Judges 5:1-31

The Song of Deborah and Barak (Part 1)

¹ Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:

² “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
    that the people offered themselves willingly,
    bless the Lord!

³ “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
    to the Lord I will sing;
    I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁴ “Lord, when you went out from Seir,
    when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled
    and the heavens dropped,
    yes, the clouds dropped water.
⁵ The mountains quaked before the Lord,
    even 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,
    and travelers kept to the byways.
⁷ The villagers ceased in Israel;
    they ceased to be until I arose;
    I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
⁸ When new gods were chosen,
    then war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
    among forty thousand in Israel?
⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
    who offered themselves willingly among the people.
    Bless the Lord.

¹⁰ “Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys,
    you who sit on rich carpets
    and you who walk by the way.
¹¹ To the sound of musicians at the watering places,
    there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord,
    the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.

“Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.

¹² “Awake, awake, Deborah!
    Awake, awake, break out in a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
    O son of Abinoam.
¹³ Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
    the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty.
¹⁴ From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley,
    following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
    and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant’s staff;
¹⁵ the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
    and Issachar faithful to Barak;
    into the valley, they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben,
    there were great searchings of heart.
16 Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds,
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben,
    there were great searchings of heart.
¹⁷ Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
    and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
    staying by his landings.
¹⁸ Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
    Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.

Chapter 5 in the Book of Judges is the Song of Deborah. Songs in Old Testament history are used in giving praise, adoration, and worship to the Lord God Almighty for delivering Israel from bondage. In this way, they are a celebration of victories throughout their redemptive history. For example, the Song of Moses and Miriam was sung and celebrated by the Israelites on the beach after crossing the Red Sea in Exodus 15. The Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 gives honor to God and instruction to the people just before the commissioning of Joshua and the death of Moses. The Song of Deborah in Judges 5 is a song of victory after defeating the Canaanites who lived in Israel and severely oppress God’s people. Many of the Psalms of David celebrate God’s victories that He gave to King David when David trusted God will all his soul and might. The song in Luke 1 is the virgin Mary’s worship of God for being God’s chosen instrument in bringing the promised Messiah to all people. Songs are important, not only to the Jews but also to us who also celebrate our freedom in Christ as seen in the New Testament. For example, many commentators and scholars say the Colossians 1:15-20 passage is an old, ancient hymn, that the Apostle Paul used to teach the churches about the preeminence of Christ. In the same way, our sacrifices of praise in our psalms, songs, and spiritual hymns are important means to worship God because they teach us Biblical truths and doctrine. The old gospel hymns of the church are revered because they focus our hearts on Christ and His atoning working on the cross. They give us instruction, hope, encouragement, and joy as we meditate on their words throughout the day in our work, school, and play. Therefore, let us sing a new song to the Lord, for all the great things He has done!

Today’s passage is part 1 of Deborah’s lengthy song that proclaims God’s victory on the Canaanites who are still living in the land. In today’s reading, Judges 5:1-18, we will see why it is important to sing songs of worship. From our text, we sing to the Lord because He is worthy to be praised (verses 5:1-5). We sing to the Lord because we are hopeless sinners who are unworthy because of our rebellion (verses 5:6-9), We sing because we are called to worship (verses 5:10-14). And finally, we sing because we are exhorted to come to serve him together as children of God (verses 5:15-18).

First, we sing to the Lord because He is worthy of our praises (verses 5:1-5). Verse 5:1 introduces the Song of Deborah and gives credit to both Deborah and Barak for singing this song of praise as a duet. It is important to note that the song is sung immediately on that day of victory. When God grants us victory, we are called to worship, praise, and celebrate with thanksgiving and gratitude to the One who is deserving and who gives us victory. This means that we, as children of God, are to have grateful hearts. Colossians 3:15-17 says,

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

As Deborah and Barak sang praises on the day God gave them victory, we also, need to develop a spiritual discipline of reflecting, meditating, and journaling our thoughts in praise and celebration of our God. This is especially important immediately after a victory, if at all possible. Deborah tells the Israelites they are to rejoice because the Lord is their God. in verse 5:4, God himself took vengeance on Edom for not letting them pass through their land after the Exodus. Deborah also gives us more information on how God rerouted the Canaanites who were stronger and had 600 chariots of iron at the Kishon River. Verse 5:4-5 says the heavens dropped water down. Imagine, what good is a chariot of iron when it is stuck in the mud? This is why verse 4:15 tells us that Sisera got out of his chariot (for it was useless to him) and ran to the first tent he saw, the tent of Jael and Heber the Kenite. The Lord won the victory by sending a huge deluge of rain that stopped all chariots and made them useless. The Lord sent rain and mountains as far away as Mount Sinai shook and trembled. In the same way, the Lord brings victory to our lives are we pray, trust, obey, and walk by faith in Him. Therefore, we also sing a new song of victory to the Lord.

