Judges

Summary

Judges is a dark book, and it is meant to be. It exposes what happens when the people of God live without faithful leadership and without wholehearted obedience to the Lord. This Two Horizons volume tries to read Judges in a way that respects its literary craft and its theological shock. We found that combination helpful because Judges can be mishandled in two directions, either turned into heroic moral lessons or avoided because of its ugliness. This commentary aims to do neither.

The book is structured around repeated cycles of sin, oppression, cry, and deliverance, but the story does not stay on the surface. The cycles worsen. The judges become increasingly compromised. The nation slides toward chaos. We appreciated that the volume keeps that spiral in view, because it shapes how we preach. Judges is not mainly a collection of inspiring biographies, it is a warning and a lament, and it prepares us to long for a true king.

The Two Horizons approach also invites theological reflection that is accountable to the text. It encourages us to ask what Judges reveals about the patience and holiness of God, about the consequences of idolatry, and about the need for covenant faithfulness that cannot be sustained by occasional bursts of reform. That is hard medicine, but it is good for the church.

Strengths

We value the way the commentary helps us read the book as deliberately shaped narrative. Judges is not random. Scenes are arranged to produce theological impact, and repeated phrases are used to show decline. When a commentary keeps those signals visible, it helps the preacher handle the text with integrity.

The theological reflection is also often fruitful. It draws attention to the moral logic of idolatry, to the destructive patterns of compromise, and to the way the Lord both disciplines and rescues. That can create preaching that is searching without becoming merely negative, because the book still displays mercy, even as it exposes sin.

We also appreciated the help for preaching the hardest chapters. A good commentary will not make them easy, but it will keep us from sensationalism. It will help us speak of sin as sin, while still holding out the hope that God saves His people despite their ruin.

Limitations

Judges is emotionally and pastorally demanding, and the commentary reflects that. Some sections can feel weighty and may require the preacher to choose carefully what to bring to the pulpit and what to handle in teaching settings or conversation.

The Two Horizons method can also require extra synthesis. It provides strong interpretive insight, but it does not always translate directly into sermon structure. Pastors may need to work harder to turn analysis into a clear preaching shape.

How We Would Use It

We would use this volume to set the tone for a Judges series. The first need is to help the congregation understand why the book is in the Bible and what it is meant to do to us. This commentary can help us preach Judges as covenant warning and as preparation for godly kingship.

To test its usefulness quickly, we would read its handling of a familiar judge story and a difficult late chapter. We would ask whether it keeps the narrative in context, whether it avoids moralising, and whether it offers theological clarity that strengthens gospel preaching rather than replacing it.

We would also pair it with pastoral resources that assist with application and care, because Judges will surface real pain and confusion in a congregation. A preacher needs both interpretive help and pastoral wisdom as he leads people through the darkness.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this volume for pastors who want to preach Judges faithfully, with literary attentiveness and theological seriousness. It will help you resist shallow readings and will support preaching that is honest about sin while still pointing toward the need for a true and righteous king.