DESCRIPTION
Series: Two Horizons Old Testament CommentaryJudges is a book for our time. It forces readers to come face to face with the way that faith speaks into the situations we encounter and read about in our newsfeeds. Warfare, authoritarianism, sexual exploitation, tribalism—these are a few of the repercussions from not having our social order oriented toward God.
In this commentary David Beldman expounds the story of God and Israel that unfolds in the book of Judges, highlighting the vital message it speaks to contemporary Christians who strive to live lives of integrity and undivided loyalty to Jesus under the constant pressure of the idols of twenty-first-century culture.
Table of Contents
I. Theological Introduction
1. Introduction to Judges
2. The Title
3. Hearing the Book of Judges
4. Hearing Judges as Hebrew Narrative
5. Hearing Judges in Its Historical Context
6. Hearing Others Hearing Judges
7. Conclusion
II. Theological Commentary
8. The Exposition
9. The Cycle of Judges
10. The End Section
11. Retrospective Evaluation: A View of Judges from the End
III. Theological Reflection
12. Judges and Biblical Theology
13. Judges and Systematic Theology
14. Judges for Today
AWARDS and RECOGNITIONS
The Academy of Parish Clergy Reference Book Top 5 List (2021)
REVIEWS
“David Beldman’s commentary on this dark period in Israelite history is superb. At home in both the exegesis of the book of Judges and in the exegesis of postmodern culture, Beldman’s book is a great example of wisdom for the church as he seeks to show how this book spoke to its ancient audience in an anarchic wasteland where everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and how it speaks to the church in a similar situation today. Sell your coat and buy it!”
— Stephen Dempster
Crandall University
“Beldman’s deft narrative observations reveal the judges not as flat heroes, but as complex characters in troubling times. He makes these accounts entertaining and accessible without neglecting the difficult questions they pose and the surprising answers they sometimes provide. A good resource for preaching and teaching within the church, with insights useful for biblical scholars and theological educators.”
— Lissa Wray Beal
Providence University College and Theological Seminary
Eric D. McDonnell Jr. in Review of Biblical Literature
“The discussions framing the commentary, the Theological Introduction and Theological Reflection, provide unique contributions to the study of Judges as scripture and will, I hope, spark further work on this text with contemporary faith communities in mind.”
Review of Biblical Literature
“Judges is a difficult work, and the task of theological reflection on this text is an important one. While Beldman’s commentary largely summarizes and synthesizes previous voices in the discourse on Judges, it will nonetheless be of interest to a constellation of Christian theologians and ministers.”
The Journal of Theological Studies
“Beldman’s interpretation of Judges as a book is insightful and clear. . . . For what it shows about the book of Judges as a whole, this commentary makes an important resource.”