We also sing to the Lord because we are hopeless sinners who are unworthy because of our rebellion (verses 5:6-9). In contrast with the greatness of God in 5:1-5, Deborah reminds Israel of their sinfulness and their need for repentance and a savior. Victory is in God alone. Yet, verses 5:6-9 shows us the depths of Israel’s guilt and depravity. For example, there would not be Canaanites in the land of the Israelites if they were obedient to God’s commands, to begin with. Instead of being obedient to the one true God, the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Deborah recalls the specific sin that separated them from God’s favor and brought 20 years of oppression upon them. And that is the Israelites’ long-standing practice of idolatry. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments through Moses and they were not to have any other god before Him. They were to serve and revere Him only by honoring His name and obeying His sabbaths. Oh, the depths of sin that caused them to reject God and worship the false gods made of wood, stone, and metal. We also must take off everything that binds and hinders us from focusing on Jesus Christ, our Lord God, and Savior. Because we know the nature of sinful hearts and the depraved character of our souls, we too must come and worship the Lord with a new song: a song of worship and praise.

So after citing the greatness of God and the depravity of Israel, Deborah calls Israel to come and worship Him, the one true God. In verses 5:10-14, she calls the nobles on white donkeys, those who sit on luxurious carpets, as well as those who walk by the wayside. Let everyone who has breath, praise the Lord, as it says in Psalms 150:6. Our call and our purpose is to worship. That is why God created us. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Therefore, let us all sing a new song of praise to our Lord God Almighty.

Since everyone with breath should praise the Lord, the problem came because not everyone in Israel came to help fight the Canaanites. Our last point is to sing a new song because we are exhorted to come to serve him together as children of God (verses 5:15-18). When Joseph became next to Pharoah and ruled over Egypt, he provided for his people and they all went down to Egypt together because the famine was great. Then, 400 years later, by the hand of God through Moses, the Israelites were delivered from bondage and came out of slavery together in the exodus. Together, they wandered in the desert. Together came to the banks of the Jordan River. Together they crossed the Jordan to take possession of the land under the leadership of Joshua. The Israelites were not separated by clans and tribes, they served and obeyed God together. However, and sad to say, after the death of Joshua, the Israelites were henceforth divided. No longer did they think of themselves as a nation, but now they were separated as twelve distinct tribes. For example, before crossing the Jordan River, Moses gave the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manassa their inheritance on the other side of Jordan. However, the condition was that they were not to discourage their brothers, but go with them into the ‘promised land’ and fight alongside them. This they did and then they returned to their homes on the other side of the river. Deborah commends those tribes who fought together as one body, bound for one cause. Additionally, she shamed the others and mentioned those who did not. The 2.5 tribes on the other side of the Jordan (the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manassa) did not go to fight the Canaanites. Probably because they felt that was the other tribes’ problem and not theirs. Additionally, the tribes of Asher and Dan did not help their brothers in the battle. Asher is located in the northern part of the sea coast. They must have been preoccupied with the profits of their maritime businesses. Dan did not help their brothers. The tribe of Dan was located adjacent to and north of Judah on the sea coast close to the five cities of the Philistines. It is important to note the tribes of Judah and the other half tribe of Manassa also border the sea coast. They joined their brothers in the fight. We need to take this to heart. We as children of God are born again in Christ. He has given us His church, which He calls His body. Christ loved His church and He died to make His church a pure and chaste bride. We, who are loved of God, must also love what Christ loved, which is His church. We are commanded to not forsake the assembling together of believers (Hebrews 10:25). We are not to be like those who did not help their brothers fight the enemy. We have a new song to sing, and we are to sing this song of praise together as one body, the church of the living God.

Therefore, in the application, we must worship our Lord Jesus Christ in songs of praise. We must develop a spiritual discipline to journal as we reflect on all the mighty things God has done in our lives. We sing to God because He is worthy. We are to sing because we know our need for a savior, as we know that Jesus came to save us from our sins. And finally, we are to worship together in the body of Christ, the church. Let us all sing a new song of praise!

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My God, Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for Your church, the body of Christ You built so we all can worship and sing Your praises together. Forgive me, Lord, when I have been unfaith to Your church. Give within me a love and a desire to serve and honor You and Your people in Your church. Bless us all. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!

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I will Sing of my Redeemer, by Philip P. Bliss in 1876