Judges 1-4

“Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress” (2:15). After entering Canaan and taking much of the land, Israel had rejected the Lord and begun serving the Baals (false gods). Therefore, their enemies were gaining power over them. But in each generation, when they cried out, God raised up a deliverer/leader (Like Ehud, Othniel, and Deborah). He had compassion on his people, even amid their rebellious misery.

“Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” (4:14). God does not shut his ears to our distress. When we cry out, he is quick to hear, forgive, and send deliverance.