The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord, the God of Mount Sinai—in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel. Judges 5:5
The palm tree in the Bible is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life, there is a reminder in Psalm 92:12 that says “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.” The “palm tree of prophetess Deborah who was also a judge as in Judges 4:5 was significant because it was a place where the Israelites reached out to her for consultation regarding various issues. One day she had a prophetic message from the Lord for Barak to lead 10,000 warriors against their enemy king Jabin and his commander Sisera, who had oppressed the Israelites for twenty years! The message, “get ready, this is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you”.
When the Lord promises to go ahead of you, go for it! Barak hesitated and said to Deborah, I will go, but only if you go with me! Well, she went but the honor came to her because she obeyed the Lord and went. God will use the meek and the humble to deliver others.
God in His sovereignty enables great risk and effort on our behalf as part of His divine plan. In the case of Deborah and Barak, they risked their lives in war. Ultimately, this account reveals that God is in control of the nations and changes their leaders according to His desires. The Lord calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things that can only be accomplished through the Spirit regardless of gender as long as they are willing to listen and obey. During that time, He threw the enemies of Israel into panic and killed all the enemy warriors. God always defeats His enemies and does not forget his people. It was a humiliating defeat. Prophetess Deborah wrote a song found in Judges 5, she sung a duet with Barak. After that victory there was peace in the land for forty years.
Dear Lord, we praise you for your provision of grace at every moment of our lives. Thank you that you love to do extraordinary things through ordinary people. Please release me from any limitations and teach us to trust you and to walk in obedience. Amen
Reflection: God often calls people to step out in faith to attempt the unexpected. He uses unlikely people and sources to accomplish His plans.
Meditate on “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Sam 16:7
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