Act Three: A Reluctant Participant (Judges 4:8-10)

12/23/2009 9:59 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Act three:  a reluctant participant

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:   Judges 4:8-10

            Message of the verses:  “8  Then Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." 9  She said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

    “10 ¶  Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.”

            There is no reason given as to why Barak told Deborah that he would not go to the battle unless she went with him.  Speculation is that it could be fear, or that he wanted Deborah to go because she was a prophetess and would need a word from the Lord, but the text does not say what the reason was.  There are different men in the Scriptures who have balked at the commandment that God had given them, Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah also did not do as the Lord had told them right away, so Barak had good company. 

            By having Deborah go with him Barak would have the honor of wining the battle be given to her a woman, and not to him a man.  I think that this was a bigger deal than one might think it would be.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “1Jo 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”  “2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  These are a couple of verses that I have quoted when fear comes to me and I need strength from the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
2. Put on the spiritual armor this morning:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
3. Continue to learn contentment.

12/23/2009 10:24 AM