Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. (Judges 2:16–17)
This chapter of God’s dealings with Israel follows a repeated pattern. First, some part of the nation chooses to follow other gods, and they are afflicted with outside raiders who plunder them. In distress, they call out to God for deliverance, and he raises up a man or woman, called a Judge, who turns around the situation and brings them relief. Yet soon after they are delivered, a new cycle of disobedience and oppression occurs.
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