What happensPermalink
A list of nations God leaves in place to test Israel. The stories of the first three judges: Othniel, who saves Israel from a Mesopotamian king and rules for forty years; Ehud, who saves Israel from Eglon, the king of Moab, and rules for forty years; and, very briefly, Shamgar.
Why it mattersPermalink
The Spirit of the Lord was explicitly on Othniel, the first judge; later judges spiral downward even as they save Israel. As soon as a judge dies, Israel begins worshiping the many gods of the Canaanite natives.
Key versePermalink
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.