Judges 5 Bible Study (The Song of Deborah and Barak) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Well, that you would give us what you have displayed before for us in the book of Acts. That we would see an unusual assistance from the Holy Spirit. Father, we ask that he would not only be reserved for a specific period of history. Lord, your church is in desperate need of him today.

Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit would have total control of the ministry of the word, that it would be delivered totally by his power, and it would be received with hearts that have been softened by that same power. Lord, we ask that every person would disappear, but that the God man would be known. That he would be seen and adored and cherished. We pray that not one word would rob him of glory, but that he would only be exalted from glory to glory through our speech, through our understanding, through our obedience. Lord, we are praying desperately in a day in which, even this month, much witchcraft is being practiced.

Much of the occult are spending all night praying and casting curses and spells. May we not be found, Lord, as a church powerless. May we not be found, Lord, careless. But Lord, we ask that as much as darkness is being manifested, as much as death is going to be celebrated this month, and that the devil is going to be displayed as some harmless friend, Lord, that you would empower your church, and that light would shine greatly from this sanctuary and from our lives more importantly. Lord, we ask that as we dive into this very chapter that we would receive the divine truth of praise.

And that Lord, it would transform the way we worship. It would transform the way we sing to you and sing about you. We pray, Lord, the truths in this song would change us, and that we would have a greater understanding of what you want and who you are. Oh Lord, we pray that you would be blessed by our obedience tonight. We pray, oh Lord, that you would shatter stony hearts.

That Lord, you would bring to life souls who have perhaps gone to sleep over the past few days, weeks, and months. Oh, God, awaken us to your truth. Awaken us to the reality of the person of Jesus Christ, and may we love him as he deserves to be loved. We ask these things in the glorious name of the risen Christ. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. Meet me in the book of Judges chapter five. Judges chapter five. We were planning to do Judges chapter five in partnership with Judges chapter four, but again, there was just way too much in this chapter to to just skim over, and so there's an entire study just on this chapter. What makes this chapter so special is that we're continuing with Deborah and Barack, but in a different way.

We are now going to see them as a dynamic duo, not in battle, but in a different kind of battle, in a battle of worship, in praise, in adoration, in singing. This entire chapter is a song. And it's a amazing song, and it makes for a wonderful study because the placement of this song is strategic. The content of this song is magnificent, and that's what we're gonna explore. Judges chapter five verse one.

Then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam on that day. Then implying what? That something happened beforehand, something triggered the song, something caused them to break out in worship. And what we know from our study last week is that the very thing that triggered their worship was victory. The very thing that triggered them to sing unto God was deliverance from God.

What they knew just one verse before this was what? Jabin king of Canaan was dethroned as an oppressor. And that what? They regained what God had promised them. They were now in the will of God, and they experienced God's power to bring them back into the will of God.

And it caused them to sing. Their deliverance caused them to worship. Their salvation caused them to praise. This is not an isolated experience. If you've been with us through the Old Testament, there is one specific act of salvation that God provided that caused the very same reaction from God's people.

Would you say it if you know it? When did it happen? Exodus. Anybody know the chapter? 15.

15. Thank you. Following what? What happened? Why was the song of Moses sung?

Parting of the Red Sea. Thank you. The parting of the Red Sea. Deliverance from Egypt. A picture of baptism through the Red Sea.

And what happens? The entire people sing unto God led by Moses known as the song of Moses. And so what's the pattern in the Bible? Here's the pattern, that those who sing unto God are often those who've experienced salvation in God. And so we touched on this verse a couple weeks ago in Proverbs twenty nine six.

Don't forget it. It's a wonderful commentary about the righteous. And it says what? It tells us an evil man is ensnared by his transgression. But a righteous man does what?

He sings and rejoices. Here's the contrast. An evil man is choked, chained, trapped in his sin, and the contrast is he can't sing. There's no joy in his heart necessarily. There there's no true soulish praise because his soul is ensnared.

But then the righteous man, because he's been delivered from the transgression, from sin, from the power of the flesh, can sing and rejoice. Can sing and rejoice, like a songbird that's been let out of a cage. He knows how to sing unto God because he knows salvation in God. It's freedom. It's it's true freedom that causes a person to realize who God is and what he deserves.

And what's the content of the singing and the rejoicing? It's the Lord. Everything of chapter five emphasizes on if any confusion came from chapter four, that Deborah was a superhero or Barack was someone special, This song clarifies it was totally God. Everything from the commissioning to the empowering to the delivering, all of it was God. In fact, you even see how God brought about the victory.

He actually allows a flood to come and to sweep away the enemy. Chapter five is in fact a commentary on chapter four. What you see is detailed understanding of what really took place on the surface level of chapter four, and it's a beautiful description. But But before we get into the content, think about this. The fact that chapter five, this song is placed after the victory tells us something important.

