Judges 3:19
But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
The verse belongs to the account of the Lord leaving Canaanites in the land to test the Israelites who were too young to fight in Joshua's time. It stands within Israel's failure to follow God's instructions, revealing its perversity and unbelief amid awful moral surroundings and under the demoralizing influence of the tribes permitted to remain in the land of promise. That failure was followed by suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude.
The verse belongs also to the companion record of Israel returning to God followed by forgiveness and deliverance, showing God's long-suffering and goodness. That goodness was seen in sending help through judges raised up as saviours and defenders of Israel. Israel's growth depended on making the effort to drive out the Canaanites, an experience needed to develop essential traits of character.