God used Deborah to maintain peace in Israel for another 40
years. It's no wonder God was able to use her effectively. Her precious spirit
of wisdom and devotion can be seen in a song of hers that has been recorded for
us (verse 7 indicates that Deborah was the author). However, it wasn't just her song. It was a duet that she and General Barak sang
together. Let's consider the content of
this song.
It is a song of praise. Deborah praised God, but indeed, she
honored the nation too. It was two different kinds of praise though. She
worshiped God by praising Him and she commended the people by complementing
their obedience. Two verses, Judges 5:2 & 9, speak of the willingness of
the people and of their leaders to be used of God. And, it was the willingness
of the nation that freed God up to help them. Consider this: God is always ABLE
to help us. However, He is only happily WILLING to help us greatly when we are
willing to offer ourselves to Him. Now, not everyone in Israel offered themselves
to God in the same way (see verses 14-18). Each tribe contributed variously to
the effort. After all, in the fighting of a war, there are many different needs
and opportunities. In her song, Deborah gave recognition to each tribe in a
specific way, depending on how that tribe had involved themselves. Sadly, not
everyone came forth to the battle (Judges 5:23). So, even though the victory
was absolute and perfectly complete, the slackers were rebuked.
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