Deborah & Barak (Part 2)
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Celebrating victory - What do you do to celebrate a win?
In the Bible, after big victories sometimes they wrote a song about it, like Moses & Miriam after Israel went through the Red sea.
Today we’re looking at the Song of Deborah & Barak which celebrates the victory that God won.
Poetry adds a new dimension to telling a story, draws out imagery and connections we might not otherwise make. Sometimes it’s great to hear a story told well, with intrigue and suspense, sometimes it is just great to sing it!
As we dive in to the song retelling of the previous chapter, we will see additional details that were not mentioned first time.
The characters of the story are judged by Deborah, on the basis of their loyalty to the LORD.
We will work through the song, and I will highlight important elements as we go.
The LORD is Praised
The LORD is Praised
v1-3
What do we praise in people? We praise beauty, even if it is nothing someone did, and we praise achievement.
Why do we praise God? Because he is worthy! His character is good and his actions are good.
It is good and right for us to praise the LORD. Not only are we commanded to worship, it is something built into us.
Deborah & Barak (mostly Deborah) turn to praise God after their victory, they wrote a song!
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord!
Remember Deborah was a prophetess who was Judging Israel.
They didn’t have kings at that time, or a nationwide government or selection procedures for civil leadership. People who showed talent and ability got given more power.
There was a lack of leadership in Israel, that’s something we reviewed last week, Barak especially demonstrated a reticence to obey God, but he eventually did, and that is a good thing! His loyalty wavered, but eventually held firm.
When we realize we’ve been withholding obedience, we must repent!
In this song, all remembrance of Barak’s initial reservations are gone. The princes took the lead, and the people offered themselves willingly. Great! We will return to this theme of leadership again soon.
Now Deborah makes a call to worship:
“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.
Deborah is singing - the action here in the grammar is feminine, showing that while this is the song of Deborah & Barak, Deborah is the primary singer.
Deborah will praise the Lord making melody to YHWH Elohim of Israel.
This is a pattern for God’s people to follow - down through the bible there is regular examples of people breaking into song, or writing songs for the LORD.
We have no reason to stop writing songs!
True worship is transformative - it teaches, it reminds, it humbles, it ascribes appropriate worth to God. It declares the victory of YHWH to the world!
The LORD is praised, then, now and forever.
The LORD’s March Brings Godly Confidence
The LORD’s March Brings Godly Confidence
v4-5
Now Deborah turns to give us the heavenly perspective of what God did, what did God do that brought victory?
“When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
The Lord of Israel, their covenant Lord has come to save them. Not the Baals or Asherah that they had worshiped.
He is envisioned as a warrior on the march. He is coming up from the south at Saini.
Sinai is where Israel met the LORD on their way out of Egypt. That is where they entered into a covenant, and heard the LORD speak.
Now Deborah describes God as coming up from Sinai, not that he was literally living on Sinai, and then came up to help out, but this is a poetic way of saying their covenant God came to save them.
He came up past Seir in Edom to the south of Isarael
When God marches, the mountains shake and tremble in fear.
Even the clouds respond to Go’d move, they let go their water and it rains!
This knowledge is confidence inspiring for God’s people. Although we can’t see God, he is on the move, and Creation bows to Him.
We can have great confidence to live loyal and faithfully, and even wade into battle, because we know that God is at work.
An example from the embattled Jeremiah, who was perpetually hated for his ministry:
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.
Love your enemies does not mean “have no enemies” - we can still love and pray for our enemies, even while we recognise God’s good justice and their downfall. Pray for their earthly demise, so that they can find repentance, because once they get to judgment day, it will be too late!
The LORD’s march brings Godly confidence that He will win, enemies will be overcome, and that his people will be saved!
The LORD’s people in a Woeful State
The LORD’s people in a Woeful State
v6-11
The unfortunate reality is that Israel, Gods covenant people, were in a pretty bad state. That’s why they needed God to come to their aid.
This is the pattern of the Judges cycle - they wander away from loyalty to God, and then they end up in a bad way. Here Deborah highlights some of the issues.
“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.
Shamgar was the one-verse-judge - he must have overlapped with the lifetime of Deborah & Jael.
