Judges 5:1-2 Bless the Lord!

 1On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

2“When the princes take the lead in Israel,

when the people volunteer,

bless the LORD.

“Deborah was a poetess as well as a prophetess.” (Trapp)

“Deborah sang concerning the overthrow of Israel’s enemies, and the deliverance vouchsafed to the tribes: we have a far richer theme for music; we have been delivered from worse enemies, and saved by a greater salvation. Let our gratitude be deeper; let our song be more jubilant.” (Spurgeon)

“When he had been most slandered — when the Pope had launched out a new bull, and when the kings of the earth had threatened him fiercely — Luther would gather together his friends, and say, ‘Come let us sing a psalm and spite the devil.’ He would ever sing the most psalms when the world roared the most.” (Spurgeon)

“We can think of the relation between leader and people as that of the conductor and the orchestra. The conductor must lead, and the orchestra must be ready and willing to follow the conductor’s leadership. When the conductor does his job and the orchestra does their job, then beautiful music is made.” (Guzik)

Bless the Lord

Some people can sing and others sound like a howling dog and I fall in the latter category! But it doesn’t mean I can’t say or think, bless the Lord! I try to thank Him daily for His provision and His blessings upon me. One thing I love about Tucson is the stars at night. I’d often wonder what it was like for David as a shepherd boy looking up at the night sky and the stars talking to the Lord! Oh bless the Lord!

Do you bless the Lord like Deborah, Barak or David?

Blessings 

Judges 4:23-24 Battles

 23On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

“The battle against Sisera was important, but it did not end the struggle. It was an important eventthat Israel had to continue to develop and walk in.”

“The war was not over until Jabin was destroyed. Israel could not think the war was over when a great battle was won.” (Guzik)

Battles

Everyday we face and fight battles and our war won’t be won until we see Jesus face to face. Small skirmishes occur nonstop with everyday conveniences on the radio or the television to get you to slip on the narrow path to heaven. Nudity, sex, language, taking the Lords name in vain etc. And if they do it repeatedly and loud enough they will lead you astray.

Take control of the skirmishes and battles by listening to uplifting music, watching Godly programs or spending time with the Lord in His good book.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Put on your spiritual armor.

Blessings 

Judges 4:21-22 Personal Responsibility

 21But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.

22When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.

“Lo, there lay this proud worms’ meat sprawling, with his head fastened to the ground, as if it had been now listening to what was become of the soul.” (Trapp)

“She was encouraged to do it, partly, by observing that the heavens and all the elements conspired against him, as against one devoted to destruction; partly by the fair opportunity which God’s providence put into her hands; and principally, by the secret instinct of God inciting her to it, and assuring her of success in it.” (Poole)

“But we do not find one word from Jael herself, stating how she was led to do an act repugnant to her feelings as a woman, contrary to good faith, and a breach of the rules of hospitality. Nor does the sacred penman say one word to explain the case; as in the case of Ehud, he states the fact, and leaves his readers to form their own opinion.” (Clarke)

“Yet God used even her treachery to accomplish His purpose. Surely, Sisera deserved to die; he fought against God’s people on behalf of a leader who had harshly oppressed the people of Israel(Judges 4:3). The lesson for us is important - God can make even the evil of man serve His purpose: Surely the wrath of man shall praise You (Psalm 76:10). Yet, that never diminishes the personal responsibility of the one doing the evil. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus served the eternal purpose of God, yet he still answered for that evil deed.” (Guzik)

Personal Responsibility 

We have all done evil in the sight of the Lord. For the Bible states: Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.

I thank God for Jesus Christ, for without Him I would be destined to hell.

Do you take personal responsibility for your sins?

Blessings 

Judges 4:17-20 A Woman!

 17Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

19Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.

20“Stand at the entrance to the tent,” he said, “and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’ ”

“Here the story takes an unexpected turn. God promised that a woman would defeat Sisera (Judges 4:9). We would logically assume that this would be Deborah, but God had something else in mind. He instead used the wife of a Kenite to accomplish Sisera’s end.” (Guzik)

“Women had their tents apart from their husbands, Genesis 24:67; 31:33. And here he thought to lurk more securely than in her husband’s tent.” (Poole)

I wonder when this custom of separate tents was abandoned? (David)

“Any pursuer would hardly think to look in a woman’s tent for any man, let alone a weary fugitive, for this would be a breach of etiquette.” (Cundall)

“This was a promise of security, and therefore she cannot be excused from dissimulation and treachery in the manner, though the substance of her act was lawful and worthy.” (Poole)

What will happen to Sisera from the hand of Jael? Stay tuned!

Blessings 

Judges 4:14-16 Routed!

14Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?”

So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.

16Then Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.

“Has not the LORD gone out before you: This is a phrase that speaks of a king or general leading his troops (1 Samuel 8:20). Therefore, Deborah played a big role in this victory. She was an encourager, building up the faith of Barak and his men. Her encouragement was that God, as a king, would go out before His people into battle.” (Guzik)

“He doth not make use of the advantage of the hill, where he might have been out of the reach of his iron chariots, Joshua 17:16, but boldly marcheth down into the valley, to give Sisera the opportunity of using all his horses and chariots, that so the victory might be more glorious and wonderful.” (Poole)

“the LORD routed“: “Terrified, as the vulgar Latin hath it, perhaps by thunder and hailstones, as Joshua 10:10; 1 Samuel 7:10, where the same Hebrew word is used; or else by some hurry-noise made in the air by the angels, as 2 Kings 6; but something was certainly done from heaven.” (Trapp)

The Lord routed all his chariots with rain and mud! Jdg 5:4-5 NKJV - 4 "LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water; 5 The mountains gushed before the LORD, This Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.

Brethren, I’ve studied the Bible and in the end, the Lord wins! If you are feeling defeated today remember that if you are Christ’s you are standing in victory because Satan, the devil’s and all the unbelievers will be routed!

Revelation 19: 14The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. 15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Blessings 

Judges 4:11-13 Iron Chariots!

 11Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.

12When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor, 13he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.

“a. Heber the Kenite: These were distant descendants of Israel, through Jethro, the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses, back to Abraham and his second wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4).

b. So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron: This was sophisticated and impressive military technology. The armies of Israel, under the direction of Barak and Deborah, were at a great disadvantage.” (Guzik)

Iron Chariots!

Sophisticated and impressive military technology against mere men! But wait!

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

That same biblical principle applies to us as followers of Jesus Christ! We may be weak, old, handicapped etc but with the love of Jesus we can change our world and those around us!

What will happen when 10,000 men meet 900 sophisticated and impressive iron chariots? Stay tuned!

Blessings 

Judges 4:8-10 Hesitation

 8Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

9“I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh, 10where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.

“Barak preferred the inspiration of Deborah’s presence to the invisible but certain help of Almighty God…He is mentioned in Hebrews 11 as one of the heroes of faith; but his faith lay rather in Deborah’s influence with God than in his own. Thus he missed the crown of that great day of victory.” (Meyer)

“He is famous for his faith (Hebrews 11:32-33), and yet here he showeth some unbelief. Let us be faithful in weakness, though but weak in faith.” (Trapp)

“Nevertheless, Barak and all who went with him showed real courage and trust in God to go out against Sisera and his army. They had essentially no weapons to fight with against a technologically advanced army (having 900 chariots of iron). In addition, God led them to fight on a plain, which gave great advantage to the forces with chariots.” (Guzik)

Hesitation 

Barak was hesitant to go without Deborah and as Trapp puts it: “Let us be faithful in weakness, though but weak in faith.” Barak eventually showed real courage and trust in God.

As I age I’ve become hesitant to do some of the things that I did daily while making a living when I was younger. I think of a famous quote from a movie, “A man’s got to know his limitations”! If my father was still alive, I would ask him if he experienced the same thing about becoming hesitant when he aged? Is it a protective mechanism from the Lord? I have to prepare myself mentally because of the hesitation and I lift it up to the Lord in prayer and like Barak because the Lord is with me I find the courage to do the things I was hesitant to do. 

“Let us be faithful in weakness, though but weak in faith.”

Could it be that the Lord is using my hesitation to draw me closer to Him?

Blessings