Thursday
Read: Judges 4:1—5:9
SOAP: Judges 5:3, 9
Hear, O kings!
Pay attention, O rulers!
I will sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ!
I will sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ God of Israel!
My heart went out to Israel’s leaders,
to the people who answered the call to war.
Praise the Lᴏʀᴅ!
Devotion:
Deborah was a respected leader, judge, and prophetess in Israel who understood clearly what God had set in motion. An enemy was rising up against Israel, and Deborah knew what needed to be done to win the battle.
Without hesitation, Deborah directed Barak to take an army and meet the enemy in battle. God would make sure that Sisera, the general of the enemy’s army, and his men were in the right place, at the right time, and God would hand Barak the victory. However, Sisera’s army was powerful, and Barak would not go into battle unless Deborah, God’s appointed leader of Israel at the time, went with him.
The victory in the battle was always going to be God’s, but the honor His people earned was dependent on their faith. Barak would not earn the distinction of being the man who defeated Sisera. That honor would now belong to a woman named Jael, a woman whose husband had separated himself from God’s people. A woman who would, with strength of body and character, use the tools at hand to side with Israel and do her part to fulfill God’s plan.
After the battle was won, Deborah and Barak offered a song to God in praise for His victory. God had led them and saved them from their enemies. He alone had won the battle, and He received great praise from His people.
When we experience victory or success, to whom do we give the glory and praise? Do we see ourselves as the main character in the story, the hero who saves the day? Deborah served, judged, and led as the Lord directed. And when the victory was won, she praised God alone for the victory He had given His people. He alone received the glory.
Nothing—not our roles, our circumstances, our hesitancy, or our ability—will stand in God’s way in battle. When that day of victory arrives, we can love God greatly by praising Him for all He has done, giving Him all the glory.