Throughout the book of Judges we have seen a pattern that was spoken of clearly in chapter 2, and which has been repeated throughout the book. Well, this chapter we see the pattern begin again, but when we examine it closely, the pattern is broken from what we have been primed to expect. The people sin, they are turned over to their enemies, they cry out for release, but when God responds, He does not do so as expected, and in this broken pattern we discover an abiding truth about God and His interactions with men.