"In this wise, clear-eyed exposition Isabelle Hamley shows why we return again and again to old Scripture. Her fresh reading of the Book of Judges provides clues for how we may read our own time with the eyes of faith. On the one hand the narrative of Israel is filled with wayward violence and brokenness, a condition that requires Gods insistent justice. On the other hand, amid such human fecklessness is Gods own dogged determination to create and sustain Israel, an act of Gods good grace. The narrative insists that both Gods uncompromising justice and Gods inexplicable grace are defining for life in the raggedness of the world. These themes, lined out in carefully crafted narrative detail, give us a lens through which to read our own daily newspaper or watch cable news with the alertness of adult faith. Hamleys commentary is a welcome gift for serious informed faith." -- Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, USA "If you have ever read - or heard read - the book of Judges and wondered what on earth you are meant to make of it, this book is for you! Carefully and thoughtfully, Isabelle Hamley reflects on the themes of Judges drawing out what we can learn from it about ourselves, about community and about the world around us. One of the most striking themes is that of good and bad leadership and what happens in a community when leadership breaks down. It is an excellent book and well worth reading." -- Paula Gooder, Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, UK "Isabelle Hamley gives us here a thoughtful and rich reading of a difficult biblical book. She is alert both to scholarly nuance and to contemporary concerns. The biblical text comes to life in a fresh way." -- Walter Moberly, Durham University, UK
