Judges 2:18 belongs to the book’s opening explanation of Israel’s repeated failure after entering the land. The previous generation had known the Lord’s work, but the next generation turned toward other gods, bringing judgment and distress. Judges 2 does not present Israel’s troubles as random political misfortune; it interprets them in relation to covenant unfaithfulness. Verse 18 describes what happened whenever God raised up a judge during that troubled period.
Judges 6:14 occurs while Israel is suffering under Midianite oppression. The Midianites and their allies have devastated the land’s crops, leaving Israel fearful and impoverished. Gideon is introduced threshing wheat in a winepress, a setting that suggests an attempt to remain hidden, though the verse itself does not explain every detail of his motive. The Lord’s angel has already addressed him as a mighty man of valour, but Gideon has answered with questions about Israel’s abandonment and God’s apparent absence.
Judges 16:20 comes at the climax of Samson’s relationship with Delilah and the Philistines’ attempt to discover the source of his strength. Samson has repeatedly treated danger as something he can escape through physical power and cleverness. After revealing the connection between his uncut hair and his Nazirite dedication, he allows himself to be shaved while asleep. Delilah then announces that the Philistines are upon him, repeating the crisis that Samson has previously survived.
When Everyone Does What Is Right in Their Own Eyes
Primary passage: Judges 21:25
Judges 21:25 is the closing assessment of the book of Judges. It follows a devastating civil conflict involving Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, and the people of Jabesh-gilead. The final chapters contain actions that are violent, morally disturbing, and difficult to reconcile with simple claims that Israel’s leaders were acting righteously. Against that backdrop, the concluding verse gives two explanations for the chaos: there was no king in Israel, and each person did what seemed right in his own eyes.
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