Judges is the Book of Faithlessness and Faithfulness. Time and time again the children of Israel will play the harlot with false gods, and provoke the Lord to wrath. Israel will demonstrate repeated faithlessness in their pursuit of selfish pleasures. Time and again the Lord will afflict them with national Divine discipline until they cry out for deliverance. Time and time again the Lord will faithfully send them a Judge, to deliver Israel from their affliction and set them on the right path.
Hebrew title to the Book is Shophetim, which is translated judges, rulers, deliverers, or saviors. The Septuagint used the Greek equivalent, Kritai (Judges).
The author of Judges is unknown. The almost unanimous tradition for authorship is the prophet Samuel.