The Lord makes known his decision not to deliver the Israelites since they assumed that he should deliver them whenever they cry out to him. As it were, he says to them, You have not forsaken the false gods and learned to trust the Lord alone. Why should I intervene to help you?
Israel’s cries to God in the past, and now here again, have not been the cries of broken and contrite hearts. They have been little more than attempts to get relief from suffering, which is manipulation: confessing sin in order to get out of a jam. The Israelites were only sorry that they had gotten caught, not really repentant over their behavior. The Lord had become impatient with their behaviour. Because of their persistent attempts at manipulation, the Lord will rescue them no more.
That said, God did deliver Israel again, during the times of Jephthah and Samson. So it is impossible to interpret God as saying he will never again deliver Israel. What then did he mean? It may very well be that God meant he will no longer deliver Israel with the judges model of leadership. He became weary of this system of leadership. This introduction to the Jephthah narrative is in effect an introduction to the conclusion of the book of Judges. What supports this notion is the fact that in the description of the punishment (Judges 10:6–7), both the Ammonite oppression and the Philistine oppression are mentioned. Therefore, this introduction must also be seen as the beginning of the Philistine oppression, which will accompany the people in the entire process of the transition from the judges until the instituting of the monarchy. It is pointless to send another deliverer if it is clear that the people will not remain true to God and will again commit idolatry. God despairs of such a system after the people are delivered several times and each time return to the path of evil.
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13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.