Judges shows a cycle of failure for the Hebrews in the newly-acquired promised land. Idolatry leads to suffering, which leads to repentance, which leads to God hearing the cries of the people, which leads to God sending a deliverer, which leads to success. And then the deliverer dies, which leads to a lack of good leadership, which leads to backsliding, which leads to idolatry, and the cycle repeats itself over and over.