Judges 5
Memory Verse: Judges 5:2 - “That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord!”
Song: Abundantly More by North Point Worship
Have you ever experienced such joy that you couldn’t help but burst into song? Queue Julie Andrews: “The hills are alive with the sound of music!” Our hearts love to sing, shout, and celebrate when God brings victory, healing, or transformation into our lives.
Judges 5 highlights the joyous song of two people: Deborah and Barak. Deborah was Israel’s judge and prophetess, and Barak was the commander of Israel’s army. He was called to defeat the evil King Jabin and his army commander Sisera, who were oppressing the Israelites. This song highlights their joy found in being willing servants for the Lord. We, too, can find joy in courageous obedience to Him.
Throughout Scripture, we see Israel's total failure in obeying God. They failed to drive out the Canaanites and surrounding nations that were persuading them towards their false gods, moral corruption, and even child sacrifice. The cycle of sin, judgment, repentance, deliverance, and peace repeats at least seven times in the book of Judges alone. “Israel had no king and did what was right in their own eyes.” However, at key moments, God steps in through His Holy Spirit to empower willing key leaders despite their sins.
One of these examples of willing key leaders is Jael. Although Jael’s husband was loyal to King Jabin rather than God, that did not stop Jael from being obedient to do as God said. She did her part to drive out the Canaanites and their idolatry from within their land (Numbers 33:51-56; Joshua 3:10; Joshua 23:11-13; Deut. 9:5; Deut. 6:18-19) and to murder the evil commander Sisera, just as Deborah had foretold.
Although initially timid, afraid, and in need of another’s courage, Barak rallies an army composed of some of the tribes of Israel and kills all of King Jabin’s army and, eventually, the king himself.
The beginning of Judges 5 says, “That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord! (V.2)”
However, not every tribe was helpful or willing to join in battle. Reuben, East Manasseh, Asher, and Dan did not. “Why did you sit still among the sheepfold to hear the whistling for the flocks?... Why did he stay with the ships? (V.16-17)”
Piper writes on the conquest of Canaan, imagining Moses standing from the hilltop, white-haired and wise, yet never making it to the promised land, asking himself, “My God, how many conquests of joy have I forfeited through disobedience?”
One can imagine the word of this miraculous defeat of King Jabin coming to the tribes who stayed behind, thinking to themselves, “What joy have I forfeited by my unwillingness to go?” There is a GREAT JOY to be found in being a willing instrument of God. There is BLESSING in being a leader, a person of courage, and a willing offering and living sacrifice to the Lord. If we are being honest, how many times do we forfeit obedience and joy by our unwillingness to step out of our comfort zones? By our unwillingness to go? By our unwillingness to face our fears?
Here are some questions for your own reflection today:
How might you need to be courageous and step out, lead, and willingly offer yourself to the Lord?
God works through willing followers of Him. What part are you playing?
What conquests of joy are you forfeiting by your disobedience?
What rest is to be found on the other side of your obedience?
Like the Israelites, we so often are full of fear of the world rather than fear of our God. Yet, in His steadfast love and mercy, our Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to our broken world to dwell among us and become the perfect King we desired for so long. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we rejoice, delight, and sing for joy that He has declared us friends of God, that we might rise like the sun in the might of the Lord (V. 31)!
May we find joy and rest in willing obedience to our Savior and God.
