Judges

Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1999. Pp. 260, Paperback, $21.99 US/$32.79 CDN, ISBN 0836191048. T. R. Hobbs 35 Dromore Crescent Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4A8 This is the twelfth volume to appear in the Believers Church Commentary. Granted the origin and intended audience for the book–members of a traditional "peace church"–it tackles one of the more difficult documents in the Old Testament, the Book of Judges. Brensinger understands the story of the book of Judges as a descent from order into social chaos. He then seeks to understand the book's reasons for this descent in terms of the increasing religious apostasy and accompanying social collapse. As befits the series, the commentary draws out "practical applications" of the material for modern readers. The structure of the book contains a brief introduction with short essays on the book of Judges within the Old Testament, the theology of the book, a survey of the book and selected issues. It is these last issues, violence and the role of God in politics, which shape the approach to the document, and which also constitute questions from within the 'peace church' tradition. The commentary is divided into three large sections dealing with 1.1-3.6, labeled "The Principal Cause: The Disobedience of Israel," 3.7-16.31 "Worsening Effect: The Deterioration of Israel," and 17.1-21.25 "The Final Outcome: The Depravity of Israel." The concluding section of the commentary contains an outline of the book of Judges, and a series of very brief essays on a wide variety of topics. Included in these topics are elements of Canaanite culture and religion, literary features of the book, and theological issues of historicity and truth, the Holy Spirit, and Violence and War. A reasonable bibliography is attached (pp. 243-251), although current discussions on history and historicity of this biblical period are not widely represented. Biblical passages are treated in a clear manner with a brief preview of the chosen passage, an outline, and a section-by-section commentary. [Full Review]