Judges 5:7-12

Judges 5:7

The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

Once Israel was taken into captivity then all the land went dormant.  Israel had become like an abandoned wasteland with no human life.  This also meant that after Israel went into captivity that their towns and villages were plundered of all the spoil.  This continued until Deborah received her word from the Lord and when she did, she did not sit there and do nothing, she arose as a mother who would rise to protect her children from danger and that is how she understood her calling.  It was not until Deborah was called was there total deliverance from the oppressors.

Judges 5:8

They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Deborah in her song did not leave out the fact that Israel had disobeyed the Lord and had gone after the false gods of the surrounding nations.  Once they had disobeyed the Lord and went after other gods, it meant war was coming to them instead of living a peaceful protected life, their lives would be interrupted by captivity and the fight to be delivered and in those times, many lives would be lost which otherwise would not if they lived in obedience to the Lord.  There was an estimated 2 million that came out of Egypt and they all died off except for Caleb and Joshua.  The amount of people at this time was estimated at a few hundred thousand yet there were not even shields or spears for at least 40,000 of them.  This means they had become slothful and did not take up the responsibility of preparing weaponry for themselves to defend and attack if needed.  Since they were surrounded by pagan nations with false gods, it was only a matter of time that they would need to defend themselves.  They may have been slothful in that area because even though they were worshipping false gods, they thought that the God of Israel would still protect them.  They forgot the first major commandment:

Exodus 20:3-6 (KJV)   Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  {4} Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: {5} Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  {6} And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Judges 5:9

My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.

Deborah now applauds the leaders of Israel who did not shrink back from their responsibility as leaders and were willing to go into battle along with the people.  Most politicians will stay in the background or out of sight to avoid any personal injury, but these leaders were willing to risk their lives to see the people of Israel set free.  They may have had positions of power and might have had wealth but were willing to risk it all just as the Founding Fathers did here in the United States.  In 2 Corinthians 12:14 the Apostle Paul was not looking for the goods of the people but was looking for those who would give their heart in the matter of seeing the gospel go forth.  2 Corinthians 12:14 (KJV)   Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.  Today God is also looking for those Christians who want to go beyond just writing a check but to be personally involved with getting the gospel to the whole world.  Deborah then blesses the Lord for the spirit of willingness He has placed into the hearts of these leaders.

Judges 5:10

Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

Here Deborah invites those who have wealth and influence which is symbolized by the “white asses.”  Asses which are totally white are very rare and costly.  It would be like in today’s world a rich man riding in a Rolls Royce.  It is said in Persia that the Mullahs would consider it a dignity befitting their social class.  Those who sit in judgment might be those who are the judges in legal courts or those who are astute in the Law of Moses who hand down verdicts or judgments for the people.  The walk by the way is now a return of the people being able to use the main roads without worrying if bands of marauding Canaanites would attack them to steal from them and kill them.

Judges 5:11

They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

The Israelites had to fear another stealth method of the pagan and that was archers who hid in the brush and waited until the people came out to draw water and then when they saw they had someone with much money or animals, they would attack them at the watering place which was a common tactic used by robbers.  Moses had this problem when he first went to Midian.  Exodus 2:16-17 (KJV)   Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.  {17} And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.  The daughters of Jethro filled the trough for their sheep but other shepherds came and chased them away hoping to water their flocks without having to do any work to draw water.  Then the verse states the people will rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord.  The word “rehearse” carries with it the meaning of “recount or commemorate.”  When the people go to the watering places, they will now remember how the Lord had freed them and once again made it safe for them to water their animals without fear of being attacked.  These righteous acts of the Lord were made toward the inhabitants of the villages whom He had freed and were once again alive with human activity.  Then the people were once again able to go to the gates where the leaders of the towns would normally sit and seek judgment from them as in old times or they were able to go the vendors who would sell their goods at the entrance of the towns without fear of raiders.

Judges 5:12

Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.