The majority hold that God accepts Israel’s repentance was sincere and therefore sends them a deliverer, largely on the basis of what they consider parallel cases in other parts of the Bible (like Jonah 3:10; Jeremiah 26:19). But others question the depth and sincerity of Israel’s repentance.1,2 They reject the claim that this passage is analogous to the cases of God’s forgiveness elsewhere in Scripture. But the main concern is that God rejected Israel's repentance in Judges 10:10 not because Israel has failed in the past to remove foreign gods but because after every time he saves them, they again forsake him and return to serving other gods. He calls to mind Israel’s history of relapses and betrayals.3 And so Israel’s putting away of foreign gods is an attempt again to manipulate God to meet their immediate specific need of deliverance. Their hearts are not really devoted to God except for convenience.
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16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.