Despite Shamgar killing hundreds of Philistines with a cattle-prod, public safety was at an all time low. You would think the threat of a mighty warrior making you a notch on his belt would be enough to scare you off being a highwayman and robber, but apparently not.
The highways were not safe. People had to take back routes to get places. Imagine we couldn’t get to Melbourne, because there were people who would set up roadblocks and rob you on the highway. So, you would have to get to Melbourne by going up to Dargo, over the mountains, then around through Bright and down to the city.
We take for granted the ability to move around our country in relative safety. As much as we may see the flaws in our police force and public authorities, we have a remarkably safe society. Remember even the days of the Ned Kelly gang? It’s been a part of Australian history.
Highways abandoned - illustration: modern navies keep shipping lanes safe. Without protective force then chaos ensues.
Israel had become unsafe to travel, a sign of the general rot in the nation.
The regular people of Israel felt powerless to do anything, and so they kept to themselves. They were afraid, dispersed and disconnected. They would have asked themselves, what can 1 person do to change the state of our country?
That was until Deborah arose, that wonderful woman of faith came up as a mother to the nation. She was the tool God used for their deliverance, and an antidote to the woes they were facing.
A comment on last week: Deborah as an indictment - not that she was bad, she was great! Indictments are good and needed where there are problems (like lawyers bringing criminals to justice) She reveals a wider societal problem of the men being slack, but she herself is not the problem.
Deborah is the spiritual mother they needed, to nurture their faith and encourage them to look to the LORD for deliverance.
But before we get there, there’s still some more problems...
When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
The ESV is better here - when new elohim, new gods, were chosen then came war.
When the people ditched the YHWH Elohim, for other elohim, that’s when things went downhill.
It was like having 40,000 men but none to fight. None of them were armed, poetically speaking. They were defenseless on their own.
My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!
Yet, a great many people will step-up to the call. The leaders, while initially holding back, they heed the call and come to fight - nobles and regular people alike!
Thank God!
Deborah addresses all the people, calling them to proclaim the Lord’s victory:
“You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider the voice of the singers at the watering places. They recite the victories of the Lord, the victories of his villagers in Israel. “Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates.
The wealthy who have their $100,000 land cruiser donkeys, who have nice upholstery, they are called to proclaim the victory, as are the regular old folks in their Hyundais and Kias.
Listen into what the bands are playing in the public places, they're telling you about how God worked through regular people to save their country.
The LORD’s people in a woeful state, than and now.
We need God to act - no matter what is going on in the spiritual realm, you, the regular people of God are called forth to be loyal and ready yourselves for battle. God will work through you to achieve His victory!
The LORD’s people Prepare for Battle
The LORD’s people Prepare for Battle
v12-18
God’s people come forth, they answer the battle summons!
‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’ “The remnant of the nobles came down; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
God’s people came together for battle.
Many clans joined in, but primarily Zebulun Naphtali (see last chapter)
But not everyone came. It seems that there were some tribes who held off
The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent under his command into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. Why did you stay among the sheep pens to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
Much searching of heart. While the battle rages, they are at home, in comfort, having deep discussions about the war, and what they should do, and if it’s the right time to act.
Cowardice and shirking is not always obvious, it’s not always a guy fleeing the scene of battle. Sometimes it’s a guy who makes it look like he’s on the right team, and makes a big song and dance about doing the right thing, but who never steps up to the crease.
The LORD’s people prepared for battle - prepare for what you might face, don’t hold off pondering the deep things. Get into the fray!
The LORD makes Battle
The LORD makes Battle
v19-23
“Kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no plunder of silver. From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.
The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! Then thundered the horses’ hooves— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
Baal, the storm god is undone by a storm.
curse for cowards
‘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.’
The LORD’s Unlikely Victor
The LORD’s Unlikely Victor
v24-27
“Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
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. At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead.
“sends her hand to the spindle” Here is an industrious woman, putting to death God’s enemies!
The LORD’s Enemy is Mocked
The LORD’s Enemy is Mocked
v28-30
“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?’
The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a woman or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck— all this as plunder?’
“So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had peace forty years.
Death where is your sting?
So What?
So What?
There is no other name under heaven by which you may be saved
Drive home conclusion