Then Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
--Judges 4:14 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 27, 2013 of Psalm 78:65-72; Mark 4:21-41; Judges 3-4.
The early history of the children of Israel was cyclic as regards their faith in and obedience to God. This was especially true during what we know as the period of judges, as recorded in the Old Testament book of Judges. The house of Jacob obeys and serves the Lord and all is good, but then it falls into sin and idol worship. God is enraged and strengthens another nation against them that enslaves Israel. The people cry out to God in their misery and He takes pity. God raises up a judge, a military and civil leader during this period, who delivers Israel from its oppressor. Then the house of Jacob obeys and serves the Lord and all is good. And the cycle continues and repeats over and over.
Today's focus verse centers on the only duo listed as among the judges: Deborah and Barak. They served after Shamgar (who only had a single verse recording his deed (please see Judges 3:31)) and before Gideon. Deborah was a prophetess and the civil leader of the pair, judging the people in the mountains of Ephraim. Barak hailed from the house of Naphtali and was the military leader, chosen to lead the ten thousand armed men from the houses of Naphtali and Zebulun against Sisera, the commander of the army of Jabin, the king of the Canaanites. At this point, the children of Israel suffered under Jabin for twenty years. They cried out to God, who raised up Deborah and Barak to deliver them from this captivity. When Barak took his forces into battle, Jabin's army was defeated, Sisera was killed, and the house of Jacob was once again freed.
There are two thoughts we can take to heart from this lesson in Judges. The first is that our Lord already has the details of our life planned out and executed. We just have to get up and make it happen. Notice what Deborah said to Barak: "Get up! This is the day that the Lord has delivered Sisera to you." It's already happened! In God's time frame, the battle has already been fought and won. Barak and his men just have to go through the motions to seal the deal. This isn't to say that they could just stand by and watch. They had a bloody battle to fight, but the outcome was already assured. The same holds true for us. Jesus has already defeated Satan and his army and cast them into the lake of fire. We just have to go through the motions of each day, fighting our own personal battles, all the while following Jesus until we are with Him at last. Victory is already assured, a victory we will share with our Lord.
The second lesson we can learn is that we do not have to follow the same pattern Israel lived. We don't need to keep repeating this cycle of sin and redemption. God raised Jesus up as the ultimate Judge, to deliver us from our captivity to sin once and for all time. All we have to do is believe and follow Him. The time to break the cycle is now. The battle is won. Victory is ours. Amen.
Mightiest God, forgive us for living cycles of belief and obedience followed by periods of doubt and denial. Help us break this cycle by Your blessed promise of our great victory to come and by the blood of the Spotless Lamb shed for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Today's focus verse centers on the only duo listed as among the judges: Deborah and Barak. They served after Shamgar (who only had a single verse recording his deed (please see Judges 3:31)) and before Gideon. Deborah was a prophetess and the civil leader of the pair, judging the people in the mountains of Ephraim. Barak hailed from the house of Naphtali and was the military leader, chosen to lead the ten thousand armed men from the houses of Naphtali and Zebulun against Sisera, the commander of the army of Jabin, the king of the Canaanites. At this point, the children of Israel suffered under Jabin for twenty years. They cried out to God, who raised up Deborah and Barak to deliver them from this captivity. When Barak took his forces into battle, Jabin's army was defeated, Sisera was killed, and the house of Jacob was once again freed.
There are two thoughts we can take to heart from this lesson in Judges. The first is that our Lord already has the details of our life planned out and executed. We just have to get up and make it happen. Notice what Deborah said to Barak: "Get up! This is the day that the Lord has delivered Sisera to you." It's already happened! In God's time frame, the battle has already been fought and won. Barak and his men just have to go through the motions to seal the deal. This isn't to say that they could just stand by and watch. They had a bloody battle to fight, but the outcome was already assured. The same holds true for us. Jesus has already defeated Satan and his army and cast them into the lake of fire. We just have to go through the motions of each day, fighting our own personal battles, all the while following Jesus until we are with Him at last. Victory is already assured, a victory we will share with our Lord.
The second lesson we can learn is that we do not have to follow the same pattern Israel lived. We don't need to keep repeating this cycle of sin and redemption. God raised Jesus up as the ultimate Judge, to deliver us from our captivity to sin once and for all time. All we have to do is believe and follow Him. The time to break the cycle is now. The battle is won. Victory is ours. Amen.
Mightiest God, forgive us for living cycles of belief and obedience followed by periods of doubt and denial. Help us break this cycle by Your blessed promise of our great victory to come and by the blood of the Spotless Lamb shed for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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