Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

We're continuing our downward spiral of Israel's judges after yesterday's tragedy with

Gideon's son Abimelech, and today we encounter six bad judges. The first two

barely get a mention. There was Tola from the tribe of Isikar, who lived among the tribe of Ephraim

for some reason. Then there was Jair the Gileadite. Gilead is a region in the Transjordan,

so this is our first judge from across the Jordan River. When you read the term

Gileadite, just know that's a reference to an Israelite from the trans Jordan, not one of their

many enemies. Then we see that the people of Israel are falling into apostasy again. In fact, we get

seven groupings of other gods that they're beginning to worship. It looks like they'll worship anything.

They don't discriminate at all. God grows angry with them and sells them into the hands of two

other people groups, the Philistines and the Ammonites. They oppressed them for 18 years on the

east side of the Jordan River, and they also fight against them on the west side of the Jordan

River. Finally, Israel sees the error of their ways and they repent.

But this time, God tells them that things are going to happen differently.

He's not just going to raise up a judge to save them like he's done in the past.

He tells them to cry out to those other gods for help instead.

Their response to him suggests that maybe they really do get it this time. They agree that they

don't deserve saving, and they accept his words while still begging him for mercy and help. They know

he's their only hope. Then they forsake their idols and worship Yahweh. Hooray! Then we cut to the

Ammonites and the Transjordan, ready to go to war with Israel.

The Israelites try to rally a sergeant for their army so they can fight them. But instead of

asking God for direction, they ask each other. And they hastily appoint a man named Jephtha,

...