What!? My jaw just hit the ground. I have to confess, I did not know that.
I mean, you might has suspected why God allowed some of the Canaanites to remain in the land…disobedience, lack of faith, etc. on the part of the Israelite’s. But there was a second reason (or was this the primary reason?). And that was to teach the people warfare. Now this might not seem like a big deal to you, but remember; I am looking at this part of Israels history as a metaphor for how God works in our life today.
God wants all sin removed from our lives, but at the same time God also tests us. Could it be that one of the reasons that God allows certain areas of our life to remain under enemy control is that He is going to use them to grow us? I am God’s child. I am growing in my faith, maybe not every day…but every week or every month at least. Even still, I am not perfect, and I understand that I am on a journey to be “like Christ” even if I never become exactly like Him in this life. I haven’t ever considered that God knows what areas of my life are sinful, and He chooses which battle we will fight next.
To my way of thinking, it’s similar to taking all the small towns around the larger one before you mount an attack against it. Or, it’s like taking the town that will restrict supply to the larger town. It’s all part of a larger battle plan…a battle plan for my soul.
Onto the more important point:
The account of Deborah is a key text supporting the leadership role of women. Deborah was anointed by the Holy Spirit to be Israel’s highest official, she called the country into battle. This account alone should put to rest the idea that women take a “second place” position to men. Barak is chastized by Deborah when he refuses to lead in battle on his own. I don’t know if this is because he doesn’t trust her judgment, (and figured that if she would put herself in harms way, then it must be true) or if he had so little faith in God that he needed her there to hear from God for them. Either way, he was wrong to ask it of her, and because he did he lost part of the glory in defeating the enemy.
In Deborah’s song we learn that some of the tribes did not respond to the call to battle. Maybe they were afraid, maybe they were content…either way their reluctance to take up arms and join their brothers in battle leaves a black mark on their record, and reminds us just how far Israel has fallen. God has called them to battle and they refused. How far the people have drifted! I suppose that when we drift away from God we also refuse to answer His call. God’s plans will not be thwarted, nor will His will be denied….but we will not be part of the victory celebration if we linger in the tents when the call to arms is sounded.
And finally, I see in the song of Deborah that “the stars fought from heaven”. This probably doesn’t mean angels fought, but rather that the heavens (the skies) poured enough rain that the rivers flooded…and the ground was probably not suited for those iron chariots….which threw them into confusion. I think this section simply means that God used the elements and fought alongside Israel. I also noticed a mention to the ground shaking. I wonder if there was an earthquake at the same time. There are several times in the Bible when God uses an earthquake. The battle of Jericho may have been one of them (when the walls crumbled).
Is there a lesson in today’s reading for us? Sure. When God calls be quick to respond, so that when God wins the victory you are on the right side of the celebration. Don’t be caught sitting still when you should be fighting. And speaking of fighting….isn’t that how this devotional started? Maybe there are key battles to be fought in conquering your own unrepentant heart. Join God in that battle, and be victorious!
Faithfully,
PR