The Holy One calls to me this morning. The last days of summer are winding down, fall is about to make its glorious appearance in the annual foliage change as the trees prepare to sleep through the winter.
Frustrations have been like gravel under my feet: sharp rocks, slippery rocks, small rocks, big rocks, all there to remind me to pay attention to my footing along the pathway of this life.
Today the Holy One brings encouragement to me as a woman, and the great potential we each have to impact our world. The "world" we find ourselves in is reeling from division and political upheaval and with the corporate suffering that follows.
His voice is gentle but firm: "Rise up Deborah". His directive takes my thoughts to the Biblical account of a powerful woman by that name.
God's Word is alive for every generation to see themselves written, in symbolic terms, throughout the pages of this history of man's days upon the earth and in our relationship with our Creator.
The story of Deborah is written in Judges 4-5. There is much to be gleaned from the life of this woman, so I set out to see what the Lord might want me to learn today. Judges 5:7-9 seem to jump out at me today. This is part of what scripture calls, 'The Song of Deborah".
"In the days of Jael the roads were abandoned,
Travelers took to winding paths.
Village life in Israel ceased,
ceased until I, Deborah arose
Arose a mother in Israel.
When they chose other gods
war came to the city gates
And not a shield or a spear was seen among
forty thousand in Israel.
My heart is with Israel's Princes
with the willing volunteers
among the people
Praise the Lord".
This portion of scripture reveals a time in Israel's history where oppressive forces had gained power. Cruel treatment by pagan authorities had a grip on the Children of Israel. A sense of despair and hopelessness covered the land. Fear and terror filled the bitter cup they were forced to drink from.
They were a nation within a nation not unlike the Church today. They had their own system of justice and rules that governed their private society. They had their own life within the land of the Canaanites but were not living in the freedom the Lord God had for them.
Many reasons may have accounted for their circumstances but the one that jumps out in Deborah's Song in Judges 5:13-17 is the hesitation the different tribes had to join in the battle and take up the victory promised by God for His people. Whether from lack of unity or basic cowardice, Deborah was called to rise up.
Many battles were fought and won by the mighty warrior men of Israel, but here is a battle whose win is credited to a woman. I like that.
As I meditate on this portion of Scripture, I can see the problems outlined in her song. Fear was so great that people stopped their travel plans. When God's people stop going from here to there, the gospel ceases to be shared. When fear causes us to feel the threats and lock our doors, community ceases as well.
Judges 5:8, "When they chose other gods, war came to the city streets".
In our world of temporal offerings and the confusion that goes with all the materialistic benefits in the land,we somehow misunderstand what choosing other gods might look like today. We don't have to burn incense to Baal to be guilty of choosing other gods.
Choosing another god is about placing our trust, enjoying the benefits and living out an agenda that s not in the will of our God for His people. It is not always so clear in our world today that we are trusting in the government as a god, enjoying the food stamps, and living by the imposed rules that further our participation in an agenda other than the one our God has called us to live out. Such things can be seen by Holiness as our choosing "other gods".
Deborah's song goes on to say, "Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel". The people were dis-armed or had so made peace with the surrounding nations that they had no weapons to use to fight against the cruel oppressor.
Deborah was a "Prophetess" of the Lord and to the people she was a "judge". Her relationship to the God of Israel gave her a voice and place of honor among the people. I can't help but wonder: was she interceding and just waiting for the Lord to give the command for them to fight for their freedom?
We don't know how the prophecy came to her, but we do know there came that day when she heard that directive and she summoned the fighting men from the different tribes of Israel to unify in the Lord's battle. The men were lacking the courage to rise up and face the enemy for whatever the reason, but as Deborah exhorted them through the prophetic word of victory, their army reluctantly came together and took claim to the victory promised.
The hesitation by the men opened the way for victory to come by way of a woman. God is no respecter of persons and gives strength and courage to women as well as to men. Deborah was not the woman who won the battle that day. The victory went to another brave woman of lesser reputation. Jael, was the humble tent dwelling wife of Heber. Minding her family life, she was given and seized the opportunity to rid Israel of their cruel task master Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite King's mighty army.
Jael, a tent dwelling woman, drove a tent peg through the temple of the enemy and ended his reign of terror over the Children of Israel. Deborah's song gives credit where credit is due. True victory came from the Hand of the Lord. Poetically spoken, God's intervention is sung; "From the Heavens, the Stars fought from their courses. They fought against Sisera". That is a powerful picture of God's Heavenly hosts, "stars" as they are called, fighting "from their courses".
Women have such an important role to play in the way of counsel and encouragement when men are at risk of losing their commitment to leadership or even their heart for the battles in life. We, as wives and moms can often times see the liability of going with the flow better than men can. Interesting side note that back in the day, Eve was created as a "help-meet" for Adam and that description suggests a "military ally". Structure of authority and not weakness calls for her submission and there is a time and place for her strength to be engaged.
Deborah was a mother. Deborah was a God honoring woman in Israel. Deborah noticed that village life has ceased, that war had come to her gates and that they had been disarmed, with no way to protect themselves from the cruelty of the encroaching world around them. But the hardest thing on her heart was the reluctance of the men to go into battle. Deborah was crying out for deliverance and God heard her cry.
The end of her story gives me great hope for the end of ours. Oppressive forces were nothing compared to the legions of warring angels that make up God's Heavenly Hosts.
There arose a mother in Israel. How about here in our land? Maybe the Lord is just waiting for more of us Deborah's to rise up.
