Even the trials the Lord sent to His people (v1-6) were to help them and equip them for the future, if they would be faithful to the Lord. But sadly, the people did what was evil (v6) and go deeper into sin. We need to see life as regularly giving us the challenge to respond to situations in the right way.

We see here now the regular cycle in Judges (v7-11), the people sin, they suffer from and invader, they cry to God, God raises up a deliver, the people have peace, the people sin… (and so the cycle continues).

Here the deliver is Othniel the brother of Caleb, who we have already met (see 1 v12-13). In the forty-year peace that his deliverance brings (v11) we see the graciousness of the Lord to a rebellious people.

The cycle of sin, judgment and deliverance continues (v12-30), this time the deliverer is the left-handed Ehud and we have the gory details of his killing of Eglon the king of Moab. This time his deliverance leads to eighty years of peace (v). We have the God who is far more gracious than his people deserve. The chapter finishes with a brief mention of Shamgar (v31).