Burunche’s Blog

Judges 7:9 – 14 “That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hands. But if you are afraid to do so, then go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.

Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore. And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hands.”

Now that God has Gideon’s forces pared down to an incredibly low number, Gideon is nearly ready for the battle. But God knows that Gideon needs more reassurance, so He sends Gideon and his servant down to the Midianite camp to eavesdrop. The amazing part is the dream that God has given one Midianite soldier and the interpretation that follows. The statement God puts into the mouth of one of the Midianite soldiers is a reassurance to Gideon that God has already delivered the entire horde of Midianites and their allies into Gideon’s hands. It’s quite likely that neither soldier will realize what has happened or remember what this one man has said. Gideon is reassured and returns to his forces ready to fight.

 Many times we would like reassurance from God, but we are afraid to ask for fear that God will disappoint us or be angry with us. Sometimes we even pontificate, claiming piously that “I just don’t want to test God.” Such a statement is rubbish! God is far more willing to be tried than we are to try Him! God is not sitting in heaven, shaking in fear that we might ask something impossible of Him. God tells us in Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

God knows us better than we know ourselves. If you had asked Gideon that evening whether or not he was trusting God to act on behalf of the Israelites, he would undoubtedly have blustered, “Of course!” But inside, Gideon’s heart muscles might have been fibrillating, quivering uncontrollably. God chose Gideon because of qualities that He had already built into Gideon when Gideon was conceived, before Gideon was even born. God knew that given the right encouragement, Gideon would be a willing tool for Him to use. But God also had no illusions as to Gideon’s level of bravery, hence the need for a quick trip to the outskirts of the Midianite camp to hear this dream and its interpretation.

Why was it necessary for God to use Midianite soldiers rather than men from Gideon’s own force? God wanted to create a situation that was so improbable that Gideon would have to believe this was really from Him. Had God given that same dream to one of Gideon’s men, Gideon wouldn’t have believed it and might have even suspected that his own followers had it in for him and were merely trying to lure him to an early death.

APPLICATION: At this moment, Christians in Afghanistan are being hunted down and murdered by the Taliban. Even in America, some politicians are making radical anti – Christian statements. If anybody has ever required courage to follow Jesus, it is now. G. K. Chesterton, the British Christian writer of an earlier century once said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” Those Afghani Christians who are dying for their faith know Whom they have believed and why they have believed on Him. These faithful believers have tried the Christian ideal and have not found it wanting.

Is it permissible to ask God for confirmation of His will for our lives? Of course! God knows us and knows when we need reassurance. But notice something: once Gideon received this strong sign of God’s favor, he didn’t demand anything else. Gideon returned to his camp, organized his men, and attacked the Midianites. Some of us would have told God, “Thanks, Lord, but I still need more signs.” There comes a point when you must trust God and act! The saying with which I grew up was that “You can either cut bait or fish.” When fishing with live bait, it may be necessary to cut the bait into pieces to fit on a fish hook before casting your line. But if you insist on continuing to merely prepare for fishing, you will never catch anything.

Are you facing a major decision in your life? Go ahead and ask God for confirmation. But once God gives you the confirmation you have requested, go forward! Stop cutting bait and go fishing!

PRAYER: Father God, many of us are facing difficult decisions, some of them life – changing. Please give those who need a sign from You the confirmation that they need. But also move us so that once we are sure of Your perfect will, we will take action. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 7:1 – 8 “Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon, “Let Baal contend”) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of them turned back, but ten thousand remained.

Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to drink.” And the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men; all the others knelt to drink.

Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands. But all the others are to go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred men, who took charge of the provisions and rams’ horns of the others. And the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.”

THIRTY – TWO THOUSAND! Yes, 32,000 men! That’s what Gideon started out with. Looks like a great response to Gideon’s cry for help, right? But wait! Not so fast! God has other plans, and those plans don’t include a horde of Israelite soldiers. At the end of the day, God doesn’t want a bunch of would – be heroes beating their chests and boasting about how THEY defeated the Midianites. God wants Israel to trust in Him and not in themselves. So God nudges Gideon, “Gideon, tell these men that anybody who is afraid can leave.” WHOOSH!!! Two thirds of these guys take off, leaving nothing but dust behind them.

