What Do We Do With a Book Like Judges?

Let’s be honest—Judges is one of those books in the Bible that makes you pause and say, “Wait… what?” It’s violent. It’s messy. It’s full of deeply flawed people doing questionable things. And if we’re not careful, we might read it and think, What am I supposed to take away from this?

But maybe that woah, what’s going on here? reaction is the point.

The book of Judges isn’t a highlight reel of heroes to emulate—it’s a spiritual case study of people who believed in God, but didn’t let Him lead.

And it shows us something we still wrestle with today: our tendency to make faith about us rather than Him.

Not a Book of Role Models

It’s not wrong to look for role models in Scripture. But if that’s our primary focus, we risk missing the bigger picture. The Bible isn’t mainly about good examples to follow—it’s about a Savior we desperately need.

Judges drives this home by showing us, again and again, what happens when “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

These stories don’t end neatly. They’re uncomfortable. But they also hold up a mirror to our own human condition. They reveal our drift, our compromise, our self-reliance. And they ask a question that echoes throughout the Old Testament: Who will save us?

A Mirror to the Soul

The brutality in Judges isn’t prescriptive—it’s descriptive. This is what happens when humanity runs from God and tries to play judge, jury, and savior.

When we assume the role of divine justice, we forget our place. As Deuteronomy 9 reminds us, Israel wasn’t chosen because of their righteousness. God’s justice is perfect. Ours is not.

There’s a call here to humility: Maybe I don’t see the whole picture. Maybe I don’t know how things should’ve played out. I’ll trust the outcome with the Lord.

Because even in judgment, God is more merciful than we expect. His heart was to preserve a people for Himself—not just individuals, but a community that reflected His character.

We’ve Made Salvation Too Small

American Christianity has a way of shrinking salvation into something personal and private—just me and Jesus. But God’s plan was never just to save a person. It was to form a people.

Salvation has always been both personal and communal. In Judges, we see what happens when that community breaks down—when faith is reduced to personal preference and moral relativism.

The consequences aren’t just individual; they’re generational. Weak, complacent faith leads to compromise. And compromise always cohabitates with sin.

We need to ask not just, What do I believe? but What kind of people are we becoming together?

Community Isn’t Optional

We often treat community like a side dish on the Christian buffet—something to add in when we’re ready or need a little extra support. But true Christian community is not optional. It’s essential.

Real relationships place demands on us. They bring out a maturity we wouldn’t otherwise develop. Being part of God’s family means taking responsibility for one another—encouraging, challenging, and calling each other to walk in the way of the Lord.

The early church in Acts modeled this kind of shared life—a people honestly seeking the Lord together. That’s what we’re invited into.

Don’t Forget What God Has Done

One of the saddest themes in Judges is how quickly the next generation forgot. They didn’t remember the darkness. They hadn’t seen the captivity. And so they didn’t treasure the rescue.

This is a strong word to those of us who’ve grown up in church. It’s dangerously easy to take God’s goodness for granted—to become numb to the miracle of grace. But God’s work in your life isn’t just for you. It’s meant to awaken faith in others.

We must tell the stories of God’s faithfulness. We must testify—from generation to generation.

The Bigger Story

Ultimately, Judges reminds us that our lives are not the main story—God’s story is. And He’s inviting us to take our place in it.

Instead of asking, How does God fit into my life? we begin to ask, How does my life fit into what God is doing? That reorientation changes everything.

It enlarges our vision, reminding us that our hope isn’t in moral performance or perfect leaders—but in Jesus, our King.

So yes, Judges is wild. It’s weird. But it’s also wise. It shows us what happens when we try to lead ourselves—and how desperately we need the One who can truly lead us.