Judges 5

And as Barak and Deborah do this, they gain the victory that God promised.

And they respond by celebrating and praising and rejoicing, which we read about in Judges 5.

Let's look at the first three verses of that chapter.

On that day, Deborah and Barak, son of Abinoam, sang the song, when the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves, praise the Lord.

We are in a series of studies here in the podcast on the Book of Judges.

In the last episode, we finished Judges chapter 4, and we're entering Judges 5.

4 and 5 go together.

Chapter 4 is a narrative of the battle between Israel and Jabin, the king of the Canaanites, and his commanding officer, Sisera.

So it doesn't stop there.

So like the whole Judges 5 is the, called the Song of Deborah.

Mm-hmm.

And it's basically a poetic retelling of the victory.

But-

Let me see if I can get to, um, 'cause I think, I'm still, is 24 still the, um, song?

I mean, the whole Judges 5 is the song.

It's, it's down towards the bottom.

Sisera's iron chariots, which once struck fear into Israel's hearts, became useless as God intervened.

Judges 5, Deborah's poetic retelling of the battle, suggests that a torrential rainstorm turned the battlefield into a muddy quagmire, rendering Sisera's chariots ineffective.

The Israelite forces guided by God and emboldened by Deborah's leadership routed Sisera's army.

The mighty commander fled on foot, seeking refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.

While he slept, she drove a tent peg through his temple, fulfilling Deborah's prophecy that the victory would belong to a woman.

This act, brutal as it may seem, symbolized God's ability to use anyone, regardless of their position or status, for His purposes.

Deborah's song in Judges 5 is a triumphant celebration of God's deliverance.

It is one of the oldest pieces of poetry in the Bible, a powerful hymn that recounts the battle and gives glory to God.

And so the oldest parts of the Hebrew Bible are, are not the creation account in Genesis.

There are some poems that we find in, uh, like Judges 5.

So this is a fascinating story about, um, Deborah, the, the general who goes and defeats Sisera.

Uh, and we have stories in Exodus 15, the Song of the Sea.

Now we've had this toxin, this pathology, this virus present in our country for a couple of years called wokeness.

I want to share a Bible verse from Judges 5, verse 8.

And in a way, this is a lot like America of the 21st century, although it's really Israel in ancient times.

But in Judges 5, 8, it says of Israel, when they chose new gods, there was chaos within the gates.

Okay.

Now, gods is little g.