34...MAKING GOD JUDGMENTS
                          Based on the book of Judges (Judg, Jd, or Jg)....Read more there.
Judges is a series of accounts of people who play a lead role when the Hebrews are settling or settled in Canaan, the 'Promised Land' (N1). After Joshua & his generation die, despite the Covenant made at Shechem tribal & religious observance deteriorate to the point of chaos & the people have to be rescued by YHWH (N2). The Judges, who feature over a long period rule on civil matters & often lead the people into battle. They operate in the void that exists between tribal & more centralised government. The latter doesn't emerge for some time yet. Moreover YHWH is often portrayed putting the Hebrews up to acts of violence we would not want to attribute to God today! In some judges we also have a glimpse of a prophet thrown in for good measure. More, the judges' influence is almost wholly limited to local, tribal affairs. Two of the earlier ones who rise to the occasion - or are raised by YHWH God - are Barak & Deborah (Chs. 4, 5). Yes, a woman! Deborah is actually referred to as a prophet! Barak seems unsure of himself in his role, & leans on Deborah as go-between between God & himself. Deborah blurs the lines between judging & prophesying when she becomes Barak's inspiration as he leads the Hebrews to defeat the local Canaanites in battle. Afterwards, the pair sing a long & bloodthirsty victory song (N3) as Moses & Miriam had done after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds [EX Ch. 15].

The next Judge to warrant attention is Gideon who wages war on the neighbouring Midianites, followers of the pagan god Baal (Chs.6-8). 'Highlights' might be Gideon's call by God (6:11+); his destruction of a pagan altar (6:25+); & the way in which YHWH orders him to reduce the size of the war party he is to lead against Midian (7:1+). The religious message conveyed by this reduction & its outcome is to make sure YHWH gets the glory for victory, not the Hebrew troops,  but see (N4).  After some 'lesser lights', Jephthah, though a 'lesser light' himself (Chs. 10-12) leads the Hebrews to victory over the Ammonites. It's one skirmish after another as local tribes continue to resist the migrating (invading) Hebrews. Reminiscent of today's Middle East still? The Hebrews' failure to remain faithful to YHWH for any length of time is usually cited as the reason this warfare is so ongoing, but in the end they see YHWH as sticking with them & in most cases giving them victory despite their failure to keep the covenant they have made with Him.

In Ch.13, we  are introduced to Samson who has been dedicated to God from birth as a Nazirite (Ch.13:1+). This involved among other things abstaining from wine & leaving your hair uncut. Honestly, Samson comes over more as a womanising, folk-hero kind of lout than a Judge. He's probably remembered as one of the latter only for his fighting prowess against Philistines! Best known to us as part of the Samson & Delilah drama maybe still showing in some format in a theatre near us, Samson is mostly all brawn & no brain. However, his encounter with a lion (Ch.14) & the riddle he poses as a result of that shows another side to him. He can also be a smart operator! Maybe he's another example of God being able to use anyone to do His will. Samson harries the Philistines at every opportunity (Ch.15), but his downfall comes (Ch.16) when they enlist his latest paramour, Delilah, herself a Philistine, & pay her to betray him. After some failed attempts, Delilah eventually brings Samson undone by lulling him to sleep so the Philistines can cut off his long Nazirite hair, supposedly the secret to his strength. Lo & behold, Samson's strength disappears with his hair! He is then captured, blinded & chained as a slave. His mostly unedifying time as Judge ends when his captors trot him out to amuse them with his feats of strength. He brings the house down! Literally. He has recovered enough strength to bring the building down killing them & himself in the process! The rest of the book appears to be a collection of add-ons from later times, probably not really relevant to most of us today. But that's another story...Great Grandmother to the Greatest.
(N1) Like most of the stories we've already heard, Judges in the form we know it has been edited much later. (N2) As in the case of 'major' & 'minor' Prophets, some Judges come to be known as more important than others. (N3) This song is regarded as being one of the oldest works of poetry in the Hebrew Bible (JB notes.). (N4) A little teaser: Can we see a possible pragmatic & military explanation for the choice Gideon is told to make here?
Question:  Are the 'good' judgments we think of ourselves making necessarily 'God' judgments?