It is not that the book of Judges is not important. It is! If nothing else, Judges should convince the reader that when it comes to following God, we are just going to do our own thing.
Moses (God) was right. The influence of the paga peopke left in the land was just too irresistable. Jesus put it this way, "A little leaven, leavens the whole."
I strongly encourage you to read Judges. My favorite is Ehud and Patti loves Jael.
The point of reding Judges is to get a clear picture of God's people as we move into 1 Samuel.
We have to banish this false picture we have. We tend to idolize Israel in the OT as though they got it right. They didn't - and haen't yet. Of course you have to keep in mind that we never get it right either -duhh- that's the whole need for a Redeemer.
Just read Judges - get the feel of the culture, coditions and the compromise. Then start reading 1 Samuel.
As we read and study the Prophets keep some notes on the knowledge you gain.
What is normative (what does God expect)?
What is the situation/context?
What are the people doing/experiencing?
REMEMBER, this is HISTORY not fiction ---- it's real ---- what does it tell you?
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