Judges 5 | Four Questions To Help Us Celebrate God
As I read chapter 5, I was reminded of the celebratory significance behind a prophetess. Many Old Testament prophetesses were believed to lead worship in the tabernacle and later the temple. Deborah had a role in the temple that was “a high poetic enthusiasm”[1] that declared the greatness and glory of God.
Who Deborah was outside her governing position helps us understand why Judges 5 is a song of celebration. Let’s look at some of the ways Deborah declared the glory of God.
Verse 2 – bless the Lord.
Verse 3 – make melody to the Lord
Verses 4-5 – declaration of God’s sovereignty
Verses 6-9 – God’s faithful provision
Verse 9 – bless the Lord
Verse 10-11 – God as victorious king
Verse 12-31 – thankfulness for God’s guidance
Deborah’s song reminded me to consider how I spend time declaring God’s goodness in my life and how I can worship more fully.
How often do I declare God’s sovereignty over my day? I have worked from a to-do list for decades. I set my priority list. I set many aspects of my day. It is easy for me to think that I am sovereign over my daily tasks. This is not true at all. Judges 5 has reminded me to declare God’s sovereignty more often in my life. If each of us would consider doing the same thing, our world would become a nicer place to live.
How often do I declare God’s faithful provision? While I was completing my doctoral coursework, there was not a full-time job in our family. Yet, we made it through those two years. Every time we needed a little more money, God creatively provided a short-term solution and asked us to trust him. In that season, I regularly declared God’s provision. It is easy to become confused who are true provider is. Lord Jesus, help us to remember that you are the faithful provider!
How often do I declare God as the victorious King? I don’t need to tell you that our country is a very volatile place to live. In my lifetime, I do not remember this much turmoil and disunity. To be a bit cliché, God already knows the final score. God has already declared victory. In fact, I believe the historical events we read in the news are part of God’s victorious plan. Next time we want to social media rage our country’s current events, let’s spill some Jesus victory into those who see our posts.
How often to I seek God’s guidance? I think life can happen rather easily without us even consulting God about our day. Did you know that God woke us up this morning because he had something he wanted to accomplish through us? We often miss out on God’s guidance because we don’t ask for it or look for it.
Maybe you’re going through a tough week, month or year. I have struggled through different points of the past year, but God remains very gracious to me and my family. We are far better to struggle with God at our side than to be successful without him. I want to encourage you to spend time today and write down one sentence that answers each question above.
As we press forward into God’s mission, these four questions will help us celebrate the goodness of God and stay on the right mission.
[1] Lange, John Peter, Philip Schaff, Paulus Cassel, and P. H. Steenstra. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Judges. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008.