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Daily Devotion: Judges 4:7-9

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Judges 4:7-9    "And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.  (8)  And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.  (9)  And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh."

As I read through the book of Judges, I am reminded once again of the cycles that children of God go through. There are times when we are closer to God than other times. There are times when we allow our minds to wander away from Him. Thus it was with Israel after God had brought them into the land of Canaan.  When they wandered, God would allow other nations to come upon them which would stir their hearts and minds back to Him. They would cry out to Him each time adversity came upon them and then God would raise up a judge, or deliverer, to bring them out of bondage.

It might be tempting to read today's passage and try to take sides as to which gender is the strongest. God gave the opportunity for a man by the name of Barak to be the judge of Israel, but he was hesitant and did not want to take the responsibility. Because of his hesitancy, Deborah would be the one to deliver the people from the hand of the adverse nation. Today's lesson is not about male versus female; rather, it is a matter of who will be obedient unto the Lord. As I read these passages of Scripture, I am reminded that God will bring His will into being. Barak was hesitant. Deborah was willing. God used Deborah instead of Barak to bring about His determined will.  I will lose a blessing if I am hesitant to follow the Lord, He will raise another up to perform that which He has determined to be done. The Lord is good and His power is beyond anything we could ever hope or imagine. He will have His way and my desire is that He will use me to His honor and glory.

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