Thank you for sharing Jenn. I feel the same way about the prophetic book showing God as being distant. My reason for this thinking is that usually a prophet, like it was in the case of the Judges does not rise until the people are far from God. As a result, God raises someone who will act, at that time as an intermediary between him and the people. Although it is the way of God that is being preached, I often feel as though the prophetic book shows more about the happening of the times and the need not to conform to the surrounding nations. This in itself brings about judgment against both the Israelites and the surrounding nations, further showing that God is far away than is felt as being near.