Judges 5 Commentary
This chapter is fully devoted to Deborah’s song. It is a song of praise but there is a lot more to look at.
“God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.” Judges 5 verse 8. Very interesting. It gives us the picture of Israel’s sorry state. A disarmed Israel is not in a position to fight back. I guess the enemy does the same today. Paul’s armor consists of faith, righteousness, and peace, among other weapons. If the saint is disarmed in these areas, there is very little hope for survival.
It is not just physical weapons that are missing, other critical components are missing. The tribe of Reuben cannot make up its mind. Indecision and turbulence – lack of spine; that is what we know about Reuben. Check Reuben’s blessing in chapter 49 of Genesis.
Both Dan and Asher stayed at home. You get the impression that both valued comfort more than a victory for their enslaved brothers deep in the country.
But who cares about numbers? Yes, people do, not God. He saves with many or with just one. He works with the willing. The reference to ‘a mother in Israel’ as God’s instrument speaks volumes. Weapons are missing, courage is missing, desire is missing, and men are missing. The LORD should be stuck, you would guess. But there is a mother in Israel. It would take another mother in Israel to carry within her womb the seed for humanity’s redemption.
When you are at your very last point, know that the LORD still raises support. So we are amazed but not surprised, by the willingness of other tribes that gladly show up for the cause.
Then the land had peace for forty years. The chapter closes with this statement. It is yet another forty. We began with forty years, then eighty and now we have this forty years after the LORD’s intervention via Deborah. We are simply adding to the already famous ‘forty days and forty nights’ mystery. Then you know this can be very important.
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