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Judges 5:6-9 Song of Deborah - Day 203

Trying to keep up with one devotion a day, but not always successful.

Part of the Song of Deborah and Barak after defeat of Jabin and his general Sisera.  We are all familiar with the Psalms as the songbook of Israel, but there are other songs not recorded there.  This is one of them.

Observations

Tells a story.  In this section, a low point in Israel's history is described in an unusual way.  

Shamgar was the previous judge who rescued Israel (3:31).  Jael is the woman who kills Sisera as he tries to escape from Barak.  So even the restoration under Shamgar was not a full restoration.

Highways abandoned and travelers kept to the byways.  I think of highways as being a rather modern invention.  After all, for all of human history up to the invention of the steam engine, the fastest mode of land travel was a horse.  And internal combustion engine is early 20th century.  So a highway was not a four lane each direction affair. Didn't need paved roads for a horse to walk on.   Really just a well traveled path.  The Boston Post Road is our Rt 1.  And many of state routes follow old Indian paths.  Point is that during the best of times, not a whole lot of people on the move. Our drive back from Florida in March '20 during pandemic was a time of empty interstates.  But even in ancient Israel, travel on trade routes was a sign of flourishing.  When Israel was oppressed during the time of Judges, they were not flourishing and abandoned highways to the Canaanites.  Deborah is describing the problem in economic terms, not in spiritual terms.

When new gods were chosen. - Israel had developed a habit of choosing the idols of Canaan over the LORD God.  As new idols came in to fashion in Canaan, Israel would replace old idols with the new and would not return to YHWH.  So here is the spiritual aspect of decline.

Spear and shield not found - military is weak

This seems to be an unrecoverable situation.  Only God can rescue them.

How does this advance the promise of Genesis 3:15?

All renewals and revivals are the work of God.  Yes Barak got an army of 10,000 to follow him, but without God giving Jabin into their hands, he would not have been successful.  God brought restoration of Israel in the time of Judges for His purpose of maintaining the messianic line.  Mary and Joseph's ancestors were alive during the period of the Judges.  While Jesus is not physically Joseph's son, he was Mary's husband.  The small goal in each cycle was restoration of faithful worship.  The big goal in all this time was preparation for Messiah.

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