Judges: Such a Great Salvation

Focus on the Bible Commentaries

by Dale Ralph Davis

The Church has a problem with Judges, it is so earthy, puzzling, primitive and violent – so much so that the Church can barely stomach it. It falls under the category ‘embarrassing scripture’. Such an attitude is, of course, wrong so Ralph Davis here makes Judges digestible by analysing the major literary and theological themes discovered in each section, providing a ‘theocentric’ exposition.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Christian, Reference, Old Testament, Faith, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2003

About the author

Dale Ralph Davis is Minister in Residence, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to that he was pastor of Woodland Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is the best commentator on Old Testament narrative and why is it Dale Ralph Davis?

[Leslie Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit it...I read commentaries for pleasure. I am that theology geek. But I will also admit that they often tend to be a little...shall we say, “dry.” Not terribly engaging and definitely not page turners. Enter Dale Ralph Davis and his highly recommended commentary on that bloody, bizarre and often very disturbing book of Judges. What a guy:) This, IMNSHO, is a brilliant piece of commentary work. Not overly technical; one doesn’t need to be fluent in Hebrew to understand it. This book called to me like a novel. I couldn’t wait to get back to it. Judges is a dark narrative about a very dark time in Israel’s history, a time the author refers to as “the Canaanization of Israel.” Davis takes the subject matter of this OT history book and makes it come alive. He writes honestly and doesn’t gloss over the difficult stuff. He explains the ancient near eastern mindset to twenty first century readers. He is witty...and often downright funny. Yes, Dale Ralph Davis made me laugh out loud while studying Judges-which given the subject matter is quite a feat. Through it all he points us to the need for a savior, Israel’s need way back when and our need today. And to meet that need, God’s grace and mercy in His dealings with His fallen and sinful people. I finished this book on the 20th of December, a timely Providence, I’m sure, since I’m not certain that I have ever truly understood or appreciated the unbridled joy that Christmas elicits (having been of the mindset that Easter ought to get more attention) until now...after reading Judges and seeing how dark men’s hearts were then and are now...and how badly they needed and we still need a godly King...and knowing that THAT king has come and reigns even now...that the restoration of all things began in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago...and that He came (and will come again!) “to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found!” MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

One issue many writers struggle with is voice. Ralph Davis does not have that problem. In fact, if you've never read his stuff before, it will be jarring. But once you adjust, it's actually quite refreshing, especially within the genre of Bible commentary. His hallmarks are heavy doses of humor, casual slang (bordering on irreverence at times), and an ample supply of personal anecdotes.

Here he offers a survey of Judges (at only a little more than 200 pages, it's really only a basic orientation) but the brilliance of it is that there are enough technical clues in the footnotes to convey the fact that Davis has really done his homework. He studied Judges. Deeply. And he has distilled that study into (1) major theological themes and (2) points of application. His commentary can be summarized as 'practical theology'—not an easy task in a gory and convoluted book like Judges. Davis does it well. He doesn't back down from any of its challenges, and he makes compelling arguments for his interpretations of the more ambiguous passages.

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

If he has written a commentary on a biblical book, Davis should be consulted and read. His work always stands above the rest for clarity, explanation, and application.

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this commentary to help with Judges 5 and ended up reading the whole thing. I really love Davis' writing. He is clear, willing to say things others might not, earthy in a good way, and focused on God and his work. Preachers and teachers will benefit greatly from this commentary. If your preaching is weak on illustrations, as mine is, Davis is tremendous help. His illustrations are fun and lively. I highly recommend this work.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davis does a great job of unpacking the book of judges in an exciting and thoughtful way. I've not come across a modern author like Davis. He teaches the clear message of the book, he uses humor, and he helps the reader to understand the deep things of scripture.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good commentary on the book of Judges. Short and pastoral, the book took me one Sunday afternoon to read. Dale Ralph Davies writes with British dignity that reminds me more than anything of J.I. Packer. Davies can convict and encourage. Sometimes the applications seem like sing-song when they come out, but the beginning of the book is very solid in terms of making you realize the Lord's mercy to a people that did not even repent at times. Another way in which it reminded me of Packer was its brand of critique: it reminds us again and again that being baptized is no guarantee of salvation and covenant members can still be unregenerate, and it also reminded me that pop Evangelicalism with its Marcionite feel-goodism has no place for the fear of God. Davies is the only guy other than Doug Wilson whom I have heard praise Teddy Roosevelt for how he handled Sunday school. He points out when Gideon and Samson's father are afraid of the angel, we tend to laugh at them for thinking they would die, when in fact that's not unreasonable given human sinfulness coming into God's presence. On the other hand, he reminded me a lot of God's compassion for his people: he does not pooh-pooh Gideon for wanting reassurance from God or for knocking down Baal's altar at night. You come away wanting to trust God more, because of His unspeakable kindness.

