The Feed Mill

Today’s Bible Reading: Judges 4-5

Today’s Devotional: Judges 4:1-10

Sadly we see with Judges 4, the dangerous cycle of not trusting the Lord begins again: abandoning the things of the Lord, results from not serving the Lord and instead serving the world, crying out to the Lord. This cycle is one that is the result of sowing to what’s best in our own eyes and not trusting in the Lord’s omniscience, that His knowledge of everything should be what directs us and not our short sight. Man’s constant drift towards disobedience should lead us to be less and less confident of man or of ourselves, and to be more and more confident and impressed with the mercy and grace of God.

At this time Deborah was a prophetess in Israel, it should not be unexpected for the Lord to raise up a prophetess, 1 Corinthians 11:5, one who speaks the heart of the Lord into a situation.

Deborah judged Israel at this time, this too shouldn’t be unexpected, the best way to look at the office of a judge throughout Judges is similar to the general purposes of the  Judicial and Executive branches of the US Government. Not only did Deborah speak from the heart of the Law on matters, but God’s Spirit moved her to act as well ad to stir up others to do the same and do what the Lord had called them to do in their capacities, even to rid the giants from their lives.

One note we should take of Deborah is that she submitted to the authority that the Lord had given to Barak, Deborah implores Barak to do what the Lord has commanded him to do, she confirms what the Lord had already told him. Barak’s response then: nothing we see suggests that it was unwise of Barak to ask Deborah to go with him, but that Barak trusted more in her relationship with the Lord than His own is unwise and a problem. Barak preferred the inspirational presence of Deborah oner the invisible and guaranteed help of the Lord.

Our trust lying with relationship of another with the Lord rather than our own is a mistake which will cause us to miss certain rewards of God’s gift to us both now an in eternity. Barak showed much faith and trust in leading, but he still missed out on so much by trusting in another’s relationship with the Lord. Let us not do the same also, let us have an ever growing and real relationship with the Lord and not leave our relationship with the Lord and His Word mediated to us only once or twice a week.