Well, Gideon is left with ten thousand men, and that sounds like a pretty good number to Gideon. But God isn’t happy; there are still enough Israelites that they will take credit if they get a chance, ignoring God. Nope! It’s time for Israel to get reminded of Who God really is and how powerful He really is. God has Gideon send all the men to a nearby stream to drink water. Only 300 of the men really behave like fighters expecting an enemy attack. Rather than kneeling and focusing solely on satisfying their thirst, these men cup water in one hand and drink, maintaining a position from which they can quickly get up and fight if necessary. The result: 9,700 men immediately demonstrate that they do not have a warrior mentality and are sent home, leaving 300 men to fight with Gideon.

APPLICATION: Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt like Gideon? You know God has called you to do a major work, but you have very few people or resources. If God does not move sovereignly, you are in big trouble!

When we first came to the village of Saboba in January 1993, there was only a small health center building and a staff of eleven workers. But a few years earlier, a talented theater nurse had returned to the Saboba area, convinced that God was going to bring a surgeon. And about the same time, we had gathered hospital equipment that had been shipped to the first project with which we had worked in Ghana. When we arrived in Saboba, there was no Theater (OR) and no laboratory.

We got a slow start; however, when we found ourselves in the middle of a tribal conflict with patients who had nowhere else to go, we went back to our first project and got some equipment. I had worked previously in a hospital lab in the U.S., as well as observing operations in a large government hospital lab in Ghana. I set up a small lab and a theater, and we began operations and blood transfusions. We had no electricity, so we sterilized things in a big US Army surplus pressure cooker over a coal pot on the veranda. We used a small petrol generator for lights at night. Ultimately, we stuffed 37 beds into that health center building, turning it into a tiny hospital. Trust me when I say that we could REALLY identify with Gideon!

I am not telling this story to impress anybody with our efforts. It was God who had already put everything and everybody in place and it was God who allowed us to save lives. I tell this story to encourage anybody reading this to take heart! You might feel that the odds are overwhelmingly against you, but God plus you still makes a majority.

One of the most common Adinkra symbols in Ghana is the “Gye Nyame” symbol. “Gye Nyame” is a Twi phrase meaning “Except God.” Psalm 127:1-2 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.” By ourselves, none of us can accomplish anything worthwhile; it is only through God that we can be successful. Those who think they are self – made men or women deceive themselves. Only at the end of time will we fully appreciate how much God has done for us when we were totally oblivious.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You that YOU are always more than enough and that You are the One who helps us and who saves us from ourselves. Help us to trust You completely and to recognize that when You move, nobody can stand in the way. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 6:33 – 40 “Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him. Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.

Then Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said, then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.” And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.”

Give Gideon credit; when this enormous horde of warriors shows up, Gideon blows the ram’s horn, the shofar, to call his clan as well as Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to arms. But Gideon is still pretty nervous and wants some reassurance from God. In the part of Israel where Gideon is living, the night dews are quite heavy, so Gideon asks God to give him a sign, the sign of the fleece. God faithfully answers. This story has given rise to the expression “to put out a fleece.”

APPLICATION: Sometimes people will say piously that they don’t want to tempt God. Generally, these people aren’t worried about tempting God at all; they are worried about looking ridiculous because they don’t have enough faith to believe that if they ask for a sign, God will answer. But God really does work this way and He still does give signs.

After 37 years as a pagan, my husband Bob became a Christian. One of the first things God did for Bob was to take away his desire to smoke cigarettes. But Bob also was feeling that it was time for him to move from his home area in western New York State to South Carolina. Selecting a date to leave, Bob put out two fleeces. Bob asked God to give him new tires for his van at a good price, and he asked for someone to share the driving with him. Within a few days, God gave Bob the new tires and a reliable person with whom to share driving. Bob moved to South Carolina, and we met a few months later.

