Israel had been under their thumb of King Jabin and the Canaanites. The writer of Judges tells us they had been “cruelly oppressed” at the hands of Jabin’s military leader—a man named Sisera (4:2). God allowed this to happen to His people because they had turned their backs on Him (v. 1-2). Their suffering and chastisement went on for a couple of decades before the people “cried to the Lord for help” (v. 3). Then God used Deborah, Barak, and a woman named Jael to break their bondage and deliver His people.
In Judges 5, this is all rehearsed in much the same manner as Israel’s Red Sea crossing was in Exodus 15. Whereas chapter 4 is narrative prose, chapter 5 is poetry—a song sung by Deborah and Barak. They led Israel in battle, and they led them in celebration and praise to God as well (v. 3). The first thing they want to praise God about is leaders taking the lead and the people willingly offering themselves (v. 2). This is a central theme of the song and is returned to several times (v. 9, 13-14). The willingness of the people of God to be used by Him is always something worth celebrating!
But the other side of that was also present—there were many people who didn’t step up when they were needed. This is noted in v. 7, 15-17, and 23. It’s a sad day whenever the people of God lack the courage of their convictions. If you’ve lived long enough, chances are you’ve experienced this at some time. Like Peter, we didn’t speak up when we could have. Like Jonah, we didn’t show up where we should have. Like David, we didn’t go off to war and the results were disastrous.
Most of us are familiar with the hollowed out feeling our failure leaves us with and too late we realize that whatever we were afraid of wasn’t anyway nearly as bad or painful as the reality of not showing up. Peter went away and wept bitterly. Jonah had to talk the crew into throwing him overboard and was saved from drowning only by a huge fish swallowing him. David ended up losing his son.
What’s involved in getting involved for God?
A big part is showing up. In 4:10 we’re told that “Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali,” and ten thousand showed up. A big part of being involved is simply showing up when there’s a need. The massive rockets that are launched into space spend huge amounts of their fuel doing one thing—getting the rocket off the ground! When we learn to lean into opportunities that’s half the battle. The first thing we must do is get our momentum going in that direction and that’s what showing up is about.
Stop making excuses. The song speaks of the descendants of Reuben staying among the sheep pens to hear the whistling for the flocks. Those in the tribe of Dan were lingering by the ships, while those in Asher stayed in their coves. They were all doing the same thing—just hanging around feeling miserable about the choice they had made. Twice were told of Reuben’s descendants, “There was much searching of heart” (v. 15-16). They were asking the right questions but failing to come up with the right answer. They were like people who can give you a boatload of reasons why something can’t be done. They needed to be like people who, with God’s help, find a way to get it done. Confucius said it best, “The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.”
Get ready to grow and be blessed. When we quit making excuses and show up, good things are going to happen. One of them is we will grow. God will take us where we are and help us get to where we need to be. And in the process of helping others, we will be blessed. It always works that way. That’s why Jesus said it is more blessed to give than it is to receive (Acts 20:35).
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 