The men and women who served as judges for Israel did great things.
Yet more often than not, they would come up short in the end.
Gideon obeyed the LORD, in spite of his fearful cowardice. Yet after defeating the Midianites, he made an ephod from the gold of the Israelites, which became a stumblingblock, an idol for the people of Israel.
Deborah called Barak to slay the enemies of Israel, yet he asked for her to help him. She shamed him by saying that a woman would get the glory, and not him.
Samson was a mighty man who tore lions in half and defeated a horde of Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Yet he gave into temptation with a strange woman, only to lose his hair, his strength, and his honor. In the end, he was granted enough strength to bring down the temple of Dagon on the his captors and kill them all, but he died in chains.
Samuel the prophet had two sons, whom he named "Jah is God" and "Jah is Father", yet they were corrupted judges who did not honor the word of the Lord!
Samuel had no one to carry on as judge after him.
Why is it that all of these mighty men and women of God did so much for Him, yet in the end they failed in some way? I believe that God allowed these accounts to exist in the Bible because He wants us to rest in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, our Alpha and Omega, the Author and Finisher of faith — yours, mine, and for every other believer. Only He is perfect. Only he deserves the glory, for He created all things in the world, and He only brings the end to all things. He only makes all things new!
He came not to judge us, but to be judged, that in Him we would have remission of sins and life everlasting.
While the judges of Israel were good up to a point, only Jesus is good from beginning to end!