**The Rebellion and Repentance of Israel**

In the days when the judges ruled over Israel, there arose a man named Tola, son of Puah, from the tribe of Issachar. He dwelt in the hill country of Ephraim and judged Israel for twenty-three years. When he died, he was buried in Shamir. After him came Jair the Gileadite, a man of great wealth and influence, who judged Israel for twenty-two years. He had thirty sons, each riding upon his own donkey—a sign of nobility—and they ruled over thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havoth-jair, the “Towns of Jair.” When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

But the people of Israel, ever prone to forgetfulness, turned their hearts away from the Lord once more. They abandoned the God of their fathers, who had delivered them from Egypt and driven out mighty nations before them. Instead, they bowed before the idols of the surrounding peoples—the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and the Philistines. They forsook the Lord and did not serve Him.

### **The Anger of the Lord**

The wrath of the Lord burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of their enemies. The Ammonites crossed the Jordan, ravaging the lands of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, bringing great distress upon Israel. The Philistines, too, pressed in from the west, oppressing the tribes of Dan and the coastal cities. For eighteen long years, Israel groaned under the weight of their suffering, their fields plundered, their women and children taken captive, their warriors humiliated.

### **A Cry for Mercy**

At last, broken and desperate, the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. “We have sinned against You,” they confessed, “for we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.”

But the Lord’s reply was stern, a reminder of His justice and their unfaithfulness.

“Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines?” the Lord answered. “When the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you, did you not cry out to Me, and did I not save you? Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore, I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen—let them save you in your time of distress!”

### **True Repentance**

The words of the Lord struck deep into their hearts. They knew they had no hope in the lifeless idols they had worshipped. With true sorrow, they cast away their foreign gods and returned to the Lord. They humbled themselves before Him, acknowledging their guilt.

And the Lord, rich in mercy, could bear their misery no longer. His compassion burned within Him like a fire, for He loved His people despite their rebellion. Though He had disciplined them, He would not utterly forsake them.

### **The Gathering Storm**

Meanwhile, the Ammonites had gathered for war, encamping in Gilead. The Israelites, now desperate for a leader, assembled at Mizpah, their faces etched with fear and resolve. The elders of Gilead looked among themselves, knowing that without a deliverer, they would surely fall.

“Who will lead us against the Ammonites?” they cried. “Let him be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead!”

But the answer to their plea was yet to come, for the Lord was preparing a man—a mighty warrior who would rise in His time to deliver His people once more.

Thus, the stage was set for the next great act of God’s redemption, for though Israel had sinned greatly, the Lord’s faithfulness endured forever.

**The End.**