You can know a man if you follow his trail, if you follow long enough. By his tracks on the land the ways of a man are made plain—his kindness or his cruelty, his ignorance or his cunning, his strength or his weakness.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Key-Lock Man)
“You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.”
–Psalm 18:39 (NLT)
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Ever have frustrations? Trying to get people to do something, and then on top of that to do it right? I know as a coach and principal I experienced that to some degree. It seems that the more you expect, the more you prod, the less things get done. It’s as if they are saying, “Try and make me.” I would get frustrated with students and would tell them the problem is that I want you to succeed more than you want to. As we look at the Song of Deborah, she found herself in that sort of situation. Nobody was doing anything about the situation. Keep that in mind as we look at the first part of her song in Judges 5.
2 — When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord!
3 — 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.
4 — 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 water;
5 — The mountains gushed before the LORD, this Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.
6 — In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the day of Jael, the highways were deserted, and the travelers walked along the byways.
7 — Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arome, arose a mother in Israel.
8 — They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates; not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9 — My heart is with the rulers of Israel who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the LORD! (NKJV)
Why, bless the Lord! I can imagine the feeling when the people got together to purposely fulfill God’s will under the call and leadership of Deborah. A leader’s joy is when others do their duty without being told and they do it right–the first time. Hmm, perhaps the Lord looks down on us and thinks the same thing–“I wish they would just do what they are supposed to do”.
A little background on Deborah is necessary at this point. You may find that you relate to some of her responsibilities. “Deborah wore three hats: a judge, a prophet, and ‘a mother of Israel.’ Israel desperately needed all three right then. They needed a judge to bring law to a land that was falling apart. They needed a prophet to bring them God’s message when they thought God had forgotten them. And they needed a mother to call everyone together and get them moving.” (William Petersen) Look at it more again, and bring it closer to home. That seems to me to be the role of the Christian mother in the home.
Because of Deborah’s actions, Israel was rescued from the Canaanites. How many times have mothers rescued their homes from the onslaught of the Canaanites–the enemy that seeks to destroy the home. It is not easy, and it often is not appreciated. Saying an emphatic “No” is hard, but often it must be done. Saying, “get busy” and then making sure it happens takes time, effort, and follow through. Without Deborah the Israelites would most likely have just continued on with cultural compromise losing their identity and purpose.
Now is the time for us to get busy with what our Lord wants us to be doing, using our gifts and talents to the best of our ability. Doing the work He has called us to do, and doing it in the place where we find ourselves. Work as unto the Lord and submit to His leading and know that He has armed us with strength for any battle we face.
“Lead on, O King Eternal, we follow, not with fears;
For gladness breaks like morning where’er thy face appears;
Your cross is lifted o’er us; we journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest: lead on, O God of might.”
–Ernest W. Shurtleff