It teaches us something very practical. That God must receive what is due unto him especially when he manifests his goodness in our lives. It must be a discipline and it must be our response to give God acknowledgment and adoration especially when he moves in our lives and intervenes in salvation. The danger of experiencing God's goodness is that you can get so caught up in the goodness that you forget the one from whom all blessings flow. Right?

But God gets glory as he intervenes, but he gets more glory when you recognize him for it. And that's exactly what they're doing here. They're recognizing him for it. And listen, let's be honest. You might be experiencing this tonight.

Whether you truly experience salvation in Jesus Christ or if you've experienced different acts of salvation throughout your life, sometimes singing is not our preferred response or response at all. Even the most spiritual can get sluggish. Even the most spiritual can be what? Slothful and lazy in this thing called praise. And that's true in this.

We talked about how spiritual Deborah was. Look at verse 12 of this song as we kick off in this chapter. Look what she says midway through the song. Awake, awake, Deborah. Awake, awake, break out in a song.

Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, oh son of Abenon. What does she tell herself? Because she's the main voice in this song. She tells herself to be awake. She she's calling her soul to awaken.

She's calling her own heart to be revived so that what? She can actually break out in song. I don't know why that's in the middle of the song, but it could be the very reason why sometimes in the middle of the service, we have to ask ourselves, why am I not singing the way I should be singing? She realized that at one moment, at one point, I am not praising God the way he deserves to be praised. And so she she consoles her own soul.

She she attempts to stir up her own soul. And that's important because oftentimes, true praise is prepared by perceived truth. True praise is prepared when there is an alertness to truth. Do you know what hinders people from truly praising God in the act of singing? When they are fogging their understanding of who God is, what he's done and what he's able to do.

Let's be Let's just be real here. And so when the call is to awaken, what are we calling ourselves to awaken to? The love and the depth of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. What he is able to do in your life in this very moment as you even sing unto him. What he is going to do in your life and mine, those very things we need to be awakened to.

Why? Because throughout your week, what are you being thrown with? You're being thrown with temptation, the love of the flesh, the things of this world, and your perception on the goodness of God is being marred and challenged continually. And so there must be a call from time to time, if not every time, to be awakened. Because when there is a lack of praise, you can be sure it's due to a slumber of the soul.

A slumber of the soul. Well, I'm just really tired. It goes beyond that. You wanna know tired? Be beaten and whipped while the police watch you being beaten and whipped, then be dragged into a prison at midnight, and be chained to a wall with your ankles and your feet, and then what?

Praise? Paul and Silas? I don't know. I'll be honest. If if I'm in that situation, I'm gonna try to sleep or strategize all night, how I'm gonna get out of here, or maybe even in my temptation, contemplate why in the sovereignty of God he allowed me to be in this prison.

But no, these men, they praised. They sung unto God. So we're gonna find out that praise is actually spiritual warfare. And so we have to understand that sometimes the very best thing we can do for ourselves before we even attempt to praise God, is to sit down and think about the details of what it means to be in God. And to know who God is and what God has done.

And that's exactly what this chapter is all about. It takes the events of chapter four and threshes them out. It pulls the meat out of the events. The character of God, his acts of deliverance, that's exactly what's taking place in chapter five. For example, let's go to chapter four.

Look at verse three. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron, and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. That's all we know. He oppressed the people cruelly for twenty years. And chapter five tells us how cruel it was, how vicious it was, how bleak and how dark it was to be under the oppression of the Canaanites.

And let's examine that. Look at verse six of chapter five. In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned. These are the days of Jael. The highways were abandoned.

Listen, the main roads were so dangerous, occupied and terrorized by thieves and robbers and Canaanites and rapists maybe, that people would not even dare to travel on those main roads. They would take the long way. They would take the byways. They would go through the forest. They would not even dare take the main paths into where they need to be.

Their daily life was afflicted in their daily routines. And then what happens here? Travelers kept by to the byways. Verse seven, the villagers ceased in Israel. The villagers ceased in Israel.

What does that mean? It means this, that those who lived outside of the fortified walls, those who are more out in the country, their homes were being broken into, things were being stolen. What else happened? Perhaps people were even being kidnapped, maybe even Canaanites coming in and raping and pillaging their women. And they were so dangerous to even live where you grew up your whole life that people would, in their attempt to find safety, go into the fortified walls and cram themselves in there.

So you go and you look on the horizon of the villages and they were empty. Everybody moved out, just like everybody's moving out of the city and going into the suburbs. It was getting chaotic. And not just that, we're told what? You look at verse eight in the second part.

Was shield or spear to be seen among 40,000 in Israel? You know what they're saying? There wasn't even a weapon in sight. So you had these oppressors, and yet every man and woman disarmed by the same enemy, having no ability to defend themselves, even amongst 40,000, there wasn't one knife in somebody's drawer. That was the condition of their oppression.

