Brother Chan
If these commentaries were on the mark then how does that
account for
1Sam 8:1?
There are also commentaries that say otherwise than those which you have chosen.
Here is one exerpt:
The Judges of Israel
In the time of the Tribal Confederacy, there was no political unity among the tribes yet. So, during times of crises, God raised up "judges" - military heroes and leaders, who led His people Israel against their enemies, and helped keep justice in the land.
"Judges" in biblical context
The biblical book of Judges tells about how twelve judges (military champions or "deliverers" [
Judg 2:16]) held leadership over the loosely organized Tribal Confederacy. Besides their military leadership, these judges also functioned as those handled legal disputes and arbitration among their people. When the legal dispute went beyond a particular tribe, usually these judges also have their authority extended to other tribes as well. Their authority was generally recognized within the territory of the Tribal Confederacy.
Charism and spiritual power
Judges do not function like kings and so their office is nonhereditary. Their office rested upon a special gift of God's Spirit - known as charisma, or spiritual power. To mention a few of these judges who were gifted by God with charisma, we take into account popular names like Deborah [
Judg 4-5], Gideon [
Judg 6:34-35], and Samson [
Judg 14:6].
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