Judges 5 - The Song of Deborah

Judges 5: The Song of Deborah
The theme of the song - The joy and blessing in being a willing instrument of God.

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 "When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the LORD!

-When the leaders lead
-When the people willingly offer themselves.

verses 3-5: Remembering God's preservation of Israel in the past.
3 "Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I will sing to the LORD, I will sing;
I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.
4 "O LORD, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook, the heavens poured,
the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai,
before the LORD, the God of Israel.

You went out from seir - a past victory God supernaturally won. When you marched out from the field of Edom - God's goodness didn't just start today

Verses 6-8; Describing life under Canaanite oppression.
6 "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
7 Village life in Israel ceased,
ceased until I, Deborah, arose,
arose a mother in Israel.
8 When they chose new gods,
war came to the city gates,
and not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.

Village life ceased in Israel - not only was life hard under Israel's oppressors, but they also confiscated all weapons so the Israelites could not fight.
Not a shield or spear was seen among them - Satan doesn't only want to oppress the christian, but he also wants to disarm the believer. He wants the believer to lay down the full armor of God that belongs to you in Jesus Christ. (Eph 6:12-18)

Until, I, Deborah arose - This is not pride. God works through willing individuals and she was willing.

Bless the leaders - My heart is with the rulers of Israel - she didn't only care for her job of leadership, she also had a heart for other leaders and their work. Her vision was bigger than just getting her job done. She wanted to see the kingdom of God advanced.
who offered themselves willingly with the people - leaders must also offer themselves willingly.

verses 10 - 12: victory remembered
10 "You who ride on white donkeys,
sitting on your saddle blankets,
and you who walk along the road,
consider 11 the voice of the singers at the watering places.
They recite the righteous acts of the LORD,
the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel.
"Then the people of the LORD
went down to the city gates.
12 'Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, O Barak!
Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam.'

speak, you who ride on white donkeys - leaders tell the people the great things God did.
Matt 5:
15 - 16: Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine.
The common people needed to hear of God's great works it was the job of the leaders to tell them.

verses 13 - 18: The tribes that helped and the tribes that didn't.
13 "Then the men who were left
came down to the nobles;
the people of the LORD
came to me with the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander's staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
yes, Issachar was with Barak,
rushing after him into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the campfires
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.

The Lord came down for me against the mighty - she remembered God's help and his help came from the tribes of Israel. (The people)

Why did you sit among the sheepfolds - not every tribe was helpful or joined in the battle.

verses 19-23: The battle described and a curse on an unhelpful city.
19 "Kings came, they fought;
the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but they carried off no silver, no plunder.
20 From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
the age-old river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul; be strong!
22 Then thundered the horses' hoofs—
galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
23 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD.
'Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the LORD,
to help the LORD against the mighty.'

They fought from the heavens - the battle was fought from the heavens in the sense that God sent rain that made the canaanite chariots of no use.

Curse Meroz said the angel of the Lord - 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 it in it. (This still applies to us today)

verses 24 - 27: praise for Jael for her killing of Sisera
24 "Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman's hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell-dead.

Most blessed among women is Jael - 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. Yest she is blessed here because her obedience to the cause of God was greater than her obedience to tradition and custom.

At her feet he sank - Deborah wanted to increase Sisera's shame by pointing out that it was a woman who ended his life.

Verses 28 - 30: Reflection on the soon disappointment of Sisera's survivors.
28 "Through the window peered Sisera's mother;
behind the lattice she cried out,
'Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?'
29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;
indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:
a girl or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments for my neck—
all this as plunder?'

The mother of sisera looked through the window - every death has consequences.

Vs 31 - Final praise to God and the long term effect of the victory.
31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!
But may they who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength."
Then the land had peace forty years.

Thus let all your enemies perish - To love God is to hate his enemies. A man or a woman is defined as much by who their enemies are as by who their friends are.

Let us who love him be like the sun - How much better it is to be one of those who love him than to be one of God's enemies.