Fear, total fear, forget second amendment. Okay? Nothing to defend yourself. Bare boned, naked, disarmed. And on top of that, you wonder, what else can come from a society like this?

Well, there was war in the gates, then war was in the gates. And you wonder, what was the reason for all of this in the first place? You wanna know what it is? The beginning of verse eight. The result was from this, when new gods were chosen.

When new gods were chosen, war was in the gates. That was the cause. The cause for the oppression, the cause for the darkness, the cause for the loss of hope and joy and peace and normal living, that was their inheritance for idolatry. And it's amazing. Right?

Because their rejection of the true and living God, perhaps in their mind thinking that they're gonna be more free and independent because I'm not bound by commands and legalistic holiness. Right? They're attempting perhaps thinking we're gonna have more liberty. No. The only thing you do when you walk away from God is become slave to another master.

Choose who you want. You want a pharaoh in your life that will tell you to make brick without straw? Or will you have a God who has his commands with your good in mind and then the very power to fulfill them? You choose your master. Because what do they have here?

They have the Canaanites telling them where to move, telling them what they can have, what they can have. Isn't that funny? The very thing that they thought they were gonna be free from. No. They are just slaves to a different owner.

When you choose new gods in your life and that can be your very own name, take all what we just said about the description of the society and interpret it for your soul, it'll be the very same feeling. That's exactly what's happening here. But that's not the main point. The main point is, as they are reflecting on these things, they are being stirred to worship. Where they came from, what exactly God delivered them from.

They are reflecting for the sake of magnifying their gratitude onto God. I can say this confidently that part of the reason why Christians can't praise is because they forgot what they've been saved of, if they've been saved at all. Where did you come from? What did God do in your life? Well, I grew up in a Christian home.

Well, that's fine. Know this, even if you grew up in a Christian home, you can go straight to hell. So if you have anything not to praise God for because you grew up squeaky clean, realize that you are held bound for an eternal separation from God, that will get you singing. And so they realized, in part reflecting on the details of what they've been saved from, But there is so much more here worthy of singing for. There are so many things that cause them to break out in song as Deborah said in verse 12.

Let's look about what's worthy of singing God to or about. Verse two, that the leaders took lead in Israel. That the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord. Do you guys see that? When should God receive praise?

Well always, absolutely. But when should God be praised in light of this verse? When two things happen amongst God's people. When the leaders lead well and when the people under their leadership give themselves willingly and not under compulsion. When you have a community of people where leaders are faithful and fearing God, and the people are the same and willing to honor, receive whatever God wants to give through that leadership, God is worthy to be blessed.

Because unfortunately in judges in this day, there was a different pattern generationally of how leadership operate and how the people operate it. And I want to say today in the West, that is certainly true. It shouldn't be a rare thing, but it is a rare thing. Let me tell you what's rare. Or let me tell you what's common before I tell you what's rare.

Number one, you can have godly, true, sincere leadership that wanna glorify God, but have a people under them that could care less, that don't wanna partner, that give them trouble, that don't wanna submit, that don't wanna obey, that don't wanna partner with the vision according to the scriptures. They don't. That's that's common to a certain degree. I've seen it. I've talked to enough youth pastors that express their frustrations in it.

And then the opposite is true, where you have a lack of godly men who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who actually want to advance the kingdom of God, who see the pulpit behind a paycheck, and then in the midst of the congregation of that very same leader, hungry, starving sheep, that really want to know what it is that God wants them to do, that really wanna hear pure word of God that will shake them to the core, that are willing to do anything that's declared from the pulpit, but instead of receiving entertainment. But when you have the coupling of leadership that lead well, and a congregation or a people that wanna partner with them, oh, God should be glorified. God should be glorified. It's a wonderful thing when you see that happen. But isn't it the case that before the leader, oftentimes, before the people can actually be stirred up to giving themselves willingly, you have to have a leadership that does it?

That's often the case. Right? Look at verse nine of Judges chapter five. What are we told? Deborah says, my heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people.

Bless the Lord. So who offered themselves willingly first? I argue the leadership. The governors, the commanders. They said, we're giving ourselves to God.

And once they said they would do that, what happened? The people says, we're following suit. We're following suit. In fact, Deborah, yes, was a woman, but do you see the description she gave herself here? She says here, in verse seven, the villagers ceased in Israel, they ceased to be until I arose, I Deborah arose as what?

Say the word with me, as a mother in Israel. I arose as a mother in Israel. That's a specific word. She could have used many different things to describe her character. And yes, she was a wife to Lapidoth, but she was more than that.

