Judges 5

Sure did read Deborah without you. Now we'll read the song of Deborah and Barack. It's not just Deborah's song. It's both of theirs. Let's have some coffee. We'll pray. And we'll get into a song. Maybe we'll sing a duet. Okay. Oh, did you just steal my slipper off my own foot? Alright, well. Good morning, good morning.
Welcome to Coffee and Devotion. Let's pray. We need it this morning. God, thank you so much for this day. Please bless us with your spirit. Please give us wisdom from your word. Let us understand it. Lord, this is a fun section of the scriptures. It's a song, but songs are very different in the Old Testament than in what we sing today.
So please help us to understand it and to appreciate it, to learn from it and love it. In Jesus' name. Amen. I'd like my slipper back, please She stole my slipper. You can't see it, but she's a thief All right. All right. Here we go Judges chapter five.
Why don't we go like paragraph by paragraph? So you'll read and then i'll read and you'll read and i'll read that will be our duet I thought we were like friends. No, we're not friends. I'm your father I know you don't. Well, I know you don't like me.
Okay. Then Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sing on that day, saying. When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord. Hear, O kings, give ear, O princes. I, even I, will sing to the Lord. I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. It's not funny. Come on, let's pay attention. 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 out water, the mountains gushed before the Lord, this Sinai before the Lord God of Israel.
In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased. It ceased in Israel until I, Deborah, arose. Arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods. Then there was war in the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among 40,000 in Israel.
My heart is with the rulers of Israel, who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the Lord! Speak ye who ride on white donkeys, who sit in judges attire, and who walk along the road, far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts for his villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord shall go down to the gates.
Awake! Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake! Sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam! Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles. The Lord came down for me, against the mighty. From Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples. From Machir, rulers came down. And from Zebulun, those who bear the recruiter's staff. And the princes of Ishachar. It's a car. Yeah, it's a car. We're with Deborah as It's a car. So was Barack Sent into the valley under his command among the divisions of Reuben.
There were great resolves of heart. Why do you sickness? sit among sheepfolds to hear the pipings for the flocks the divisions of rubin have great searchings of heart gilead stayed beyond the jordan and why did dan remain on ships asher continued at the sea seashore and stayed by his inlets zebulon is a people who jeopardize their lives to the point of death neftali also on the heights of battlefield The kings came and fought.
Then the kings of Canaan fought. In Tanakh, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no spoils of silver. They fought from the heavens. The stars from their courses fought against Sisera. The torrents of Kishon swept them away. The ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon, O my soul, march on in strength!" Then the horse's hooves pounded, the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
Curse Meraz, said the angel of the Lord. Curse its inhabitants bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. most blessed among women is jl the wife of heber the canaanite the kenite the kenite blessed is she among women in tents he asked for water she gave milk he brought out cream in a lordly bowl she stretched her hand to the tent bag her right hand to the workman's hammer.
She pounded Caesarea. She pierced his head. She split and struck through his temple. At her feet he sank. He fell. He lay still. At her feet he sank. He fell. Where he sank, there he felled it. The mother of Cicero looked through the window and she cried through the lattice. Why is his chariot so long and coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?"
Her wisest ladies answered her. Yes, she answered herself. Are they not finding and dividing the spoil to every man a girl or two? For Sisera plundered the of dyed garments, plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter.
Thus let all your enemies perish oh lord but let those who love him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength now so the land had rest for 40 years is it like every 40 years it like keeps No, but so it's different years. Right. So there's like every 40 years, then every seven years and every 40 years. Well, you're right that there is a year of Jubilee. Right. So I think it's close to every 50 years. So 77. Right. Or seven times seven. Right. So every seventh Sabbath year.
But it's almost like. But this is just saying the land had rest for 40 years and then they Well, no, because there's other time markers as well, right? But you're right in verse 11 of chapter 3. So the land had rest for 40 years. That was after Othniel. But there was one of them that the land had rest for 80 years.
But anyways, so. Must have been a doubly good prophet. Maybe. All right. So, so it's Deborah and Barak's, Barak, Barak, Barak. I don't know how you say it, right? It's their song. I wonder if. Well, it's very clear here that there's there's points in which it's Deborah speaking right I Deborah Well, right, so this is her song and then it turns into their song and his song right but then it turns into JL And then it goes into verse 28 about Cicero's sad mama song.
So there's different parts of the scene here that are played out in the song, right? And so I'm not sure it's her being prideful per se, but she's saying, bless the Lord, right? Hero kings give hero princess, I, even I will sing to the Lord, right? So this is her saying, this is God's glory for these things, right?
And so it's the Lord who went out from Seir. It's the Lord who marched from the fields of Edom. The earth trembled, and the heavens poured. The clouds also poured water. The mountains gushed before the Lord, this Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel. So this is a song to God's glory. And then it tells a story. Shamgar, what was it like in the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael? Can people go around freely? No. Oh, right, people are afraid to even go on the highways. It's probably because...
Yeah, right, until I, Deborah, arose. Arose a mother in Israel, right? This is that God's called her to do this. And I don't think that's prideful, Deborah. I think she's singing, because that's what God's done, right? In verse four, now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. God's made her a prophet. This is unusual, it's not normal, but I don't think we need to look down on her and go, Deborah, there's a reason why I named you Deborah. Right, this is your true namesake. Right, to be a strong woman of the Lord is to say, the Lord gave me this job and I did it. It's just funny, like, Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidut, was judging Israel at the time, and she would sit under her palm tree.