God is a good Father, and good fathers give good things to their children. Jesus told his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! “(Matthew 7:7-11)

We are all fond of viewing photos and videos of puppies and kittens and other baby animals. The same God who created puppies and kittens is your heavenly Father. If God can create something so delightful, why won’t He give you good things when you ask? God knows us better than we know ourselves, and God knows when we need reassurance. But there’s something else to learn from this story.

By the time Gideon put out the fleece, he had already blown the ram’s horn to summon a large number of people. Gideon had already taken a risk and acted in faith; now he was only looking for some reassurance. There are some of us who would have put out the fleece first without having done anything. God rewards those who seek him, but seeking involves action, not sitting and waiting for everything to fall into your lap. God did not give Bob the tires and the driver until after Bob set a date to leave.

Are you facing difficult decisions and you aren’t sure what God wants you to do? Make a start and then ask God for some kind of confirmation. You also need to ask God to steer you in the correct direction if you are heading out of His will. Big ocean – going ships need momentum for someone to steer them. This momentum is referred to as “way”; as long as a ship is under way, it can be steered. But if a ship loses way due to engine failure, the ship is dead in the water and can no longer be steered. As long as you are in motion, God can guide you. But if you stop trying and lose way, God can’t do much with you.

Make a start and then put out a fleece if you need to. Remember that God doesn’t play favorites; the same God who soaked Gideon’s fleece while the ground around it remained dry is the God who calls you to Himself.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You that You know how weak we are and how weak our faith is. Thank You that You are not offended when we ask for signs of confirmation and that You will answer us just as You reassured Gideon. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 6:25 – 32 “On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.” So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night rather than in the daytime.

When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the newly built altar. “Who did this?” they said to one another. And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself if someone has torn down his altar.” So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down his altar.”

Well, Gideon isn’t exactly turning into a hero overnight, but he’s making a start. After realizing that he has seen God face to face and has not died, Gideon is ready to take instructions. When God orders Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal, to destroy the Asherah pole next to it, and to build a new altar on that spot, Gideon complies. What is so significant about tearing down Baal’s altar? God has ordered the Israelites that they are not to make altars of carved stones but to use stones in their natural state to construct altars. Proper altars are approached by way of ramps, not steps, so that the priest will not be showing off his genitalia as he climbs up to the altar. Gideon is also supposed to cut down the Asherah pole that stands next to the altar of Baal and to use the wood from that pole to make a burnt offering out of his father’s second bull. What is the purpose of the first bull? Gideon needs muscle power to tear down the Baal altar, hence, the purpose of the young bull. Why is it necessary to burn the Asherah pole? Fire purifies and fire consumes. Only by burning the Asherah pole can Gideon totally destroy it.

Something to notice is that although Gideon has told the angel of the Lord that his father’s house is not important in the tribe of Manasseh, it is Gideon’s father who is maintaining the civic altar to Baal and the Asherah pole. God has chosen Gideon precisely because Gideon’s father is evidently a spiritual leader. Perhaps Gideon’s father has been serving as a priest of Baal and Asherah. Certainly, Gideon’s father commands respect in the town because when the men of the town want to kill Gideon, Gideon’s father, Joash, threatens that “whoever pleads Baal’s case will be dead by morning. If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself if someone has torn down his altar.” At that point, the men of the town decide that Joash is certainly right and that Baal should fight his own battles!

The name “Joash” means “given by the Lord.” How has someone with such a powerful name gotten mixed up in Baal and Asherah worship? The fault lies with Joash’s forebears; they have failed to teach their children about the One True Living God and this is the result. Giving your child a good name in the hopes that you are making up for your deficiencies as a parent and spiritual leader just doesn’t work. Why has Joash taken such a strong step? Gideon has probably told Joash why he has destroyed the altar and has cut down the Asherah pole. (Incidentally, the name “Gideon” means “he who cuts down.”)

