By direction or instinct from God, who both qualified him for and called him to the office of a judge. See Jud_12:7Heb_11:32. Otherwise they might not have chosen a bastard, Deu_23:2. Unless we will say, that there being no other person among them fit for and willing to this work, necessity dispensed with this law, as it did with other positive laws, as those of the sabbath and sacrifices.