Breaking the Cycle of Sin

At the end of Gideon's life, Israel falls again into the same sins of idolatry and forgetting God. This sad cycle of deliverance followed by sin continues not only in Judges but throughout the Old Testament. By the time of exile, the prophets are wondering if anything will ever change, if this cycle of sin can be broken. With Christ's coming and the pouring out of His Spirit, this cycle is finally broken and God's people die to sin and rise again with Christ to newness of life.