She was not just Perhaps she had children, a mother to her own children. She was a mother to an entire nation. There was a tenderness, a compassion, a care. If you're a mother in this place, and you fear God and you really have love in your heart, you know exactly what this implies because you know how you feel about your own children. And Deborah is saying, for the people of God, even though in their half hearted commitment, even in their rebellion state, even in their idolatry, I am still like a mother.

In fact, that motivated me to be raised up as a mother to Israel. And you wonder how in Judges chapter four, the people flocked to her to hear what she had to say, is because when she said it, every truth and every judgment was given and laced with love. They were magnetized towards it because they knew all that she had to bestow upon them was actually motivated from a brimming compassion and a delight in them. When you have leadership like that, that really care, that really treat those, those sheep that Jesus purchased with his blood like children, oh, you can expect people willing to come and hear what they have to say. Here's proof of that.

What did Paul say in first Thessalonians two seven? First Thessalonians two seven. What did Paul say about him and his leadership team, his apostolic leadership team? He's writing to the Thessalonians in chapter two verse seven and he says, but we were gentle among you. Like what?

Like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. Paul wasn't saying he was effeminate. Paul wasn't saying that he was weak. Paul was saying that the same way that a mother holds a baby in her arms, and is willing to die 10 deaths for that child to live another day, is the same way I am towards you, Thessalonica. Is the same way I'm willing to give up whatever I need to give up so that you can be nurtured.

The same way I think about you and your growth is the same way I prepare my messages for you to be fed. Is the same way I pray for you and intercede on your behalf. It's the same way that I'm willing to do what? Stand in the way so that false teachers don't come in and corrupt your mind. Paul said about his leadership team.

Imagine that on your resume. I'm like a nursing mother. Yeah. The people weren't a number to Paul. The pews weren't seats to be filled.

Whether it was five or 500, Paul would care for them all the same. And Deborah had that characteristic. Paul had that character characteristic. You're saying, where does that come from? I'll tell you where it came from, from God himself.

Oh, but let me shock you. God is more than this. Isaiah forty nine fifteen, what does he say? You wanna know the character of God? And some of you already know where we're going with this.

He tells us very clearly in that splendid summary of his love. Can a woman forget her nursing child? That she should have no compassion on the son of her womb. Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. The devotion of a mother to a child, think of something more gripping and powerful than that.

Some would even say that there's something that's triggered in a mother when a child is in danger. You've heard the theory that sometimes a mother is even with that strength to pull a car up when a child of hers is underneath it being crushed. There something supernatural almost about that love. There's an instinct deposited by God in that woman. And God says, as strong as that love is, as devoted as that love is, as caring, as constant, mine's greater.

Mine's greater. Deborah says, I'm like a mother. I was like a mother to Israel, and that's why they flock to her. And that's important for leadership to know. And what happens?

Well, didn't we say that the equation is if you have leaders that are stirred up, you have people that are stirred up? Yeah. And that's what happens here. Look at verse 13 of Judges chapter five. Then march down the remnant of the noble.

The people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty. From Ephraim, their root, they marched down into the valley. He's He's describing the preparation to go to war against Canaan. Following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen. From Machar, marched down the commanders, and from Zebulun, those who bear the lieutenant staff.

The princes of Issachar came with Deborah. Issachar faithful to Barak. Into the valley, they rushed at his heels. Yeah. There's a handful of tribes that said, we're gonna fight with you, Deborah.

We're gonna follow you, Barak. If you wanna obey God's will, if you're in this to see God manifest and make his name known, then we're behind you. But their hearts were stirred first. They were awakened first, and then the people will come. The people who truly want God.

But this isn't a contradiction. It's realistic interpretation. Not just in this event, but in all generations. We're about to find out in a moment that that's not always the case. That the secret ingredient to churches being filled with godly people wanting the will of God is not always leaders who are stirred or committed to God totally.

Because you can even have powerful, loving, compassionate leaders in your life, and still not find it within yourself to surrender to the will of God. How do we know that? Because we didn't name all the tribes. There are tribes to follow that in fact did what? Did not participate when they were invited.

And that's what we read of in verse 15. Here's the verse that describes at least one type of believer in response to a godly leadership, an amazing opportunity to serve God. Look at the second part of verse 15. Among the clans of Reuben, there were great searchings of heart. Now look at the question.

Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben, there were great searchings of heart. Very poetic, right? And so now, we move off of those who participated willingly and offer themselves, and now we come to different groups of tribes that didn't offer themselves. And these are types of believers because they are sons of Israel, they are in the promised land, they did make that covenant with God, but here's an opportunity to serve God, here's a season to serve God, and they did not take it.

Why? Well, look at Reuben's description. It says here, there was great searchings of the heart. You know what that means? That when the invitation came from the messengers from Deborah and Barak, all tribes, grab your weapons, whatever you have, and follow-up to this point.

We are going toward the Lord is calling for all of our participation. Here was Reuben across the Jordan, and they're hearing it, and they're contemplating it, and they're convicted about it, and maybe they're even conversing about it amongst the tribes and the clans. Should we go? This is our opportunity. And what we're being told here is that there was serious consideration about serving God at this capacity, but it stayed as a thought and never manifested in action.

Here's the point. This is a picture of the believer who realizes that there's a call to accomplish for their lives. This is the believer who realizes that there is more to know in God, that there is greater reward to the degree of your surrender. Here's a believer who realizes that there's so much more ahead as long as I have breath, but it's only a thought that is stirred and never a plan that is triggered through obedience. It's the person who would not deny that there is more in God.

It's a person who would even express, brother, it convicted me when you preach the message. It's a searching of the heart. The conscious is even shook. The emotions are even there, but they stay. Why?

For the same reason Reuben stayed. Why are we told because they didn't move? Because they heard the whistling for the flocks. There was a call for the sheep, and there are monks, there are sheep. What are we trying to get out of this?

There was a different voice, there was a different priority, there was a different invitation, and they took that one instead of this. It happens to many who have searchings in the heart. Those searchings are hijacked by a different plan and a different purpose, a different invitation. And so they abandoned what God wanted them to do. You know, Reuben has an interesting interesting character trait in the bible.

What was prophesied about him? Do you remember in Genesis? What did his father say about him? Does anybody know? It's a very specific word.

If you don't know, it's in Genesis 49 verse four. Look how Reuben is described and it manifests here in Judges. Unstable as water. You shall not have preeminence. Because you went up to your father's bed, then you defiled it.

He went up to my couch. This is his father speaking. We know what Reuben did to his concubine. He slept with her. But look at that description in the first three words, unstable as water.

What described the tribe of Reuben or the person of Reuben, the father of that tribe? Instability. Instability. He wasn't concrete. He wasn't solid.

There was nothing that can be built in his life as a lifelong conviction or even a a season long commitment. It wasn't there. You couldn't. It was like trying to build a building on a river, it just there's no foundation there. And he's unstable, right?

You've probably done this at one point in your life, you've taken a rock at a body of water and you've thrown it perhaps in a lake or a pond, especially when it's still, and what happens the moment you throw that rock in the water? It crashes into the water, makes noise, it splashes, and then it's followed with a ripple effect of many waves that just continue on and ring throughout that body of water. But what happens eventually? What happens? It goes back to the way it was before.

It's just still again, as though it wasn't touched, as though nothing was moving it, as though nothing had happened. That's exactly what describes Ruben's conscience. Something interrupts it, something stirs him, peaks his interest, but it doesn't take long until things go back to the way they were before anything even struck him in the first place. I don't want that. I don't want that.

I want whatever God launches into my heart to stay and to be nurtured and remain, and to grow and to bear fruit. Oh, Reuben, like many believers, they know, they search, they contemplate, they think, they even calculate how their life would look, but they can't end up doing it. Why? Friends, hey, where are you going? You look like you're in a haze.

Come over here. Come on. What are you doing, man? More money to make. Hey.

Yeah, but then we come on and it's not just Reuben, we find out that there's in verse 17, Gilead, who was a part of the tribe of Gad, also beyond the river. And look what it said about Gilead who also didn't participate. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. That's all that said about him. That's all that said about him.

So how do we understand Gilead? How do we understand the tribe of Gad in this invitation, how they respond? Well, unlike Reuben who actually even thought about it, there was no thought with this tribe. Like the invitation came and they didn't even move, never mind searchings of the heart. They were as a heart as a rock.

And we're told the reason why. Because they were beyond the river, remember? Beyond the Jordan. And this implies that they saw the invitation as an inconvenience. It's too far.

How long is it gonna be? Do you remember it was Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh? What did they do? When they came into the promised land initially, they kept their families behind, they kept their homes behind, and they were out for seven years sacrificing for the sake of their brethren. Here's another invitation many years later, and they say, we paid our dues.

We're staying right here. So they stayed. It was it was too much of a distance. Who knows how long we're gonna be in there for? Who knows what we're gonna have to sacrifice?

Our time, our resources, it's just too much, and they stayed parked exactly where they were. And here's the lesson, whenever we think, whenever we think committing ourselves to God costs us more than it blesses us, we only rob ourselves. We only rob ourselves from greater treasures that outweigh the very things that we're trying to protect. Whenever we think following God wholeheartedly or in a season of obedience is a greater cost than it is a blessing, we only rob ourselves of the treasures that God wants to give in those acts of obedience that outweigh the very thing that you're trying to protect. So Gilead missed out, Gad missed out, And then we come to two other tribes.

And Dan, this is in the middle of the song. It's a convicting song. Imagine your name being called out in the middle of worship. And Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings.

These two tribes, if you look at it geographically, they lived by the water. And when they heard the invitation to come into war and to battle for their brethren, and for the nation as a whole, they were too caught up with their commerce. They were too caught up with business deals. They were too caught up with making a profit. They couldn't imagine putting this on pause for the sake of what?

Deliverance? No. No. No. Perhaps they were at a distance where the impression wasn't so severe, so why go and help lift the burden from those who are suffering when I myself need to prosper, my kids and Now here's the thing, Asher specifically, the very thing that he's experiencing here, believe it or not, the blessing, the prosperity, the material abundance was directly from who?

God. How do we know that? Remember in Deuteronomy? Remember when Moses gave a prophetic word from every tribe? Look what he says in Deuteronomy 33 verse 24 about Asher.

This is incredible because it should shake us in light of understanding how God blesses people. In Deuteronomy 33 verse 24, and of Asher he said, most blessed of sons be Asher. Let him be the favorite of his brothers and let him dip his foot in oil. Okay. Oil was a commodity.

Oil was something that was worth money. You don't dip your foot in it. But it's an expression of great great great prosperity, of great abundance in wealth. And that was blessed by God. That was something that God had given them.

But what God had given them for some reason, became so consuming that it crippled them when there was a further call of obedience. And so the very thing that God says you will have, so overwhelmed them, so overtook them, that they began to make what God had given them their God above the God who gave it. And then you come to verse 18 and what do you read? Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death. Naphtali too on the heights of the field.

Wow. That was a description of the tribes who went. They did not love their lives even unto death. Revelation 12 tells us that. They did not love their lives even unto death.

What was the common question about all these tribes who didn't go? It's one simple word. What was it? What was the question? It's three letters.

What was it? Why? Why? That's what they were singing about. That's what they're inquiring.

Why? Why? Why, Reuben? Why did you stay back? Why, Gad?

Why? Why? Dan? Asher? Why?

Come on. Why? Meaning what? It's all as though they are saying, really? Really?

You know when you say when you know when somebody does something foolish and you go, why did you do that? What what were you thinking? Why bro? Why? Why?

That's what they're saying here. Why? You actually traded this glorious experience where God was gonna intervene from the heavens and take over 900 chariots? Technology that blew everybody out of the water. You missed out on God not using weapons because amongst 40,000 there wasn't even a spear.

You missed out on all of that so that you can stay by your ships, so that you can stay by your sheep, so that you can hang out. Really? Really? You missed out. I wonder if the question why is going to be asked on the judgment day for believers.

Why? This? This is what you missed out on for this temporary thing that you can't even bring into glory? This? Why?

Could be, don't wanna put words in the mouth of our king. Why? Oh, Lord, may it be said of us like Zebulon and Naphtali, a people who risked their lives. People who risked who gave their lives. Who do you think missed out here?

Asher and Dan? Or Zebulon and Naphtali? I'll tell you at the end of the road who misses out. Those who idolize all these things that these tribes did in the moment. May it never be said of us.

And we come back to verse three of Judges chapter five. That all came from verse two, the leaders and those who offer themselves willingly. Bless the Lord. But you know what's amazing? Is that this verse, verse three simply gives us a different perspective on the purpose of singing, though it is not the core purpose, it could have a secondary effect.

Look at verse three, read with me. Hear, oh kings, give ear, oh princes, to the Lord I will sing, I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel. Why is that an interesting verse? Does anybody have a, like an idea why? Who are they calling to hear?

Kings and princes, why is that interesting? Yes. There are leaders in the But here's the more specific question, who are these kings and princes? Are they kings and princes of Israel? And if you say no, then the question is why?

Well, what book are we in? Are there kings yet? No. The monarchy hasn't been established yet. So we know one thing for certain, this call for kings and princes to hear what is being sung is not the kings and princes of Israel.

They're kings and princes for the neighboring nations. Those who worship false gods and pagan deities. Deborah here is calling for those who don't worship the living God to hear their worship to the living God. Hero kings and princes, we're about to sing a song and we think you're gonna learn a thing or two. Tells us something about the nature of singing, doesn't it?

You're gonna learn something if you're gonna sing to God. If words are being sung and the mind is not engaged and revelation is not given, then we're not really singing to the maximum capacity of the glory of what singing can bring. Does that make sense? This is an important word today, especially for much of the things that are viral but are very shallow in terms of worship. Sing kings, princes, leaders.

If you just peek in, if we open these doors and let the neighbors hear, they're gonna hear some some truths. They're gonna hear something about the majesty of God. They're gonna hear, like, just in this song, the end road for the wicked. They're gonna know the blessings that are reserved for those who are rightly related to God. Come, listen to what we have to say because everything we're singing is true.

It's true. And so they invite these pagan kings, and this is why it's important. We're supposed to be reminded. In fact, they go back to what? Look at verse four.

Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched down the region of Eden, the earth trembled, the heavens dropped, yet yes, the clouds drop water, the mountains quake before the Lord, even Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel. We sing about what he's done, we sing about what he's doing, we sing about all these wonderful things, all these angles. But let me just say this here, because we can go to every verse where we're not going to. When was this song sung? In what context?

After something happened, right? This was the appropriate response to a marvelous intervention given by God. This is a song that was singing, sung when people were awakened to something. That's why sometimes after a message is preached, the worship is much more intense and passionate. Because throughout the past forty five, fifty minutes, you've been awakened to something.

You've been stirred to realize something about God. But may I make the case this morning that we can come to such a maturity in Christ, that we can come to such a place in faith that we don't have to only be awakened until we praise. We look at this and we draw a principle. God deserves our response, our reflex should be worship whether privately or corporately when he does something. We should always be because of the one thing he's done in Christ, but even through specific, independent, subjective experiences of God.

Yes. But let me make this case, worship is not just reserved for afters, but even for befores. So go to second Chronicles chapter 20, and as you're turning there, I wanna describe this scene for you. Jehoshaphat is the king. The Moabites and the Ammonites are surrounding Jehoshaphat.

He's so terrified when he realizes the sea of armies that are coming against him and his people. He seeks God. He cries out to God in his affliction. God, I really need you. How am I supposed to do this as a leader?

And he says, Lord, we don't know what to do but our eyes are on you. That famous verse. And what's amazing is, they get a word. The spirit of the Lord comes upon one man and he gives a prophetic word and he says, listen, it's done. You don't have to do anything because the battle is the Lord's.

The victory is already yours. And what does Jehoshaphat do on the day of battle? He grabs his army, but he doesn't just grab the army, he grabs the worship team. He grabs the worship team, and he counsels with them, and he speaks to them, and look at verse 21. And when he had taken counsel with the people Do you know why he had to take counsel with the people?

Because what he was about to do was so crazy, was so against what you do in warfare. It didn't make any sense. So he counseled. I wonder what the conversation was like. Hey, who who here is ready to do what I'm about to suggest?

So they're listening, and he says, okay. You ready? He appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, holy attire, as they went before the army. So he takes the worship team and he puts them in front of the army, like lambs led to the slaughter. Like, if you're gonna go to war, I'm sure you're gonna put some of the most intimidating things in front.

And what does he do? He brings the worship team with their little instruments and their nice little outfits, and he puts them in front of the army. And what did this nation see? They see a worship team with their nice little guitars and harps and tambourines. You can imagine the intimidation.

And they sing. They begin to sing. Now nothing had happened yet. Nothing occurred yet. No deliverance, no earthquake, no fire from heaven, no stones being thrown from the third heaven.

Nothing. Nothing happened. Nothing occurred. We come to Judges five, we say, we get it, you sing because you've been delivered. Well, nothing happened here.

In fact, you're probably more terrified than ever. And what did they sing? Of all things that they can sing, I mean, if I'm gonna sing anything, I'm gonna sing desperately, God intervene. I'm gonna put a tune to it and say, Lord, you better come or else we're we're dead meat. No, they don't sing that.

You know what they sing? Give thanks to the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for a steadfast love endures forever. What are you thanking God for when you're still waiting for his promise to come to pass? That's true worship.

Oh, yes. When we respond to God's act of faithfulness, it's faithful for us to sing to him. But listen to this, that's our duty. That is our duty in light of salvation, because it's not just at one time do you sing God about the cross, for all eternity, we will sing to God about the cross. And yes, in moments of life, we sing to the Lord with an extra zeal and passionate thanksgiving.

That's faithfulness in response to his faithfulness. But when you sing to God before he does something, that's faith. That's faith. Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever. Now look at this, verse 22.

And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah so that they were routed. When they sang, God moved. Was it the singing that impressed God for him to move? God is not impressed by our singing. Look at his choir in heaven.

He doesn't need your voice or mind. It doesn't matter how much you hit the note. It doesn't matter how much you can play. It doesn't matter how much you think you're talented. God doesn't need it, neither is God impressed with it.

The singing that triggered God to move was that it was the evidence of the faith in the heart that moved God. And so when they sung unto God, it wasn't the tune, it was the act of faith of trusting in him before he did something. And what's so amazing about the singing unto God is that it led him to action. It led him to move. We have to be careful with our theology here, but it's very safe to say that singing does do something to the heart of God.

What it does all the time is it glorifies him and it blesses him. But in his sovereignty and his wisdom, he can still choose to even move as a result of the praise. Worship is very important. I've heard many preachers even say this, that the worship and the meeting can determine how the meeting goes. Very important.

Worship team, very important. People in the congregation singing, very important. And in fact, in this case, it was warfare. You look at acts 16, they were singing. What happened?

