Judges 5:6-11 – Lack of Leadership
As Deborah praised the leaders for taking the lead in Israel in verse two, now she laments the lack of good leadership that preceded her rise. It seems that the days of Shamgar the Judge, whose exploits are mentioned in Judges 3:31, overlapped the days of Deborah. While the LORD has used Shamgar to liberate Israel from the Philistines in the south, He has used Deborah, Barak, and Jael to liberate Israel from the Canaanites in the north.
Prior to this time, the land was a dangerous place in which to live. The lack of good civil leadership had led to the highways being abandoned. Israelites had chosen new gods, and the LORD had left them militarily weak as a result. Poor organization had probably led to unsafe roads overrun by bandits and brigands. The Hebrew noun at the beginning of verse seven can either be translated as “villagers” or “leaders.” So, either it was unsafe to live in an un-walled village, or the leadership in Israel had failed. This sad state of affairs continued until God raised up Deborah as a prophetess and judge. Barak and the commanders of Israel’s armies rose up, then, and defeated the Canaanites. Now there is prosperity and stability once more, indicated by the white donkeys, rich carpets and musicians playing at the watering places.
Many of us, today, lament the deplorable conditions of our once well-ordered societies. We see families in chaos, cities rampant with crime, riots, mass murders, and so on. In part, this is due to a lack of godly leadership. We must pray that God would raise up for us leaders in civil government who fear and obey Him.
Questions
- Why was the land a dangerous place before Deborah’s time?
- What does verse 8 blame for Israel’s weakness?
- Whom did God raise up as a civil leader to remedy this situation?
Prayer Points
- Pray that the LORD will raise up godly leaders in civil government.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.