Warning: the book of Judges is both disturbing and violent. It recounts the tragedy of Israel's growing moral corruption, caused by a repeating cycle of disobedience, disaster, and deliverance.

The Israelites seem to be stuck on a hamster wheel, repeating the same foolish choices over and over again. This downward spiral leads the people of Israel to become no different than the Canaanites they were called to drive out. They eventually adopt all the Canaanite cultural and religious practices, even the ones God had warned them against. Instead of showing the world who God was by being distinctively different from the nations around them, they "did what was right in their own eyes" (17:6; 21:25).

However, this sad story is also meant to generate hope for the future. The book of Judges reminds us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. It also sets the stage for the books that follow, introducing the themes and circumstances that lead to the crowning of King David and his family line, that would lead us to the birth of Jesus.