In Judges 6-8, the Israelites again did evil in the eyes of the Lord and were given over into the hands of the Midianites, but the Lord called Gideon to rescue them when they cried out to Him for help. Gideon was doubtful that he was qualified to save Israel, but God said to him, "I will be with you and you will strike down all the Midianites". The Lord directed Gideon to tear down the alters to Baal and to cut down the Asherah poles and to build a proper alter to the Lord. Gideon and 32,000 of his men were preparing to battle the Midianites, but the Lord told him to only bring 300 men against the Midianites. This way, they could only boast in the Lord when He delivered the Midianites into their hands. After defeating the Midianites, the Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them, but he told them that he would not and instead "The Lord will rule over you". During the rest of Gideon's lifetime, there was peace for forty years.

Judges 3-5 explains that the Lord allowed some pagan nations to remain in the promised land in order to teach warfare to the generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. Through this, the obedience of the Israelites would also be tested in whether they would hold fast to their own God and His commandments or accept the Pagan nations into their family and adopt their pagan customs and worship their gods. The Israelites failed and began to serve the images of Baal and the Asherah poles and God then allowed the Aram-naharaim King Cushan-rishathaim to enslave them for eight years. When the people returned to their Lord and cried out to Him for help, He sent a rescuer, Othniel. The Lord gave Othniel victory over King Cushan and there was peace in the land for 40 years. This pattern repeats several times more with Israel returning to evil ways and then the Lord allowing them to be defeated and oppressed by foreign Kings before they finally come back to Him and He delivers them once more.