A few other final notes: I like that he tries to pyschologically explain Israelite idolatry: "If we turn on our imagination lights we can readily understand how Israelites would be lured toward Baal worship by the Canaanites they had allowed to remain in the land. One can almost hear a helpful Canaanite trying to talk a little religion--and sense--to his Israelite neighbor: 'O yes, having Yahweh who brings you out of Egypt, who makes Pharaoh cry 'Uncle,' who divides the Jordan--all that is fine; and I've got nothing against this Yahweh, mind you; but here in Canaan it's not always the big bang that matters but getting into the rhythms of nature, I mean trying to manage the day-to-day situation with crops and flocks and so forth. Naturally, I might be able to help you know some of our secrets. Maybe you and your son would like to come with me to the high place for our midweek service?" (pp. 32-33). I don't quite buy everything here and think Christian scholars could look more into anthropology, but it's basically right.

He also offers a compelling argument that Jephthah did make his daughter a burnt offering. He read the last few chapters quite well, pointing out carefully the satire of Israel's idolatry and the fact that the Danites ingloriously destroy a fairly peaceful city after taking Micah's idol. He also highlighted something nice: at the beginning of the book of Judges, the author Israel at the end of Judges choosing to go against Benjamin and asking who will go first (20:18), which echoes back to chapter 1 where Judah was the first to attack Canaanites (1:1-2). It's a nice bookend observation. He also is careful in how he treats the supposed Israelite failure to conquer the Benjamites and their decision to take vengeance. He does not automatically condemn the Israelites, but acknowledges that it doesn't look good (and he even gets to take a dig in a footnote at James Jordan for arguing the Israelites were always right). So I enjoyed the ending the most, because of his carefulness as an exegete.

All in all, fun.

[David Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davis brings freshness and biblical relevance to Old Testament narratives. His style is engaging and often humorous, while striving to be thoroughly honest with the text. He avoids simplistic, moralistic applications, focusing instead on Gospel principles and doctrinal relevance of the text.

As a commentary, Davis provides adequate historical insight and textual criticism for most preachers and teachers. He has a great knack for identifying the "big idea" or "CIT" of each text, greatly helping the preacher to identify the theme of a passage and formulate his own homiletical idea. After doing my own analysis of a text, I found myself turning to Davis first to see how close my study aligned with his.

This, like Davis' volume on Joshua, will be a permanent fixture in my study. I highly recommend it.

[Hunter Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little commentary. Dale Ralph Davis is a gift. He makes difficult passages easy to understand. He is unique as a commentator because he’s a good writer who includes a lot of humor. Highly recommended!

[Helen Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Ralph Davies brings a great insight into a difficult OT book. Highly recommended.

[Kofi Opoku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful commentary

[Samuel Bunyard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Old Testament commentary of Dale Ralph Davis. This book reads more like an expository sermon than a commentary. Easy and enjoyable.

I have doctrinal and theological disagreements with the author, but they don’t come up often in the Old Testament commentaries of his that I have read. Overall this book was helpful and I greatly appreciate his emphasis on application points and tying the book of judges to the New Testament.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great lay-level commentary. Draws out good literary stuff without getting bogged down in technical parlance that would go over my head!

[Nathan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful introductory or laymen's commentary on Judges. DR Davis has a way with words, and this would serve well for devotional study of Judges and/or a guide to a bible study on Judges.

It does lack the theological depth of a good commentary, however. And many times I found myself disagreeing with his interpretation of the text and/or application of it to today's readers. But I always found much food for thought.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious isn't usually a word you'd use to describe a biblical commentary. This one is, not irreverently, but bringing out the humour of the text. Judges of course has its share of dark themes, and Dale Ralph Davis treats them with moral seriousness and clarity. His insight is extremely well-reasoned and supremely readable.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very readable, enjoyable commentary on the book of Judges that had a variety of remarks (textual, historical, geographical, theological, applicatory, emotional) though far from exhaustive of any one type, hence its readability. He continually sought to point you to Christ. It is not the type of commentary that sets out to answer every question, but instead seeks to keep the bigger picture before your mind.

Speaking of Gideon, he writes:
"We sometimes dupe ourselves into thinking that a real servant of Christ is only someone who is dynamic, assured, confident, brash, fearless, witty, adventuresome, or glamorous....(but) Christ takes uncertain and fearful folk, strengthens their hands in the oddest ways, and makes them able to stand for him in school or home or work." pg. 106

I confess I didn't like the book much at first, I think because I was reading it a couple of pages at a time, but when I started reading it a chapter at a time and reading the Bible passage along with it, I liked it much better.

