In this video listen to Judges 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.

In Judges 1 we are reading what are the words of the prophet Samuel. We won’t learn about him personally until the book of Samuel, partially written by him, and partially written by other prophets Nathan and Gad. Samuel is the last of the Judges and the first of the Prophets if you discount Moses. In this chapter we are given an overview of the failings of eight and a half of the tribes to drive out the prior inhabitants of the land before them.

This is going to set the scene for the rest of the book where they fall away from the Lord repeatedly in worsening cycles. This is sometimes called the cycle of apostasy, a process which many individuals also go through in their own lives. It is a reflection of lawlessness, not being submitted to God. Judges ...