The Song of Deborah

Judges 5:1-31
(Josiah Nelson)
Judges is a book that takes place shortly after Joshua died. He was the former leader of
the Israelite people. The Israelites asked the Lord for a leader, in consequence, the Lord
provided Judges. After a few Judges, Deborah, who was a prophetess, became a “judge” over
israel. In chapter 4, Deborah, Barak, and the Israelites defeat King Jabin. In chapter 5, Deborah
starts her song of praise to the Lord.
Deborah begins with praise to God for their victory, and then goes into the might and
wonders of God in verse 4. She states that God’s power is so great that mountains melt in His
presence. Mount Sinai is mentioned and that is because it was an important place in the history
of the Israelite people. Meaning “Even this great mountain would not stand in the presence of
our God.” A great reminder in songs that I write should be personal to my trials and compared to
my “giants”. In verse 12 Deborah says, “Awake, Awake,” and continues with “Utter a song”.
What I took from this was that in my everyday life, I need to wake up to the things of God and
give him praise. I shouldn’t go to my phone, TV, or anything other than the God who gave me
another day of life. My praise, honor, respect, and life belongs to him alone.
Verses 24-26 talks about Jael and the killing of Sisera. Deborah puts Jael, who is a
woman, in a high place of mention. Emphasizing that she was doing what God wanted her to do
regardless of the price. As the chapter continues, it speaks about Sisera’s mother waiting
endlessly for her son to return, But we know he never will.
There are times in our life when we expect something, or desire something, but it’s not
God’s will for us to obtain or have these things.
Overall, Deborah’s song is a victory hymn sung after the victory against Jabin. The first
section is a praise to God for his power in their battle. It also includes items about Deborah and
Barak leading the Israelites in their conquest for the Canaan land. The next verses describe the
actual battle. Describing the Canaanites as weak and fearful, while the Israelites are fearless
warriors. The next section covers Jael and Sisera, as I mentioned earlier.
The song begins and ends with praising God and his works for us. This shows that in all
that we do, God deserves our praise from the beginning to the end. Deborah loved the Lord and
showed it through her song of praise. I enjoyed reading this chapter and digging into what it has
to offer. There was a lot more that I didn't have time to get into, but maybe sometime i’ll do a
deeper study on it! It sounds like fun. Deborah’s song shows us that a good way to put our joy
and appreciation to the Lord is in song.