COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF JUDGES

BY FR. TADROS Y. MALATY

AN INTRODUCTION

If the book of Joshua is the book of the free salvation, in which Joshua received

the leadership of the people to bring them forth to enter the promised land; to

overcome the pagan nations, to reign, and to divide the land among the tribes;

the book of Judges, on the other hand, reveals the condition of the Israeli people

in the promised land, having despised the great gift of God, and become slothful

to seek the free divine promises. The zeal of the people came to be lukewarm,

and the majority tended to partake of the idol-worship and abominations of the

pagan nations, that they let live in their midst. But God would not forsake His

children, but resorts to chastise them, using those same nations, as a firm tool.

And once the people of God return to Him, He saves them and bring forth

salvation to them.

We can say that the book of Judges is the book of life of every believer, who

tasted the sweetness of the new life in Christ Jesus, being the spiritual land that

flows with milk and honey. But, instead of setting forth, in it, from strength to

strength, he comes to be spiritually slothful, and despises the multitude of God’s

gifts, to apostatize to the carnal life, and to the deadly earthly mind; a situation

that provokes God to chastise him with afflictions and sufferings, to bring him

back to Him, a son, holy in the truth.