September 3 Daily Discovery - Read Judges Chapter 5

This passage below is from the King James Version (ekjv.org).  

Remarks from the Berean Fellowship follow the passage below.

[1] Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
[2] Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
[3] Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
[4] LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
[5] The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.
[6] In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
[7] The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
[8] They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
[9] My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
[10] Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
[11] They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
[12] Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
[13] Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.
[14] Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
[15] And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.
[16] Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
[17] Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
[18] Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.
[19] The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
[20] They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
[21] The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
[22] Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
[23] Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
[24] Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
[25] He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
[26] She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
[27] At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
[28] The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
[29] Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
[30] Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?
[31] So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

The Necessity of Faith-strong Leadership

The Israelites failed to keep their part of the agreement in the Covenant that God had made with them and as a
result they were experiencing exactly what God said they would experience. God was no longer driving their
enemies out from before them, and they had become thorns and snares to them, just like God said.

Now their enemies are oppressing and attacking them. God allows Israel to suffer for a season and then he puts
a call on the heart of someone to become a judge for them. The judge acts as both a prophet and a military leader.
Fighting in wars has historically been a mostly male role. During this time Deborah was the best man God could find.

The kind of leadership that we need so desperately is people that believe God enough to obey Him!

A Mother Arose in Israel

I believe that Deborah would have rather remained in her primary role of Mama and the manager of the home. But
sometimes a man simply will not step up to the task.

Good male leadership has been lacking in the American society for decades now. Many local churches or largely
supported and led by Godly women instead of men. Shame on the men! Praise for the women. Of course this is
not new in any way. Jesus had many women that supported Him and participated in His ministry. The Apostle Paul
often times mentioned the women that helped him in his ministry.

Barak, the assistant

I suppose one of the most courageous things that Barak did was to tell Deborah, "If you don't go with me I ain't going!"
At first Debra told him to go; that this is what God wanted, but he recognized God's appointed leadership in Deborah
and he submitted to her. She told him that he was going to lose the honor -- it was going to go to a woman but
nonetheless, she would go with him.

Then Jael drove the Nail

Read Judges 4 and 5 to get the whole story. Jael was handy with the hammer ... and the nail!

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Continue Your Search

Do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?

See: Berean Fellowship Bible Study Method