the number of judges can cary by one or two depending whose commentary you read. There are a few names that are often called judges, but it is questionable depending on how you define the office. For instance, Samuel is often included as a judge, but he is not mentioned in the Book of Judges, and the same goes for Eli the High Priest. We do find Abimelech mentioned in the Book of Judges. He is more or less a judge but is often rejected as a legitimate shophet by most biblical scholars because he was self-appointed and not called by God.
Going with the idea that there were 12 judges, they are in chronological order:
Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Samson and Abdon. If we add the 13th, it would be Deborah who is concurrent with Barak.
Of these divinely authorized shophetim, there are seven accounts given in the Book of Judges of their actual deliverance of Israel from an oppressor. The seven stories are Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak (and Deborah), Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. Five other stories are said in the Book of Judges to have happened; however, there is no account of these which has survived.
Shophetim--Prime Characteristics
The common denominator among all the shophetim in the Book of Judges was their being specifically called by God for this purpose. Theirs is not unlike the office of a true biblical prophet who was also called by God for their divinely appointed office.
Over the centuries, many ancient Hebrews claimed to be prophets. This theme has continued in the early church era through today. We have thousands of believers who declare themselves to be prophets of God. However, from a biblical perspective, a prophet is only a prophet when there is a tangible appointing of that person by God to be a prophet.
So, at least from the time of Joshua's death until the emergence of Saul as Israel's first king, a judge by definition was:
1. Appointed by God.
2. Sent by God as a savior to rescue a group of Israelites from oppression.
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