APPLICATION: Gideon obeyed the Lord, even if he had to carry out instructions in the middle of the night. And God honored Gideon’s obedience. The men of the town probably hopped out of bed when they heard the noise of the Baal altar being pulled down. Sometimes we take a stand for God, secretly hoping that nobody will notice and that we will not suffer or be penalized. That hope is a delusion. Evil will always oppose righteousness. But God’s side is the winning side and the only side worth supporting.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to obey You, even when it is difficult. Help us to trust that You will keep us until we have fulfilled Your perfect plan for our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 6:16 – 24 “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.” Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me. Please do not depart from this place until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before You.” And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”

So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to present to Him under the oak. And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.” So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Gideon might not know much about God, but he knows enough to realize that God is to be worshiped. Gideon quickly prepares an offering very similar to those offered by the Levitical priests. The angel of God touches the offering with his staff and poof! The offering goes up in a puff of smoke. This miracle is the first one God does to convince Gideon that He, God, is really calling Gideon to annihilate the Midianites.

The interesting thing is that after the angel disappears, Gideon is still conversing with God. The most significant statement in this whole passage is when God speaks peace to Gideon. Why would this statement be so important?

Consider the situation: Gideon is already threshing wheat in a secret location for fear of marauders. The angel of the Lord makes a sudden shocking appearance and then foretells things that are almost impossible for Gideon to believe. When Gideon brings a sacrifice, holy fire from the angel’s staff consumes it instantly and then the angel vanishes. Gideon might be excused if he’s shaking in his sandals at this point.

APPLICATION: Later on, Gideon will do exploits but right now, Gideon needs God’s peace in his heart. Gideon’s mind is in turmoil as he considers what God is calling him to do. Gideon is probably calculating how he can possibly accomplish all this, not knowing that God has a totally crazy plan.

All of us need peace. As the COVID pandemic ramps up again, the controversy over vaccines and other measures has also heated up. Statistics are confusing and it’s difficult to tell which authorities are actually giving correct information. Businesses that have cautiously reopened are now face with further dilemmas. Right now, peace is in short supply throughout the world. Calculating our next steps may throw us into a panic as we weigh options.

Throughout the Bible, God promises to give us peace if we will only turn to Him. In the 4^th chapter of Mark, Jesus and His disciples are in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee when a ferocious storm blows up. While the disciples are panicking, Jesus is asleep. The disciples wake up Jesus, shouting to Him that they are about to die. Mark tells us: 39 Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.”

We are all facing trying times and we all need a peace that won’t disappear. Just as Gideon needed God’s peace to go forward with God’s plan, so we also need God’s peace for our lives. The wonderful thing about God is that He is all – knowing; He already knows more about your problems than you do. And God has perfect solutions – not easy ones, but perfect ones.

PRAYER; Father God, thank you that You are a God of peace and that one of Your names is Jehovah Shalom. Help us to trust You and to follow Your leading, even when the way seems difficult. And please give us Your peace. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 6:11 – 16 “Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders about which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?” “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”

This is a great story. Israel has messed up again and the Midianites have been systematically looting the countryside for seven years. When the story opens, Gideon is threshing grain in a wine press to hide from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord suddenly shows up and greets Gideon “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

I suspect Gideon looks around, thinking the angel must mean somebody else. As soon as Gideon realizes that only the angel and he are there, Gideon’s first response is to blame God for everything. Obviously the Israelites have failed to teach their kids anything apart from the Exodus miracles, so Gideon has no sense of shame at what his people have done or are doing.

God is really patient! Instead of recounting all the ways the Israelites have failed to follow God, the angel simply orders Gideon to go fight the Midianites. “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”

APPLICATION: In an earlier generation, the Charles Atlas Body Building Course played on male pride with a series of ads making fun of a 97 pound weakling whose ribs were showing. Most of the ads involved the poor guy looking miserable in a bathing suit. One ad showed a bully kicking sand in the weakling’s face while his girlfriend looked on. Of course, these were the “before” pictures. In the follow – up, the 97 pound weakling would enroll in the Charles Atlas body building course, turning himself into a hunk and then would thrash the bully as his admiring girl friend watched.

