Lead!

 August 11, 2021

The fifth chapter of the Biblical book of Judges records one of the most ancient songs we know. It celebrates the victory of the fledgling Israelite coalition against the Moabite oppressors led by king Jabin. Among other things, it is perhaps the earliest known record of a female leader in the person of Deborah, a prophetess and judge of Israel. As John Maxwell loves to say, “everything rises or falls on leadership.” Deborah had called Barak to lead the Israelite army against Jabin’s commander Sisera, but Barak balked. He would go if she went with him, but not without her. His hesitancy cost him the military glory that usually accompanied a significant victory (2:9). I wonder how often I have missed out on the blessings of God because I’ve been too timid to step out at the word of the Lord?

A leadership lesson is embedded in this song when in verse two, we read, “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the LORD!” Verse nine follows this up with, “My heart is with the rulers of Israel who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the LORD! The parallel is unmistakable and intentional. Taken together, these two verses give the secret to success: leaders who lead by offering themselves willingly to the people, and people who then offer themselves willingly to the task. Taken together, God is honored and the people blessed.

Reading the rest of the song reveals that the Israelite confederation was divided; not everyone joined Deborah. But those that did experienced the blessing of both victory and deliverance.

Interesting too, is the manner of their victory. The previous chapter merely says the LORD routed the armies of Sisera, with his nine hundred chariots of iron. This was no small accomplishment; it was the beginning of the Iron Age, and Israel had nothing comparable to these weapons of war. It would have been like infantry going up against armored tanks; apparently suicidal. These chariots of iron, formidable as they were, had one weakness: their weight. In a sudden storm and the accompanying flash flooding characteristic of the area wadis, these iron chariots became a liability, getting stuck or completely washed away in the torrent. According to 5:4-5, this is exactly what happened. God stepped in and did what Israel’s armies couldn’t do. Such is God’s deliverance—“When the enemy comes in like a flood, the battle belongs to the Lord.” (Isaiah 59:19)

There are times when all appearances would lead us to believe evil has the upper hand, and we are tempted to throw in the towel and make peace with this world as best we can, but that would be the worst thing we could do. Remember, when God is behind something, no matter how formidable the obstacles we face, we cannot lose. We only lose when we like Barak, refuse to take up the banner God places in our hands. As Mordecai said to Esther, “If you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”” —Esther 4:14