Judges 3:9 - When the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
Reading though the Old Testament and seeing the cycle of sin that Israel seemed chronically stuck in, it is natural to wonder why they were not more faithful. They had seen amazing miracles of God. They had seen Him deliver them from captivity, lead them into the promise land, deliver countless victories and drive out all who opposed them.
Yet, time and time again, the Israelites turned from Him. They forgot the things that God had done, and simply brushed Him aside and moved on.
The God of the universe, the God of their nation, the only true and living God, became seen as their parents’ God, then their grandparents’ God. Until ultimately, one day, He was little more than a relic of a long-dead generation.
Yet God's plan for mankind did not end with the Exodus or the settlement of the Promised Land. While man has a very narrow vision that always curves inward, God works and moves with eternal vision. He was not willing to walk away, to turn aside, or to abandon His people.
Beginning in the book of Judges, God begins to rise up men and women to stand in the gap. As generations would come and go, these people of God would continue to steer Israel back to Him, to call on the people to consecrate themselves to Him and to prepare for one who would come to bridge the gap for eternity.