Yeah, right, so she's not sitting in the city gates. Actually, did you notice what it was like in the gates? They choose, in verse 8, what does it say of chapter 5? They chose new gods. There was war in the gates. There was war in the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among 40,000 in Israel, right? So normally the judges, the elders, would judge in the gates. In the gates of the city. But are there elders judging in the gates? No, no, there aren't elders judging in the gates where they should be.
So where does Deborah have to go? Sit under a palm tree. Yeah, right. So she's sitting under a palm tree. That's not normal. That's still funny. Well, I don't think it's funny. I think it's sad, right? I mean, it's sad, but it's just like. Funny that they would name where she would sit.
Well, what else are they going to name it? Like, she sat judging Israel, but she says and she would sit under the palm tree. Between Ramah and Bethel. Yeah, but she was there so frequently. No, no. But but the point being, right, Deborah is that. Where are you going to find Deborah? Well, she's going to be at Deborah's palm tree, right? That's where she's always at. That's where the prophetess is at.
I don't think this is funny. I don't think it's shameful. I think it's sad, right? That they've turned to other gods. And so what has God done? Well, in the city, there's not justice. There's not judgment. There's not safety. And so yeah, but it's not even supposed to be heard. That's there, right? It's supposed to be the elders of the city, but there's not even elders of the city to judge, right? There's not even strong men in the city. There's no reputable men. Well, she has to call for Barack, yeah, and so and so she right My heart is with the rulers of Israel. Notice.
This is her saying right? Deborah arose and her heart is with the rulers of Israel. This isn't against them This isn't she's not some type of feminist like we're gonna overthrow the man and we're gonna rule Israel Right now that she's her heart's with the rulers of Israel She wants them And she praises them when they do rise up and do their job, doesn't she? My heart is with the rulers of Israel who offered themselves willingly with the people, bless the Lord. And then the rest of it is about Well, not the judges, but the people who rose up, right?
Ephraim and Zebulun, the princess of Issachar, right? So she talks about the divisions of Reuben, right? And this is like, the army's coming, the army's coming, the army's coming. They're doing these amazing things, right? And so, This is a song. It's a song about the king, or about the rulers and the princes coming. But notice in verse 19 through 23.
Who are they really fighting against? The kings. Well, the kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought in Tanakh by the waters of Megiddo. They took no spoils of silver. They fought from the heavens. Or even though they had the horses hooves pounding and galloping, galloping of their steeds. Who is fighting against them in verse 23? Yeah, right, it's the Lord who's fighting against them. It's the Lord who's fighting against them. Yeah, right, and so, and then we get JL, right? JL, she's sung about here. Maybe we should, maybe you wanna, maybe we should set these words to a song and you and I could sing them. We can even sing them in Hebrew, what do you think?
No, you don't want to, you know, I tried to convince your mom to let me name you JL, Debra JL. She'd go for Debra, but not JL. She doesn't want to have her daughter have the middle name of the lady who pounced the tent peg into the guy's tent peg. Yeah, I thought, I think it's an act of faith that she did, but that's fine.
Right. So what's, what's the final conclusion of all of this in verse 31? when the Lord is against somebody, they don't have any chance. Yeah. Right. Thus, let all your enemies perish, O Lord, but let those who love him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength. Be strong and bright. Be resplendent in glory. God's the one who's given the glory of the sun and let us who follow him be reflections of that strength and glory. Yep, we don't get much mention of him at all do we He's just not a he's not a primary character in this Don't know we just get his name Lapidus, but we don't get anything else We don't get anything else.
So what do you think this is about the song of Deborah? It's about Yeah, I think it's a victory song and a song to God's glory I Think that's what this is about. It's a historical victory song and a song to God's glory, right? This is what God has done He's done this this amazing thing and he gave his people peace even after this for another 40 years Right Well, we'll get to and then they next time, but for right now, we'll just rejoice in what's here.
So, all right. So let's talk about seek calling. What are you called to do? Sing a duet with your daddy. Okay. Okay. That's not what you're called to do. So what are you called to do? Or how does this show you Jesus Christ? Oh, okay. You want, you can do best first to summarize. All right. I like it. Verse 31. I kind of really liked, um, Well, where was that? I liked verse 26. Yep, that's the verse I like best. She stretched out her hand to the tent peg, her right hand to the workman's hammer. She pounded Cicero, she pierced his head, she split and struck through his temple. It's kind of the thing that would make that little children's role in their nightmares sad. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so let's talk about seek calling. What are you called to do? To trust in God.
Yeah, can we sing songs to his glory? Is that your new song Oh VeggieTales makes its appearance. Okay, so so we can trust in God has he given us a great victory How is he giving us a great victory Yeah Has he defended defeated? all of our enemies Yeah, but someday he's going to feed even the greatest enemy, death itself, right? At the resurrection.
Let's pray. God, we thank you so much for giving us a song of victory to sing because Jesus Christ indeed reigns. The gates of righteousness have been opened and he has walked into them. Lord, we pray that you would please give us hope, give us joy, for you deserve all the glory. Make us resplendent like you as we walk in your ways. May we be like the noonday sun, shining bright. In Jesus' name, amen. May the Lord bless you. May you shine as bright as the sun at noon as you follow Jesus Christ, who is glorious and victorious over all. See you next time. Bye. Bye.