A poem or song, as we see throughout the Psalms of David and others who love the Lord and seek His will and His ways, isn’t something we can easily understand at first until we learn the story for the song. The “songs that fill our hearts” spring up from a spontaneous emotional expression that often defies analysis unless we learn the story behind the song. Unlike classical English poetry, Hebrew poetry contains recurring themes expressed in different ways with frequent outbursts of praise and prayer.

This Song of Deborah comes immediately after God’s will is accomplished through her leadership of Israel. Deborah is praising God for all His people who came willingly when summoned to help destroy another enemy of Israel.  She begins with praising God for those people and then praises God for individuals who had a part in God’s victory.  God’s People praise God immediately following the miraculous acts of God.

What is our story, what is our song?  Consider these questions as we “sing” with Deborah!

Judges 5

The Song of Deborah

On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

² “When the princes in Israel take the lead,
    when the people willingly offer themselves—
    praise the Lord!

³ “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
    I, even I, will sing to the Lord;
    I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.

⁴ “When you, Lord, went out from Seir,
    when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook, the heavens poured,
    the clouds poured down water.
⁵ The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶ “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
    in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned;
    travelers took to winding paths.
⁷ Villagers in Israel would not fight;
    they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
    until I arose, a mother in Israel.
⁸ God chose new leaders
    when war came to the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was seen
    among forty thousand in Israel.
⁹ My heart is with Israel’s princes,
    with the willing volunteers among the people.
    Praise the Lord!

¹⁰ “You who ride on white donkeys,
    sitting on your saddle blankets,
    and you who walk along the road,
consider ¹¹ the voice of the singers at the watering places.
    They recite the victories of the Lord,
    the victories of his villagers in Israel.

“Then the people of the Lord
    went down to the city gates.
¹² ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
    Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!
    Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’

¹³ “The remnant of the nobles came down;
    the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
¹⁴ Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
    Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
    from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
¹⁵ The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁶ Why did you stay among the sheep pens
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁷ Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
    and stayed in his coves.
¹⁸ The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali on the terraced fields.

¹⁹ “Kings came, they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,
    they took no plunder of silver.
²⁰ From the heavens the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
²¹ The river Kishon swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!
²² Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
²³ ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

²⁴ “Most blessed of women be Jael,
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
²⁵ He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
²⁶ Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.
²⁷ At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead.

²⁸ “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
²⁹ The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
³⁰ ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments for my neck—
    all this as plunder?’

³¹ “So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun
    when it rises in its strength.”

Then the land had peace forty years.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God chose unlikely leaders and players in this story in a culture where women are not considered as important as men, much less worthy of leadership. Deborah’s blessing on Jael reminds us of Elizabeth’s words to Mary (Luke 1:42). Because of Barak’s hesitation, Deborah announced that a woman would get the credit for killing the captain of the enemy army (Judges 4:8, 9).  Jael followed God’s leading and put an end to the leader of the enemy of Israel.  Deborah sang of Jael’s bravery and courage with praises to God for her work.

Deborah was grateful that the people offered themselves willingly in the service of the Lord. They were not “summer soldiers” but brave men who were serious about fighting the Lord’s battles. However, there were four tribes that didn’t volunteer to do their share of fighting. The people of God today are not unlike the people of Israel when it comes to God’s call for service: Some immediately volunteer to serve and follow the Lord; some risk their lives; some give the call of God to help serious consideration but say no; and others keep to themselves as though the call had never been given. At times, we might find ourselves in one or more of these categories. Invite the Holy Spirit into all the decisions of our lives and see what happens when we trust and obey!

Deborah’s closing prayer contrasts the enemies of the Lord—who, like Sisera, come to their end in darkness—with the people who love God, who rise like the sun in all its power. The battle at Megiddo was more than just a conflict between opposing armies. It was a conflict between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. We have the choice to follow darkness or light.  We either love Christ and walk in the light, or we are His enemy and perish in the darkness. Consider the two choices prayerfully for it is a matter of Life or death!

Lord,

This is my story and this is my song.  You came to me as a child offering me salvation for my soul with the bonus of eternal life with you.  I chose you then; I choose you now.  I love you because you first loved me.  I give my life to you again this morning as an offering of gratitude to you. I seek your will and agenda for this day.  Thank you for daily cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, refreshing my soul, and restoring the joy of you in me and me in you.  This is a relationship that is intimate, growing stronger and sweeter day by day. To you be the glory! I’m not perfect and have not arrived; but I’m yours and I am perfectly forgiven and redeemed by your love forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen