Greetings from Kenya. If you haven't checked out my travel blog chronicling my time here with a team of 12 others, you can check it out here. There are plenty of photos and videos from our time in the schools and from our safari. This week I want to finish up our study of Deborah that we began two weeks ago. You can read the first installment here if you missed it. You may want to read Judges 5 also before we go on from here.
INACTIVITY
When I read Judges 5, I get the sense that Deborah's main role was encouraging and influencing the people of God to act. She urged God's people to do something about their oppression and they did it. Without Deborah's influence, they could have remained in bondage much longer than they did. Here are some of the verses that give me the notion that Deborah's purpose was to stir people to action:
- "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!" (Judges 5:2).
- "Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7).
- "My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!" (Judges 5:9).
- "'Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam" (Judges 5:12).
- "Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart" (Judges 5:16).
- "Curse Meroz," said the angel of the Lord. "Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty'" (Judges 5:23).
Deborah encouraged the people to wake up and act. They were tolerating a bad situation and had even become accustomed to it. It was time to put a stop to it and Deborah saw that it happened. Those who did not help or act were "cursed of the Lord."
WAKE UP!
Maybe it's time for you to "wake up"? What situation have you accepted as normal that you have the power to change? Where has inactivity led to complacency? Where do you need the Spirit of Deborah to call you to action? Then again, it may be time for you to wake someone else up, to stimulate the people around you to action through your action. If you have ever said, "Someone needs to do something," have you considered that the someone may be you? The writer of Hebrews had this to say: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Perhaps it's time for you to spur others on to good deeds as they observe yours.
Deborah called the people to arms and then she accompanied them to see that the victory was secured. You can do the same and, when you do, you will follow in the footsteps of a "mother" in Israel who knew that the situation was unacceptable and needed changed.Why not impact your world this week the way Deborah did hers? As you do, I know you will have a great week!
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