Untitled Sermon

Judges 5:2 LSB

“When the leaders led in Israel, When the people volunteered, Bless Yahweh!

bless the LORD

The introduction to the hymn is set off by calls to worship at the beginning and end—Bless the Lord! (vv. 2, 9). 

Judges 5:2 LSB

“When the leaders led in Israel, When the people volunteered, Bless Yahweh!

when leaders led

The phrase literally means “the long-haired ones who let their hair hang loose.” The precise meaning of the phrase is obscure, but it may mean that loosed locks or flowing hair were signs of great strength or leadership.

Judges 5:2 LSB

“When the leaders led in Israel, When the people volunteered, Bless Yahweh!

offered themselves willingly

People willingly offer themselves tells of the glad cooperation of the Israelites. The Hebrew term is related to the noun for “freewill offerings” (Lev. 7:16; 22:23). The spirit of willing involvement here is reminiscent of Ex. 36, where the people volunteered to give so much for the building of the tabernacle that Moses told them to stop giving, or Ezra 1, where a similar outpouring is found. Note also the NT churches of Macedonia who freely and willingly gave liberally out of their poverty (2 Cor. 8:1–4).

Judges 5:4 LSB

“O Yahweh, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water.

out from Seir

These verses refer to the Lord’s marching from Seir and Edom, which likely refers to God’s transferring His “abode” from the wilderness (Mt. Sinai, v. 5) into Canaan, by way of the land of Edom. This corresponds to the movement of His people from Sinai (Kadesh) northward into Canaan (Num. 10:12; 20:22).

Judges 5:5 LSB

“The mountains flowed at the presence of Yahweh, This Sinai, at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Sinai

Yahweh is identified as the One of Sinai (cf. Ps. 68:8) and associated with events prior to the crossing of the Jordan under Joshua. 

Judges 5:7 LSB

“The peasantry ceased; they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

mother in Israel

The phrase a mother in Israel occurs twice in the OT, here and 2 Sam. 20:19. The title is given to Deborah as one of honor, respect, and prominence.

Judges 5:7 LSB

“The peasantry ceased; they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

ceased

Outside the fortified (walled) cities, Israelite life in the villages and on the roadways came to a standstill because of the oppression by the Canaanites, which came right up to the city gates.

Judges 5:8 LSB

“God chose new leaders; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

new gods

This distress was rooted in Israel’s idolatry—they chose new gods.

Judges 5:10 LSB

“You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road—muse aloud!

white donkeys

This verse calls all classes of society to bear witness to the mighty acts of God, from the ruling classes, those riding on white donkeys, to the lowest classes, those who walk along the road.

She called on rich (who ride on white donkeys) and poor (who walk along the road) alike to hear the song of victory.

Judges 5:13 LSB

“Then survivors came down to the mighty ones; The people of Yahweh came down to me as warriors.

remnant of the noble

Ten of the twelve tribes are mentioned here, five and a half favorably, because they responded to Deborah and Barak’s summons. Four and a half tribes are criticized because they did not join their countrymen: Reuben (vv. 15, 16), Gad and eastern Manasseh (Gilead), Dan, and Asher (v. 17). Judah and Simeon are not mentioned in the song or in ch. 4.

Judges 5:14 LSB

“From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of a scribe.

Machir

Machir is identified here with western Manasseh, in whose territory the battle took place. Elsewhere Machir is identified with eastern Manasseh (Josh. 13:30, 31). Machir was a noted warrior (Josh. 17:1).

Judges 5:17 LSB

“Gilead dwelt across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And dwelt by its landings.

Dan

The reference to Dan remaining on ships probably reflects the location of their original inheritance, which was along the south-central coastal plain where they would have had access to the sea (Josh. 19:40–46). Later they migrated northward, having been forced out of their territory (1:34; 18:1; Josh. 19:47). 

Judges 5:19 LSB

“The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no gain of silver.

kings of Cannan

The kings of Canaan were from the confederacy of Canaanite city-states under Jabin of Hazor whose army was commanded by Sisera.

Judges 5:20 LSB

“The stars fought from heaven; From their courses they fought against Sisera.

stars fought

The stars themselves were fighting against Sisera (v. 20), a vivid metaphor of God’s intervention. 

Judges 5:21 LSB

“The river of Kishon swept them away, The ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.

torrent Kishon

God’s intervention took the form of an unseasonable rain (the Canaanites would never have risked taking their chariots into marshy territory in the rainy season) which turned the dry riverbed of the Kishon into a raging torrent (cf. 1 Kings 18:40).

Judges 5:22 LSB

“Then the horses’ hoofs beat From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

galloping, galloping

The frantic pounding of the horses’ hooves, their galloping, galloping, suggests the chaos caused by the waters of the River Kishon (vv. 21, 22; 4:7).

Judges 5:23 LSB

‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of Yahweh, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants, Because they did not come to the help of Yahweh, To the help of Yahweh against the warriors.’

Meroz

A curse was pronounced on Meroz (perhaps located on the route of Sisera’s flight) for failure to aid in the battle

Judges 5:28 LSB

“Out of the window she looked and lamented, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?’

Out of the window

Three times in the OT we read of women who looked through the window: Sisera’s mother, Saul’s daughter Michal (2 Sam. 6:16), and Jezebel (2 Kin. 9:30). All three opposed God’s will and suffered accordingly.