The Judges of Israel in the Old Testament

The Judges of Israel

In the time of the Tribal Confederacy, there still was no political unity among the tribes. Therefore, during times of crises, Yahweh raised up "judges" - military heroes and leaders, who led His people Israel against their enemies, and helped keep justice in the land.

"Judges" in biblical context

The biblical book of Judges tells about how twelve judges (military champions or "deliverers" [Judg 2:16]) held leadership over the loosely organized Tribal Confederacy. Besides their military leadership, these judges also functioned as those who handled legal disputes and arbitration among their people. When the legal dispute went beyond a particular tribe, these judges also have an extended authority to other tribes as well. Their authority was generally recognized within the territory of the Tribal Confederacy.

Charism and spiritual power

Judges do not function like kings and their office is nonhereditary. Their office rested upon a special gift of Yahweh's Spirit - known as charisma, or spiritual power. To mention a few of these judges who were gifted by Yahweh with charisma, take into account popular names like Deborah [Judg 4-5], Gideon [Judg 6:34-35], and Samson [Judg 14:6].

Deborah

Deborah was a charismatic leader that figured prominently in the Battle of Megiddo. At Megiddo was a Canaanite fortress that controlled a commercial route that ran from Egypt to Mesopotamia. This control affected Israel's economic life. Thus, at this time Yahweh raised up Deborah, who, together with the commander Barak, gave an order to attack Megiddo. But only half of the tribes in the Twelve-Tribe Confederacy responded to Deborah's summons. Even with just half the tribes, victory was obtained because of Yahweh's help, who caused a rainstorm that flooded the river Kishon, which overflowed its banks, and trapped the Canaanite charioteers in clay. This account of the battle of Megiddo is given in two versions: the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 and the prose version in Judges 4.

Gideon

In Judges 6:35, Gideon, like Deborah, calls on the other Tribes to assist him against the Midianites. The tribes, which are from the north, responded to his call. Those who studied the Scripture related to Gideon say that Yahweh raised up Gideon at that time because of a series of devastating surprise attacks on the people by Midianites in the Arabian desert. These attacks were inflicted on the Israelites, who had to leave their villages and their farming, and take refuge in mountain caves [Judges 6:5]. Thus, Yahweh called Gideon, who was a farmer, to take a military role in Israel. In the bible, Gideon was guided by Yahweh to use methods not according to common military strategies [Judges 7:1-8]. This was what Gideon did: he selects a group of only 300 men and staged a guerilla-type attack on the encamped Midianites. Gideon's band of 300 men surprisingly overpowered the Midianites. The account of Gideon's victory in the bible makes readers aware that the victory indeed belongs to Yahweh.

Samson

Deborah and Gideon were judges from the north. In the south, the judges Yahweh raised for His People were Othniel and Shamgar. But the most popular of these was Samson. Samson is from the tribe of Dan. He is very much a poor man's hero: physically powerful, vengeful, and with a weakness for women. Though he never organized an army in the name of Yahweh, he was able to defeat the Philistines single-handedly. The biblical account of Samson as a judge called by Yahweh, gives a moral lesson, and tells them what will happen to persons whom Yahweh filled with charisma, but disregards His guidance in times of crises and instead pursues personal desires and whims.

Conclusion:

Deborah, Gideon and Samson are "charismatic leaders" - leaders qualified to lead the Twelve-Tribe Confederacy. Their success in battle or extraordinary physical strength encouraged the people to consult them in many matters. These judges in turn applied the Covenant Law from Moses to very specific and particular cases. In time, however, the role of these judges as leaders came to be ineffective as more and more troubles came upon the People. Eventually, as Israel saw their neigbhoring countries prospering due to the organization of their nations with a king as leader, they saw this as a solution and clamored to their elders and leaders that they also wanted a king. This was a critical time for the Tribal Confederacy since all the tribes always conceived of Yahweh as their only King.

Related resources:

• "Understanding the Old Testament", by Bernhard W. Anderson
• "Journey: Volume I - Torah", by Msgr. Marcel Gervais
• The Promised Land: Introductory Article
• The Promised Land: Three Theories of the Canaan Conquest
• Three Turning Points in the Life of Early Israel
• The Twelve-Tribe Confederacy