Judges 5:31 Enemy of God?

 31So 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.

“To love God is to hate His enemies. A man or woman is defined as much by who their enemies are as by who their friends are.”

Let those who love Him be like the sun: “How much better it is to be one of those who love Himthan to be one of God’s enemies!” (Guzik)

Enemy of God?

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

James 4: 4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says:

“God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.”

Drawing Near to God

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Have you been reconciled to Him?

Blessings 

Judges 5:28-30 Disbelief

28Sisera’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?’

29Her wisest ladies answer;

indeed she keeps telling herself,

30‘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?’

The mother of Sisera looked through the window: “Every death has consequences and Deborah thought of and celebrated the consequences of Sisera’s death.” (Guzik)

To every man a girl or two: Cundall on the ancient Hebrew word translated girl: “Elsewhere in the Old Testament it means ‘womb’, and in the Moabite Stone it has the meaning ‘girl-slaves.’ The nearest English equivalent is ‘wench,’ and it is clear that these unfortunate captives would be used to gratify the lusts of their captors.”

“The Hebrew word signifieth, vulvam vel uterum; so they call the Israelitish damsels by way of contempt.” (Trapp)

Verse 29 stands out to me as a mother in disbelief.

NASB “Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself,

Unfortunately some professed Christians will react with the same disbelief “on that day”.

Matthew 7: 21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Brethren, let us all carefully examine our faith in Jesus Christ so “on that day” we won’t react in disbelief.

Blessings 

Judges 5:24-27 Obedience to the cause of God

 24Most blessed among women is Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite,

most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

25He asked for water, and she gave him milk.

In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

26She 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.

27At her feet he collapsed, he fell,

there he lay still;

at her feet he collapsed, he fell;

where he collapsed, there he fell dead.

“What Jael did would be condemned by many in the days of the Judges. The responsibility to protect and bless a guest was an almost absolute command, and Jael killed a guest. Yet she was blessedhere because her obedience to the cause of God was greater than her obedience to tradition and custom.”

“Deborah wanted to increase Sisera’s shame by pointing out that it was a woman who ended his life.” (Guzik)

“Finally the song rejoiced over the death of the tyrant in language that thrills with Eastern imagery and color.” (Morgan)

“Here is a lively representation of the thing done. At the first blow or wound he was awakened, and made some attempt to rise; but being astonished and very weak, she also following her first blow with others, he found himself impotent, and fell down dead.” (Poole)

“obedience to the cause of God”

When it comes right down to it Christians have an obedience to the cause of Jesus, the Son of God. 

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Are you obeying Jesus or man?

Blessings 

Judges 5:19-23 Did Not Come To Help

 19Kings came and fought;

then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach

by the waters of Megiddo,

but they took no plunder of silver.

20From the heavens the stars fought;

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21The River Kishon swept them away,

the ancient river, the River Kishon.

March on, O my soul, in strength!

22Then the hooves of horses thundered—

the mad galloping of his stallions.

23‘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.’

“The battle was fought from the heavens in the sense that God sent rain that made the Canaanite chariots of no use (the torrent of Kishon swept them away).” 

“Apparently the city of Meroz was of no help. God still accomplished His work, but the city of Meroz was cursed because they had no part in it.” (Guzik)

Did Not Come To Help

Yesterday we watched a movie, “Big George Foreman” and I never realized he had a come to Jesus moment and became a minister. Later a mother had brought her troubled teen to him for help and he basically said all he needed was the Bible and Jesus and he would be ok. A week later George saw on the news the teen was arrested for a shooting, he then realized he did not come to help the boy on his level but wanted the boy to meet him at his level. That’s when George was led to purchase a building and to turn it into a recreation center for the youth so he could come to help and meet the youth at their level.

As Christian’s we need to help the lost by planting a seed for Jesus Christ.

What will the angel of the Lord say about us, “for they did not come to help the LORD”?

Blessings 

Judges 5:13-18 Indecision

 13Then the survivors came down to the nobles;

the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.

14Some 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.

15The 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.

16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds

to hear the whistling for the flocks?

In the clans of Reuben

there was great indecision.

17Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.

Dan, why did you linger by the ships?

Asher stayed at the coast

and remained in his harbors.

18Zebulun was a people who risked their lives;

Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.

“As she remembered God’s help, Deborah knew that His help came from the tribes of Israel, stirred to join in the battle. Deborah praised the tribes that helped, notably Ephraim, West Manasseh, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar, and Naphtali.”

“Not every tribe was helpful. Reuben, East Manasseh, Dan, and Asher did not join in the battle.” (Guzik)

“All these are worthily shamed and shented, though they were not without some sorry pleas and pretences. The labouring Church must be some way helped, if be but by our prayers.” (Trapp)

Indecision 

Indecision killed the cat! An old saying from my childhood! Yesterday when we left our campground the rain started to fall, thunder started to clap and weather alerts came across the radio. A fast moving storm with high winds and hail, take shelter NOW! I was hit with indecision, then prayed. I drove by a Jehovah Witness building that had a covered porch. Thought about it but kept driving and headed east. Then I remembered a county road that went south that I had used years ago but it confused my navigation system! I took it to the coastline highway to the bridge and skirted the storm! Thank you Jesus!

Life is short, don’t be indecisive with Jesus because eternity is forever!

Are you born again? 

John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Blessings 

Mark Twain Quote:

Judges 5:10-12 Who Travel the Road

 10You who ride white donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets,

and you who travel the road,

ponder 11the voices of the singers

at the watering places.

There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD,

the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel.

Then the people of the LORD

went down to the gates:

12‘Awake, awake, O Deborah!

Awake, awake, sing a song!

Arise, O Barak,

and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’

“We should never hide our light under a bushel (Matthew 5:15-16) but tell others of the great things God has done and is doing. Many need to wake up and sing a song of praise to the LORD.”

“The common people needed to hear of God’s great works, and it was the job of leaders to tell them.” (Guzik)

Who Travel the Road

The other day we drove to the big city on our bimonthly shopping spree! All the people were traveling to and fro, in a hurry and if you were driving the speed limit you were in their way! Before we left we prayed for traveling mercies and for the Lord to help us keep our spending in check. When we returned we thanked Him for getting us home safely! But while driving we were listening to The Promise FM, “the voices of the singers”!

When you travel the road, can they tell you are His?

Blessings