The Book of Judges: The Israelites are At Their Foolishness Again

If I had to subtitle the Book of Judges, it would be: The Israelites Are at Their Foolishness Again. Because the way they stay cutting up is next-level. Every time the leader God appointed died, they immediately forgot everything they learned. Like clockwork. They’d go from “We love God forever!” to “Baal is our bestie!” as soon as their judge was six feet under.

Like… is it meth? Why do y’all keep playing like this?! The short-term memory loss is criminal. And the consequences? Always brutal. They’d abandon God and end up oppressed, punished, and suffering for decades. STIFF-NECKED and absolutely ridiculous. 😑😒

And yet, tucked in the middle of all this chaos, we get moments of brilliance. Of divine order. Of leadership that shows what’s possible when folks actually listen.

Deborah: A True Leader

Deborah’s story was my favorite. A queen through and through. BIG DEB, not the little one! The only woman we’ve seen given the authority and prophetic vision to lead the Israelites. And lead she did (the baddie that she was). She led with clarity, courage, and a connection to God that never wavered. And when Barak got shaky and hesitant about going to battle, sis was like, “Cool. I’ll go with you. But the victory will go to a woman.” And it did: Jael, who drove a tent peg through the skull of the enemy to defeat him. The women did what needed to be done!

Deborah didn’t play with them. She stepped up and led the people to victory. I wish we had more of her story because the way she moved in authority and obedience was incredible. God trusted her, and she didn’t let ego or fear get in the way. A real one.

Gideon: Do It Scared

Then there’s Gideon. I love his story because it shows what it looks like to believe and still struggle with belief. When God told him he was going to lead the charge and fight, Gideon was terrified. And what did God do? He met Gideon’s fear with grace. Gave him sign after sign. Anchored him. The fleece test was one of those, because Gideon needed proof from God that He would do what He said. How do you TEST GOD??? Well, the Lord always delivered on the test.

That’s the part that gets me. God didn’t rebuke Gideon for being scared; He walked him through it. So many of us need that reminder: Faith doesn’t mean the absence of fear. It means moving anyway, in belief. Gideon is proof that God can use you right where you are, even if your voice is trembling. Just do it scared.

And all his life, Gideon did just that.

Once Gideon died, the Israelites ended up in a series of short leaderships, and they showed their absolute inability to learn.

But let’s about Samson

Before Samson was born, an angel of the Lord showed up to his mother, who has not been able to conceive a child. The angel told her she will have a son and he will be a Nazirite, which means he will be God’s very own. And that one important rule for his life is that his hair is never cut. And that he will help deliver Israel from the Philistines, who had been oppressing them.

Samson was born, and his parents did what the angel said, and the boy was blessed with supernatural strength. Like… dude could rip lions apart type Avenger strength. It’s honestly giving Thor.

But the thing about Samson was that he was Team Bad Decisions when it came to women and that lack of discipline was his downfall. He married a Philistine woman after his parents told him not to and that ended up in utter disaster. He crashes out because of it and basically starts a war and kills a bunch of the Philistines.

Then he meets Delilah, a prostitute, and falls in love. Delilah was approached by the Philistine rulers and offered a bag (a BIG one) to find out the secret of Samson’s strength. So she starts asking him. And asking. And asking.

Samson lies to her three times. Each time she tries what he says, the Philistines show up, and he fights them off. Sis was not slick about it. She was like, “Tell me the secret to your strength!”

And then immediately used the info to try and get him killed. And he still stayed.

Eventually, she wore him down. And so he folded. Told her everything. Told her the hair was the source. That if it was cut, he’d lose his strength. So Delilah cuts it while he sleeps.

And I wanted to fight Samson MYSELF. BECAUSE WHY WOULD YOU TELL DELILAH’S TRAITOROUS SELF THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR STRENGTH, SAMSON?!?! Whyyy??? Cuz the lady tried to set you up THREE other times with the Philistines and you knew that! Then she sweet talked you one time and you gave up all the goods, like a sucker.

So when the Philistines come this time, he wakes up expecting to shake them off But “He did not know that the Lord had left him.” (Judges 16:20) Gut punch. They seized him, gouged out his eyes, and threw him in prison.

UNFORCED ERROR. Like… again… is it meth???

After he had been in jail for a while, his hair started growing back. So the Philistines were having a turn up to celebrate his capture so they bring him out to perform. Samson asked to be placed between two pillars that hold up the building and then he prayed to God to give him strength one more time! He gathers that strength and breaks the pillars so the building collapses, killing him and everyone in it, as his final act. Thousands of people.

Samson’s story is such a lesson in lack of discernment, and the ways our vices can change our lives. It coulda been different.

By the time you get to the end of Judges, it’s straight-up dystopian. A nation with no leadership. No justice. No order. Just vibes and violence. Sound familiar? It’s kinda giving America 2025.

The story of Gibeah is especially horrifying (where a woman dies after being rped) cuz a civil war kicks off and the entire Israelites community has fallen far from righteousness. “In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

If that ain’t a word for right now… The final chapters? Wild. Complete debauchery and unhingedness. Micah out here building shrines and bribing Levites to be his personal priests. The Danites snatch the idols and steal the priest too. Then the tribe of Benjamin gets nearly wiped out in war, and the “solution” is to kidnap women to rebuild their population.

I had to ask: Are they sniffing paint?! God was probably watching them like, “Ain’t no way.”

It’s like they had perpetual spiritual amnesia. They get delivered, then dive headfirst into dysfunction. Every. Single. Time. When they’d cry to God to help them, He would. Every time. And then they quickly go back to madness.

The Israelites without supervision are a feral group cuz not y’all being 2 books from Moses and all he did just for yall to get to the Promised Land and act completely foolish. 😒😩 Home training NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. A raggedy group of wayward people who constantly forget to honor God. And they always forget history.

And I find myself shaking my head at them until I realize: they are us. Right now. In real time. We’re quick to forget God’s goodness, quick to chase idols, quick to worship status, power, people. We’re disrespectful, impatient, and often ungrateful. We haven’t changed that much.

Man… Judges was just… whew.