Judges 1-12
The setting for the book of Judges takes us through the years between the conquest of Joshua and the first King of Israel. Again, this is part of the Deuteronomical History so this was compiled during the centuries of roughly 700-400 B.C.E and appears to be a collection of stories from the various lands of Norther Israel. They were probably brought down to southern Judah during the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.
The story of the Judge Deborah and the military man of Barak is thought to be the oldest part of the book of Judges. Scholars believe that it was probably composed in the 1200s B.C.E. and incoproated into this collection of various folk heroes of various tribes.
The book of judges supposedly spans a period of hundreds of years, but most scholars believe it was less than 200 years of various battles in various part of the land. In fact the story of Deborah concerns the king Jabin of Hazor who was already defeated in the story of Joshua. It is believed that these stories may have happened during a period of great instability in the region. Many different people groups were trying to become the next super power now that the major Empires of Egypt and the Hittites.
In the midst of the Caananites and the Amorites, and the Philistines and such there was a group of tribes that seemed to unite under the idea of a God that was greater than the idols.These various people came together under the idea of Yahweh. The Deuteronomical Historians that compiled these books always incorporates the theme of Israel turning back to the Baals and Asherahs of the times and forgeting Yahweh. This leads to their destruction and eventual realization that they need their God to save them. Yahweh then chooses a person to lead the people back to their one true God and have Him be their king. This leads to victories over the enemy.
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