Judges 1:24
And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.
The spies saw a man coming out of the city and asked him to show them its entrance, promising in return to spare him and show him mercy. It belongs to the introduction showing that Israel had not yet taken possession of all the country. It stands in the opening chapters of Judges, covering the experiences of God's people after Joshua's death down to Samuel and the close of the period leading into 1 Samuel. That period lasted about three hundred fifty to four hundred fifty years.
That history was one of ups and downs, with constant backsliding and failure to carry out God's instructions, resulting in repeated captivities to surrounding enemies. Help came through judges raised up for Israel, defenders raised in times of crisis to contend for the independence of the people and to administer law, called saviours. The history shows that God uses very unpromising material, always the best at hand.