God moved. God did something. I'm not saying he does it every time. I'm not saying it's a recipe like he's a genie in a bottle. Let's move God like a snake out of a basket with a little tune.

That's not how it works. But if there's anything that does move, if it's not God's omnipotent arm in our lives, it's our hearts that realize something about who he is. I can testify that in this place, in this very same room, hearing your voices has delivered me from any plagues of the soul. In this case, it delivered them from an army. And before this we assume what?

That God deserves our worship after he does something wonderful. But listen, worship goes beyond that. In response, the people worship before. God gave a promise, you'll be delivered. They trusted it before it even happened and they sang unto God.

Here's what I wanna say. You and I should make it our habit and our act of faith to sing before God does something and to sing after he does. To sing before we hear a message from God's word and to sing after we hear a message from God's word. To sing in a way that we will learn about God and that the world would even learn about God if they were to peek in and hear what we are singing. And we should sing believing.

Ready for this? We should sing believing that as we sing, God can do something. Psalms twenty two three as we close this bible study. Psalms 22 verse three. Psalm 22 verse three.

He restores my soul. 22 verse three. Yeah. You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Yeah, you are holy, enthroned on what?

On what? The praises of Israel. Now, that can be one of two things or two things. One, God is enthroned as the scripture tells us that he is enthroned between the cherubim, so that the tabernacle represents this and that the praises are the very sounds that are within the place where God has his earthly throne. Could be true and I believe that.

But I believe it's more spiritual than that. He is enthroned upon specifically when the people of God praise him. Look at the picture there. God takes his rightful place when the people acknowledge him in song and in truth. He takes his rightful place in our persect perspective.

He takes his rightful place in our hearts and our emotions. He takes his rightful place. He is crowned with glory and with blessing when the people collectively, through their praise, so to speak, create a throne for him to sit on and to be recognized and acknowledged and adored. When we choose to praise, we're enthroning him, so to speak. We're giving him his rightful due.

We're giving him his rightful place. He's enthroned on the praises of Israel. Every time you and I have an opportunity to praise, never forget that picture. Never forget that image. Lord, I am crowning you with many crowns, And I'm giving you what you deserve as a king.

And I'm joining with the host of heaven. And where God wants to sit, where God will be exalted and lifted high is when he is attributed the tune and the melodies of our hearts. I can tell you this, that there are sometimes, not just corporately, but even privately, That one of the greatest things that you can do for the melody of your soul in that season is to sing. Is to sing. And that's where hymns and modern hymns are so important, because when you don't have a band that gives you the assistance, and and you don't have the tune that helps make certain songs easier to sing, you have line upon line truths that are rhyming so that it's easier to remember, and now you have weapons in your arsenal when you do need to sing.

I'm not saying it doesn't have to, this just has to be hymns and modern hymns, but I'm saying that there's a great help with the way those songs are structured. They're easily memorable and they're helpful in times where you don't have the gifts and the moment and the setting to help you do what you need to do. And I can tell you this, that when you sing, things can happen. Things can happen. You're saying, give me proof that you have to sing when you're not with the church.

Well again, I keep going to that example in act 16. Sing in prison. Sing when you're visiting that family member that's dying on their death bed. Sing on your way to work, when you know that you're entering into an arena of temptation. Sing in your private room.

Put on the worship instrumental and sit there and sing unto God. I'm not saying I'm I do that perfectly. I'm not saying I do that routinely, but I'm saying that sometimes it gets so desperate That the great evaporator of despair is a song. I challenge you to look at what Martin Luther said. Next to the word of God, the greatest gift to him was music.

Because it brought so much help to him. We're concluding. What better way to respond than to do what? Praise and sing. Father in Jesus name.

If we can sing how great thou art, please. I know you guys probably chose songs, but if we can sing how great thou art. Please and thank you. Lord, we take Judges five twelve, awake, awake. Breakout in song.

Lord, awaken us to the truth of the person of Jesus Christ. Awaken us to the depths of sin that he pulled us out of. Awaken us to the rewards that are reserved for us. The incomparable treasures that await in the new Jerusalem. Awaken us, Lord, to the millennial reign of Jesus where he will establish his rule and his government.

And it won't be corrupt, it won't be confusing, it won't be childish, it'll be perfect. And we will help you rule and reign in this very world. Awaken us to the joys of surrendering what it is that you've assigned us to. Help us not be like Reuben and just have searchings of the heart. Help us not be like God and think that it is inconvenient to serve you.

Help us not be like Dan and Asher who are so caught up in things that you even gave us, but have become more than what you've intended. Father, we wanna sing to you. Perhaps people are weighed down by life, weighed down in the body, weighed down in the mind and the emotions. But Lord, we choose to pray and to sing because you're worthy. May you be enthroned upon the praises of your people as we exalt you through our lips and our hearts.

In Jesus' name, amen.