When Gideon starts coming out with excuses, he really sounds like a wimp. “Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” If Gideon isn’t a 97 pound weakling, he certainly talks like one. But this is the great part of the story. Gideon has a very low opinion of himself, but God has different ideas.

Aunt Polly and Aunt Addy were two lady missionaries who partnered in missions for fifty years. We were privileged to know these two great ladies and to absorb some of their wisdom. These two ladies taught us that God wanted us to be human beings and not human doings, that God wanted to control our actions. The second major lesson these ladies taught us was that God was not interested in our ability but only in our availability.

When the Gideon story begins, Gideon doesn’t even really want to be available, but he’s afraid to say no. To Gideon, the idea that he is going to destroy the Midianites is ludicrous. But Gideon does make himself available, and grows into the work the Lord has for him.

Today God might be calling you into something that looks far too big for you to tackle. But God works through people, and if we will only yield ourselves to His perfect Will, He will do miracles through us. One teacher has remarked that the Holy Spirit put on Gideon like a glove. St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

Eventually, Gideon does allow God to work through him and miracles happen. God does not change; what He did through Gideon, He can also do through you. Trust him!

PRAYER: Father God, we are fearful! We want to do Your will, but the problems and the risks seem overwhelming. Help us to trust You and to remember that You are the Source of our strength. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 6:1 – 10 “Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.

Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them, encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys. For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.

Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD. Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD God of Israel says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I delivered you out of the hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear(worship) the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”

It’s forty years later. Deborah is dead. Barak is dead. Most of the men who helped defeat Sisera are probably also dead. And Israel has gone back to worshiping the baals, the local demonic gods. Never mind that God did all kinds of miracles to rescue Israel from Sisera and his troops. Never mind that women are still singing the Song of Deborah as they draw water from the well. The Israelites have fallen back into idolatry again and are paying the price. The Midianites, the Amalekites, and other tribes from the east are coming through like a plague of locusts, leaving nothing in their wake.

What happened? As long as Deborah was alive, the Israelites stayed on a straight path…. well, fairly straight anyway. But as soon as Deborah died, idolatry became the order of the day. Why? The answer lies in the failure of the Israelites to follow God’s commands. God used Moses to warn the Israelites repeatedly that they must study His Word and teach it to their children.

Deuteronomy 6:6 – 15 “These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build, with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you. For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.”

What happened? The vast majority of the Israelites got lazy and failed to study God’s Word for themselves or to teach it to their children. Preoccupied with making a living and entranced by the wealth of Canaan, the Israelites wandered off just like a flock of sheep looking for one more tender blade of grass. Refusing to annihilate the idolatrous tribes of the land, the Israelites settled for second best, compromising and prevaricating.

Were there still some righteous people among the Israelites? Yes. God always had a remnant who were faithful; however, these people were likely regarded as weird or fanatics.

Finally after marauders picked the entire land clean and after the idols failed, the Israelites cried out to God. God’s prophet advised the Israelites that they were the ones at fault; they had broken covenant and God was only following His part of the bargain.

APPLICATION: Bad things can happen to anybody; just ask Job. Job was a righteous man whose faith was tested repeatedly as he lost everything and then developed sores all over his body. And just when Job was hoping his friends would encourage him, they dumped all over him, blaming Job, that he must have committed some secret sins for which God was punishing him. These self – appointed comforters were actually vicious critics who only made Job feel worse.

Job never fell away from God, despite his suffering. But the Israelites refused to keep the covenants with God that their ancestors had made, an unthinkable failure in a culture in which covenants were sacred. In a society with strong oral traditions, fathers should have been passing on this information to their sons. Refusing to teach about the covenant and to abide by it resulted in disaster.

