Judges 1-3

Chapter 3 tells about the oppression of Israel under Cushan-rishathaim and later Eglon. Each king burdened Israel for 8 the 18 years before they cried out to God for help. I wonder why they waited. Was it because they spent those years wailing before the idols they chose to worship? Was Israel content with their oppression? God didn't reveal what event trigger their prayers but it must have been that enough people re-discovered their heritage in the LORD and then began to seek his face. I wonder if the time before their battles saw Othniel and Ehud proclaiming a message of repentance? I can picture those men and their followers as being some of the first to return to the tabernacle pleading with God for deliverance. Slowing watching God rebuild an army in Israel.
It took me about 16 minutes to read this passage.
Stuart