Graduate Course Overview of Judges - Part One

This is the first of several videos from a graduate course I taught. The course offers a sweeping, theologically driven study of the book of Judges, tracing Israel’s moral and spiritual collapse in the centuries between Joshua’s death and the rise of Saul. It examines the historical context, authorship, and chronology of the period, then unpacks the recurring cycle of sin, oppression, supplication, and deliverance that defines Israel’s life without consistent godly leadership. The course explores each judge in detail, showing how God used flawed men and women to rescue a rebellious nation, while highlighting Israel’s increasing compromise with Canaanite culture and idolatry. The final chapters are treated as an epilogue of societal disintegration, revealing what happens when a covenant people abandon God’s Word and “everyone does what is right in his own eyes.” Doctrinal themes include human depravity, divine discipline, God’s use of imperfect leaders, the challenge of sanctification in a corrupt culture, and the dangers of idolatry. Ultimately, the course shows that Judges exposes Israel’s need for a righteous king and points forward to God’s faithful provision despite human failure. My lecture notes are here: https://thinkingonscripture.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Overview-of-Judges.pdf