Successes and failures; Judges 1

Judges 1:1-21
Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites? "Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands." God said.
Judah attacked Jerusalem, Hebron, killed Canaanites adn Perizzites.
The men of Judah went with the Simeonites their bothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath and it was called Hormah, they also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron - each city with its territory.
They were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots.
Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusite, who were living in Jerusalem.
Judges covers the period in Isreal's history between Joshua's death and the rise of samuel - roughly 1220 to 1050 BC. It was a difficult, unsettled time, when the scattered tribes were without central leadership held together only by their commn faith.
Six of the 12 Judges mentioned are described in some detail: Othniel, Ethud, Deborah/Barak, Gideon, Jephthan, Samson. These 'judges' of Israel were not simply legal advisers. They delivered tribes or nation from enemy oppression, winning their laurels in active service.
Why?
Iron charoits is not the problem to Israel, but their faith to the Lord.
Loyalty to God meant a strong united nation: turning to the gods around brought weakness and division. That is the author's central theme as he arranges and brings together these stories of local heroes which have been told and retold down the years.
The wonder is God's constant love and concern. Despite Israel's past unfaithfulness, and what God knows will happen again, as soon as they turn to him God answers. And he chooses to work with the most unpromising people.
How?
Loyalty to God meant a strong situaton to a nation and to a man.