My main criticism would be that at times he seemed to try too hard to say things is a new, striking way and it seemed contrived. I would have preferred simpler language where the power was in what was said and not how it was said.

[Seth Asher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. The blend of "academic" and "accessible" and "enjoyable" is quite rare, but Davis nails this recipe perfectly. 4 stars only because it doesn't go as deep in some places as I'd like... but you could tell me that's an unfair assessment, and I wouldn't argue. Great intro/overview to the book of Judges. Excellent springboard to further study and more critical/exegetical resources. No prior theological training needed to appreciate, understand, and benefit from this resource.

Sidenote: Davis writes from a Reformed tradition and perspective, with a focus on God's sovereignty, and the mystery of his will and ways in and throughout the book of Judges. He represents the thinking of this tradition admirably. But… If you come from a different background , or have questions/concerns with this kind of Reformed sovereignty approach, you may appreciate this book less.

[Joe Koehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis accents the tenacious steadfast saving work of God in the book of Judges rather than the increasing moral depravity of the people of Israel. Both are there, both are true (and Davis doesn't blush at it), but Davis helpfully turns the readers attention to what God is doing in Judges through this host of tragically complicated heroes. This is a highly readable commentary for just about anyone. While readable, there was also plenty of scholarly engagement, but the author reserves it for the footnotes, for those readers who want to go a little deeper. This book really increased my appreciation for the literary genius of God and man in the writign of the book of Judges. Well done, Davis!

[Scott Coulter]

The book of Judges is, well, just not at all pleasant to read. But Dale Ralph Davis has done another great job of guiding us through it (I have previously raved about his book on Joshua). He has published several other OT commentaries and I hope to read more at some point.

Side note, we got the chance to meet Rev. Davis and hear him speak recently, and he’s every bit as good of a teacher and story-teller in person as he is in print.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very glad I took Tim Challies’ recommendation when I decided to study Judges. I’m not a theology nerd, but reading this commentary I learned a lot, took some good notes, and Davis’s humor and voice kept me turning the pages.

“And until the church gets a proper view of sin, we will never see salvation as much more than a moving religious charade rather than as an act of holy, vicious violence by which Christ wrenches His people out of the clammy clutches of the prince of darkness.” (1 Jn 3:8)

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best commentaries I have ever read. With little to no background in the book of Judges, and to be honest, a fear of studying what seemed like a "lack lusting" book, Davis lays out the history, context, and relation to Salvation in an comprehensible format for the seasoned Pastor or brand new Christian. I will most certainly be reading more of his commentaries.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The guy is clearly an academic, but that's not his goal in writing this commentary. He seeks to edify the Body of Christ, and he does a great job getting to the heart of the text. Judges can be quite difficult to understand at times, and he does a great job of telling the story and drawing applications from it for us today.

[Aaron Battey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second of Davis' books to read. I love his wit and candidness. He makes for enjoyable commentary that is made practical throughout, yet not at the expense of contextual interpretation. His chapters on Samson, Ehud, and Gideon were probably the most helpful in the book. Worth a read if you wanna know Judges a little bit better.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything by Davis is amazing! I loved his Joshua book and this one was good too. Not as good but I think that is because Judges is not as fun a read as Joshua (sorry author of Judges), but still Davis brought out so many nuggets. This commentary is approachable for all types of believers and pastors. Highly recommended

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and insightful commentary. It's short and approachable for anyone to read yet packs a deep theological punch. As I worked through Judges I had this and two other commentaries, one a thick technical work and the other basically a greatest hits of other people's opinions, yet I always saved this one for last and inevitably it provided the best insights.

[Erica Weng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dale Ralph Davis is a witty, insightful, and clear-cutting writer. there are some parts in which Davis strongly asserts a claim that I would disagree with, but that's mostly because i was also taught by another source alongside my reading of this book. which i was very grateful for - to have multiple perspectives! I'll read more of his works if I am again taught alongside my reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Ralph Davis makes commentaries FUN!

“If we fail to see, to feel, to delight in the miracle of God’s own nature, are we not strangers to rather than partakers of such unbelievable grace?”

“God makes his people able to laugh after their sorrow and to smile over the funny ways he has of delivering them from their troubles;”

[Brian Algie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Davis’ “No Falling Words” (Joshua) I was excited about reading this commentary on Judges. He is easy to read and at the same time will challenge your 21st century mindset, especially if your a westerner, in ways that we need to be. Pick it up and read Judges and then his commentary.

[Jay Vellacott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent commentary that does not shy away from major interpretive issues. The author is great at squeezing expository juice out of passages where one might think this impossible. He also does this without forcing trite, silly applications.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite commentary! Davis focuses on the literary design and the theological implications while leaving more technical matters in the footnotes (provenance, translation issues). He makes Judges come alive. Well worth the read and study.