Judges 5:1 – 11 “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
“When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.
Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel. O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways. Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel. My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!
You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His warriors in Israel.”
Barak is evidently a good loser. Now that Sisera is dead and King Jabin has been defeated, Barak and Deborah together are singing a song of triumph. This song is too important and too entrancing to rush through it. Deborah is sure that even everyone who comes to collect water will be singing this song in the years to come.
In the course of the song we learn a great deal. Village life had ceased because villagers never knew when Sisera and his marauding soldiers would swoop in, seizing everything they could and probably raping as they went. Travelers were afraid to take main roads for fear of attack. There were no weapons among forty thousand men in Israel. This suggests that the Israelites had to use the same sickles they used to harvest grain as weapons. Slingshots are not mentioned; however, slingshots had been used for eons for hunting and for protecting crops. Properly handled, slingshots were fearsome long range weapons – just ask Goliath!
Deborah mentions that she “arose, a mother in Israel.” Ever since this song was first sung, there have been strong faithful women who have held families and churches together by their faith and their loving hearts. The phrase “a mother in Israel” is frequently used to describe such women, who are fitting successors to Deborah the Prophetess.
During the first part of the song, we get an inkling of how God may have helped the Israelites. “O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.” In the Eastern Hemisphere the weather fronts move in from the East. These verses describe torrential rains that moved in from the East. In addition, there were also earthquakes. With all that rain, the River Kishon would certainly have been in flood.
When all those ten thousand Israelites armed only with sickles and slingshots began advancing toward Sisera and his chariots, God evidently cut loose thunder, lightning, floods, and earthquakes. No wonder Sisera’s men were stunned! (In the midst of all this, did God remind Barak that the name “Barak” meant “lightning? Who knows?)
APPLICATION: What did the Israelites think when the thunder, lightning, rain, and earthquakes started? All we know is that the Israelites proceeded to annihilate Sisera and his men. Perhaps as the Israelites killed their enemies, they began collecting swords and spears and shields. By the end of the battle, the Israelites might have been far better armed than they were at the beginning.
Sometimes we enter a situation feeling that we have practically nothing, only for us to receive things we never dreamt of. When our pickup was destroyed by a huge Burkinabe cargo lorry in May 2019, we were in despair. Our insurance company turned out to be nothing but a bunch of cheats and we had no idea how we would replace our vehicle. Then two things happened. A friend of a friend donated a significant amount of money and we were able to locate a three year old pickup that had been a floor sample so it had never been driven. The price was lower than that of the current models because the dealership was in a hurry to sell it. In addition, the dealership was so anxious to sell this vehicle that they added some extra features and even gave us a large flat screen TV as part of the deal.
Do you feel as if you are facing a bunch of heavily armed attackers with nothing but some garden tools? Does life seem overwhelming right now? Ask God for guidance and then ask God to go before you. With God’s help, you can make it. But if thunderstorms, floods, and earthquakes show up, just hang on. Those things are meant to scare your enemies and not to hurt you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us so much that You are willing to fight our battles if we will only trust You. Help us to look to You for help. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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