Keys to Interpretation
Judges, like all the so-called “history books” of the Old Testament, is really a prophecy. Judges is numbered among what are called the “Former Prophets.” These books were called prophecies because the histories they
recorded were regarded as exemplary. The histories showed God’s principles in action, and thus formed prophetic warnings to the people. If we read Judges merely as a set of exciting stories, we miss this.
To get at the prophetic meaning, we need to know four “secrets” of interpreting Biblical narratives. First, we have to take seriously the universals, as mentioned above. The first enemy who invades Israel in the book of Judges is Cushan-of-Double-Wickedness from Aram-of-Double-River. This is Mesopotamia. What is the prophecy? If the people do not live righteously, the enemy will come from Mesopotamia. And so it was. First Assyria conquered Northern Israel, and later Babylon conquered Southern Israel, so that even the idea of a two-fold destruction came to pass.
James B. Jordan, Judges: God’s War Against Humanism, p.xi
http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/pdf/jjju.pdf
