"Put it this way--are his promises conditional, or unconditional? Judges is crucial, in that it shows that neither answer to that question is right. Nearly all readers of the Old Testament take a "liberal" view (Sure, God will always bless us as long as we are sorry) or a "conservative" view (No, God will only bless us if we are obedient). Judges leaves us with a tension--that both are true, but neither are fully true--and it will not resolve the tension."