Did The Israelites Have Lawyers And Courts For Their Judges?
Answer: Joshua was the Israelites’ leader when they first got to the Promised Land. After Joshua died, God used judges to lead his people.
The judges that we read about in the book of Judges were not like the judges we have today, so they didn’t have courts or listen to lawyers.
The Israelite judges were their nation’s spiritual leaders and sometimes military leaders. Their main job was to organize the people, rescue them from enemies, and lead the people to God.
This was how God led the Israelites, much the way parents lead their children.
Key Verse: The Lord raised up judges. They were chosen to save the Israelites from their enemies. (Judges 2:16)
Related verses: Judges 2:16-23; 1 Samuel 8:1-22
Related question: What is a judge?
Was Samson A Good Guy Or A Bad Guy?
Answer: One of Israel’s judges was a man named Samson. Samson served God and wanted to please him, but he wasn’t perfect.
God had chosen him to do a special service for the nation of Israel – to rescue his people from cruel enemies. Samson fulfilled that job well.
But Samson also did some cruel and foolish things, just as most people do. God didn’t force him to do everything right.
Like us, Samson had the freedom to choose to use his God-given abilities (in his case, strength) for good or bad.
Sometimes Samson chose to go his own way instead of God’s.
Key verse: “Your son’s hair must never be cut. For he shall be a Nazirite. He shall be a special servant of God from the day he is bom. And he will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” (Judges 13:5)
Related verses: Judges 13:1-16:31
Related question: Why did the Philistines want to capture Samson?