Judges 5:6 - Meaning and Application

Deborah describes how desperate Israel’s condition was under Jabin’s rule, so that God’s rescue would look all the greater and more gracious (Judges 5:6). From the days of Shamgar, who had done something to deliver Israel from the Philistines, to the days of Jael, the present time, the land had been nearly desolate. There was no trade, because merchants had no safe protection and robbers were unchecked. Highway travel was so dangerous that honest travelers had to hide and take side roads in fear.

There was also no farming, because the villagers had been driven from their homes and fields by constant raids. They took shelter in walled cities, leaving the countryside waste and empty. There was no justice either, because war had reached the gates where the courts met, so the magistrates lost their authority and the people the benefit of government. Even the places where people drew water were under threat from archers, which shows how deep the fear had gone. In short, they were so stripped down that they had neither weapons nor spirit to defend themselves, not even a shield or spear seen among forty thousand (Judges 5:8).

Deborah explains the root of all this misery in one sentence: they chose new gods (Judges 5:8). Their idolatry brought this judgment on them, because they turned from the one true Lord and kept wanting more gods of their own making. God, the Ancient of Days, the same forever, no longer satisfied them, so they traded him for new and changing idols. Their fathers had once chosen the Lord (Joshua 24:21), but this generation would not stand by that choice. They wanted gods they had picked for themselves.

She then turns to God’s mercy in raising up leaders to fix these troubles. She says, “Until I, Deborah, arose” (Judges 5:7), meaning that when she came forward to restrain wrong and protect public peace, the whole situation changed quickly. The wild violence backed off, and people could go out again to work and labor, as in the normal order of life (Psalm 104:22, 23). In this way she became a mother in Israel, a tender and faithful leader who cared deeply for her people’s well-being.

Under Deborah there were also other rulers in Israel, and they too had done their part as leaders to reform the people. They were willing to serve in the war as well, instead of using their rank to stay back when their country needed them. Their example helped move the people to offer themselves willingly too (Judges 5:2). Deborah says, “My heart is toward them,” meaning that she loved and honored them and would never forget their service. Those deserve special honor who give up the advantages of rank in order to serve God and his people.

Deborah then calls on all who enjoyed the benefits of this rescue to thank God in a way that fits their own place in society (Judges 5:10, 11). Those who rode on white asses, that is, the nobles and gentry, should praise God for having their dignity restored along with their freedom. Those who sat in judgment should be grateful that they can do so safely, without war taking the sword of justice from their hands. Those who travel the roads should speak, in quiet thoughts and in conversation, about God’s goodness in clearing away the bandits who once made travel dangerous.

Those who draw water in peace should also remember what God has done. Where they now feel safe, they should speak of the Lord’s great acts, not Deborah’s or Barak’s, but the Lord’s. God himself has made peace in their borders and has given protection where there was once fear. These are the Lord’s righteous acts, justice carried out against bold enemies, and kindness shown to his trembling people, especially those in the villages who had been most exposed and most hurt. God’s glory is seen in defending the weakest and most vulnerable.