"Wake up, Wake up Deborah, Wake up, Wake up and break out in song". Let's encourage our fighting men to take up their places on the battle field..... but keep our tent pegs handy just in case.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Frustrations have been like gravel under my feet: sharp rocks, slippery rocks, small rocks, big rocks, all there to remind me to pay attention to my footing along the pathway of this life.
Today the Holy One brings encouragement to me as a woman, and the great potential we each have to impact our world. The "world" we find ourselves in is reeling from division and political upheaval and with the corporate suffering that follows.
His voice is gentle but firm: "Rise up Deborah". His directive takes my thoughts to the Biblical account of a powerful woman by that name.
God's Word is alive for every generation to see themselves written, in symbolic terms, throughout the pages of this history of man's days upon the earth and in our relationship with our Creator.
The story of Deborah is written in Judges 4-5. There is much to be gleaned from the life of this woman, so I set out to see what the Lord might want me to learn today. Judges 5:7-9 seem to jump out at me today. This is part of what scripture calls, 'The Song of Deborah".
"In the days of Jael the roads were abandoned,
Travelers took to winding paths.
Village life in Israel ceased,
ceased until I, Deborah arose
Arose a mother in Israel.
When they chose other gods
war came to the city gates
And not a shield or a spear was seen among
forty thousand in Israel.
My heart is with Israel's Princes
with the willing volunteers
among the people
Praise the Lord".
This portion of scripture reveals a time in Israel's history where oppressive forces had gained power. Cruel treatment by pagan authorities had a grip on the Children of Israel. A sense of despair and hopelessness covered the land. Fear and terror filled the bitter cup they were forced to drink from.
They were a nation within a nation not unlike the Church today. They had their own system of justice and rules that governed their private society. They had their own life within the land of the Canaanites but were not living in the freedom the Lord God had for them.
Many reasons may have accounted for their circumstances but the one that jumps out in Deborah's Song in Judges 5:13-17 is the hesitation the different tribes had to join in the battle and take up the victory promised by God for His people. Whether from lack of unity or basic cowardice, Deborah was called to rise up.
Many battles were fought and won by the mighty warrior men of Israel, but here is a battle whose win is credited to a woman. I like that.
As I meditate on this portion of Scripture, I can see the problems outlined in her song. Fear was so great that people stopped their travel plans. When God's people stop going from here to there, the gospel ceases to be shared. When fear causes us to feel the threats and lock our doors, community ceases as well.
Judges 5:8, "When they chose other gods, war came to the city streets".
In our world of temporal offerings and the confusion that goes with all the materialistic benefits in the land,we somehow misunderstand what choosing other gods might look like today. We don't have to burn incense to Baal to be guilty of choosing other gods.
Choosing another god is about placing our trust, enjoying the benefits and living out an agenda that s not in the will of our God for His people. It is not always so clear in our world today that we are trusting in the government as a god, enjoying the food stamps, and living by the imposed rules that further our participation in an agenda other than the one our God has called us to live out. Such things can be seen by Holiness as our choosing "other gods".
Deborah's song goes on to say, "Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel". The people were dis-armed or had so made peace with the surrounding nations that they had no weapons to use to fight against the cruel oppressor.
Deborah was a "Prophetess" of the Lord and to the people she was a "judge". Her relationship to the God of Israel gave her a voice and place of honor among the people. I can't help but wonder: was she interceding and just waiting for the Lord to give the command for them to fight for their freedom?
We don't know how the prophecy came to her, but we do know there came that day when she heard that directive and she summoned the fighting men from the different tribes of Israel to unify in the Lord's battle. The men were lacking the courage to rise up and face the enemy for whatever the reason, but as Deborah exhorted them through the prophetic word of victory, their army reluctantly came together and took claim to the victory promised.
The hesitation by the men opened the way for victory to come by way of a woman. God is no respecter of persons and gives strength and courage to women as well as to men. Deborah was not the woman who won the battle that day. The victory went to another brave woman of lesser reputation. Jael, was the humble tent dwelling wife of Heber. Minding her family life, she was given and seized the opportunity to rid Israel of their cruel task master Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite King's mighty army.
Jael, a tent dwelling woman, drove a tent peg through the temple of the enemy and ended his reign of terror over the Children of Israel. Deborah's song gives credit where credit is due. True victory came from the Hand of the Lord. Poetically spoken, God's intervention is sung; "From the Heavens, the Stars fought from their courses. They fought against Sisera". That is a powerful picture of God's Heavenly hosts, "stars" as they are called, fighting "from their courses".
Women have such an important role to play in the way of counsel and encouragement when men are at risk of losing their commitment to leadership or even their heart for the battles in life. We, as wives and moms can often times see the liability of going with the flow better than men can. Interesting side note that back in the day, Eve was created as a "help-meet" for Adam and that description suggests a "military ally". Structure of authority and not weakness calls for her submission and there is a time and place for her strength to be engaged.
Deborah was a mother. Deborah was a God honoring woman in Israel. Deborah noticed that village life has ceased, that war had come to her gates and that they had been disarmed, with no way to protect themselves from the cruelty of the encroaching world around them. But the hardest thing on her heart was the reluctance of the men to go into battle. Deborah was crying out for deliverance and God heard her cry.
The end of her story gives me great hope for the end of ours. Oppressive forces were nothing compared to the legions of warring angels that make up God's Heavenly Hosts.
There arose a mother in Israel. How about here in our land? Maybe the Lord is just waiting for more of us Deborah's to rise up.
"Wake up, Wake up Deborah, Wake up, Wake up and break out in song". Let's encourage our fighting men to take up their places on the battle field..... but keep our tent pegs handy just in case.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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