“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing. I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
Judges 5:3
Deborah was quite a remarkable presence in Israel for her 40 years of leading. She was a brave warrior, a wise judge, a godly prophetess, and a faithful follower of the Lord. She worked alongside Barak as they together led the Israelites in battle against the enemy. The song of victory she wrote recounts the Lord’s deeds for His people. It is a poetic telling of God’s steadfast care for His people throughout the battle between Isreal and Jabin, king of Canaan.
The story in Judges 4 is both graphic and memorable. God secured the victory for Israel through surprising means: a woman leader, the routing of 900 Canaanite chariots, a tired Canaanite commander who needed a nap, and a clever Kenite woman who put an end to him while he snoozed. Deborah sang out in praise to the Lord for the victory, considering “the voice of the singers at the watering places [who] recite the righteous acts of the Lord … in Israel” (5:11).
God used ordinary people and His extraordinary might to accomplish His will then, just as He still does for us today.
The story in Judges 4 is both graphic and memorable. God secured the victory for Israel through surprising means: a woman leader, the routing of 900 Canaanite chariots, a tired Canaanite commander who needed a nap, and a clever Kenite woman who put an end to him while he snoozed. Deborah sang out in praise to the Lord for the victory, considering “the voice of the singers at the watering places [who] recite the righteous acts of the Lord … in Israel” (5:11).
God used ordinary people and His extraordinary might to accomplish His will then, just as He still does for us today.
Scripture Focus
Judges 5:1-31
Insight
“So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” (Judges 5:31)
Bible In A Year
- Ezekiel 1-2
- Psalm 131
- 2 Corinthians 13