We may be tempted to criticize the Israelites, but how faithful are we to God in our own lives? How many times has God helped us, only for us to fall back into the same habits we had before? The term “repentance” literally means to turn away from whatever wrong we have been doing. The Israelites never really repented; they just cried for help. As soon as God delivered the Israelites, it was business as usual.

Do you want the peace of God in your life, that peace that is beyond understanding? Ask God to show you the things that are separating you from Him and then turn away from those things permanently. Rest assured that when you do so, God’s peace will come.

PRAYER: Father God, please help us to repent from anything that is separating us from You. Help us not to fall back into the wrong things that we have been doing but to totally change the course of our lives so that we follow hard after You. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 5:24 – 31 “Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds. She reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple. At her feet he collapsed, he fell, there he lay still; at her feet he collapsed, he fell; where he collapsed, there he fell dead.

Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’ Her wisest ladies answer; indeed she keeps telling herself, ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil— a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’

So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.”

In case anybody has failed to notice, Jael really hated Sisera. The earlier account gave a brief description of the way Jael welcomed Sisera and then eventually murdered him. But this poem was a song that would be sung for generations as the Israelites rejoiced over the defeat of a horrible man. Reading this and thinking a little, it appears that Jael knew exactly who Sisera was and that Sisera and his men had been raping their way through Israel. Women fetching water would naturally rejoice that they were no longer at risk from such horrors.

One of the wonderful parts of this song is the vivid description of the scenes back at Sisera’s house. The description of Sisera’s mother and her ladies gives us an unforgettable image of the family of a previously successful warrior. These ladies aren’t worried; they’re merely counting the hours until Sisera returns with more loot. But this time their champion lies dead, his skull crushed by a women bent on revenge for all his past depredations.

APPLICATION: As I am writing this, one prominent politician who routinely indulged in sexual harassment has resigned. Testimonies from female staff and others are chilling because these accounts may only represent a small per cent of the problem. Even now, it takes an extremely brave woman to come forward, knowing that she might be ignored and vilified or accused of being a seducer. Whistle blowers these days are fortunate if they don’t lose their jobs and then receive death threats.

Think a minute about Jael. Unless she had access to some drug to put in that milk, she had to hope that Sisera wouldn’t wake up as she was stealthily reaching for the hammer and the tent peg. The fact that Sisera was in Jael’s tent made it far less likely that any of the men would interfere; however, that might have been another possibility. And what if any of Jael’s servants happened to enter the tent at the wrong time? No doubt about it, Jael was probably afraid…. but she acted, delivering Israel in the process.

Those pampered ladies back at Sisera’s home never saw their champion again. It’s highly unlikely that the Israelites would have sent Sisera’s body home, and all Sisera’s troops were dead.

As we conclude the Song of Deborah, think once more about the enormous odds the Israelites were facing. Sisera had a huge number of troops and nine hundred iron chariots and horses. The Israelites had no spears, no swords, and no shields or armor; their only weapons were their farming implements, sling shots, and perhaps bows and arrows for hunting small game. But God weighed in on the side of the Israelites and sent torrential rain storms, earthquakes, and floods. As if those natural disasters weren’t enough, the stars/angels even warred against Sisera.

What can we learn from this story? These descriptions are not myths; this battle really took place. For those of us who are believers, the great news is that when we are doing God’s work, we can expect God to show up. Does this mean that we won’t suffer? No. In many places around the world, Christians are being killed or imprisoned for their faith. But God shows up in all kinds of ways.

What must we do?

1. Make sure we are in the center of God’s will for our lives. God won’t bless an action of which He has not approved.

2. Make sure that we have marshaled all our available resources, meager though they might be.

3. Refuse to listen to our fears! We must go ahead and do our jobs, no matter what. General Schwarzkopf was right: “True courage is being afraid and going ahead and doing your job anyhow; that’s what courage is.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for calling us to follow You. Give us ears to hear and hearts to receive so that we will know Your perfect Will for our lives. Help us to follow hard after You, no matter the circumstances or the consequences. And thank You that when we are faithful to follow, You are faithful to lead. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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.

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.