Judges 5:11b – 23 “Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates: ‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty. Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels.
In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision. (Much searching of heart) Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision. Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast and remained in his harbors.
Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield. Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no plunder of silver.
From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera. The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength! Then the hooves of horses thundered— the mad galloping of his stallions. ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’ “
Anybody who thinks God isn’t keeping track of their performance needs to read the Song of Deborah carefully. Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Issachar, Zebulon, and Naphtali – all these tribes rushed to the battle, despite a lack of weapons. While Barak might have hesitated in the beginning, he ultimately came through with flying colors. All those who followed Barak and who shared in the victory are commended. And then there were the others…..
When called upon to help defeat Sisera, the men of the clan of Reuben remained in their sheepfolds listening to their sheep. The Gileadites were a tribe who had settled east of the Jordan on the premise that any time the rest of the Israelites needed help, the Gileadites would respond swiftly. But the Gileadites failed to turn up, defaulting on their covenant agreement. The tribes of Dan and Asher remained at their respective sea shores, refusing to budge.
Who or what was Meroz? I had always assumed that Meroz was a place; however, Wikipedia tells us, “According to the Talmud (Moed Katan 16a), Meroz is a certain planet in the stellar sphere, and because the mention of it in Judges 5:23 is preceded by the phrase, “the stars in their course fought against Sisera” (v.20), it thus follows that Meroz must be defined as a celestial body. This mysterious ‘Meroz’ may not only be the name of a star, but also may allude to angels somewhere in the second heaven who have failed in their willingness to assist the righteous in a war against the wicked, and hence cursed by the angel of God.” Anybody familiar with C. S. Lewis’ book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will remember that one of the characters in the book is an elderly ruler who was a star until he failed to act righteously. Not only was God holding the Israelites responsible, but He was also holding His angels responsible as well.
APPLICATION: Deborah, Barak, Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Issachar, Zebulon, and Naphtali all rushed to the battle. These warriors were so focused that they didn’t even stop to take plunder of silver. The highest praise was given to Zebulon and Naphtali who risked their lives on the heights of the battlefield.
In the last part of the nineteenth century, there was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary to Nigeria named Mary Slessor. At a time when most missionaries were huddled in a few cities on the coast, Mary moved into villages where she was the only white person for miles. Mary lived with the people and learned their languages. The tribesmen revered Mary so much that they called Mary to settle major disputes that would have otherwise sparked warfare. At one point the British government had a choice of either sending Mary Slessor or 4,000 British troops. They chose to send Mary Slessor, who settled the problems quickly. Mary’s favorite saying was that “The post of greatest danger is the post of highest honor.” Deborah the Prophetess would have definitely agreed with Mary Slessor!
At some point in our lives, each of us will be faced with the same choices that confronted the tribes of Israel. If we have made a habit of facing problems and working through them, we will not hesitate when bravery is called for. If we have spent our lives dodging problems and dumping them on others, we will find ourselves lumped together with the Gileadites and Meroz.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to press forward! Help us not to go back when we have promised to help or to run away when things get tough. Thank you for loving us and giving us the strength to do what you have called us to do. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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