 The title of our sermon this evening of Victory Song of Celebration, Victory Song of Celebration, this is part two in Judges chapter five and the song of Deborah. So tonight, Judges chapter five, we're continuing to celebrate, as it were, with the children of Israel as Deborah and Barak sing a song of victory. The battle at the river Kishon is over. The torrent of Kishon has swept away the armies of Jabin king of Hazor. The general Cicera is staked to the floor of Jael's tent and Deborah and Barak break out into a song of praise to the Lord God of Israel on that very day. The leaders in Israel finally have stepped up to lead. People have willingly offered themselves, consecrated themselves to the Lord in battle, giving their very lives. And the Lord has been merciful to his people, merciful and gracious in delivering them from bondage here, specifically bondage to the Canaanites. And so Deborah does then what God's people have done since the dawn of time as God has shown himself faithful and as God has delivered his people and saved them. She breaks forth with Barak. She breaks forth in song and she sings praises to the Lord, the true and living God of Israel. She says, here, O kings, give ear, O princes, I, even I, will sing to the Lord. I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. That's what God's people do, right? When they celebrate the Lord's deliverance, the Lord's salvation, we sing praise to His name. When you sing, that's what you're doing. You're singing praise to His name. We need to sing like we're singing praise to His name, right? This is no tepid, timid recitation of some socially reserved sonnet. This is a rousing, foot stomping, enemy humiliating, God glorifying, everybody singing. We've got the spirit. Yes, we do. We've got the spirit. How about you? Fight song, right? This is a fight song that they're singing together. Now remember in this song, the song of Deborah in Judges chapter five, we're basically dealing with three sections to the song, three sections. Deborah begins in section one, contrasting the strength and power of God with the weakness and powerlessness of Israel. Contrasting the strength and power of God with the weakness and powerlessness of Israel. Remember, not a shield or a spear found among 40,000 in Israel. That's how weak Israel was. Couldn't have lifted a finger to help herself. Couldn't have defended herself if she wanted to. Couldn't have delivered herself if she wanted to. Not a shield or a spear found among 40,000 of them. That is no obstacle to God who is omnipotent, all powerful, right? He proves himself not only mighty in the south, but God proves himself mighty in the north, mighty over all so-called rivals raised against him, namely Baal. Then the people of God, then the people of God, and even the enemies of God found among the watering places recounting the righteous acts of the Lord for his villagers in Israel. Section one, contrasting the strength and power of God with the weakness and powerlessness of Israel. And section two, Deborah now continues her victory song of celebration with a contrast between allies and enemies. A contrast between allies and enemies. And it's interesting from the text who the allies and enemies are in this section. A section begins with the allies in verse 13. These are the troops who answered the call to follow Baruch down Mount Tabor and into the battle, okay? Begins in verse 13. Then the survivors, the word literally means escapees, right? Literally means ones fleeing. These are those who escaped with their lives under the oppression of the Canaanites. The survivors, the escapees came down, the people against the nobles. The Lord came down for me against the mighty. Now in contrast with those who were left remaining under oppression, in contrast with the survivors or those fleeing in verse 13, those who had made it out with their lives, are the mighty among the Canaanites. The nobles and the mighty are referring to the leaders and the Canaanites themselves in verse 13. The Lord himself with the weak of this world, think about that with me, with the weak of this world against the mighty of this world. We see pictures of that all over the Bible, don't we? Bringing to nothing all their strength. We consider one of those texts this morning in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, right? Paul would later say in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 27, that God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame those things which are mighty, the purpose of that being that no flesh should glory in his presence, that God would get all the glory. So what is God doing here? God is coming to the aid of the weak, in this case his own people, Israel, against the mighty, the worldly mighty you could say, in this case, the Canaanites and all of their nobles and all of their leaders. Now the list of allies then begins in verse 14 and begins with Ephraim. Verse 14 from Ephraim, so with those survivors, now Ephraim comes and Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. We're not exactly sure what that's referring to in verse 14. Their roots being in Amalek likely means though that the Amalekites had a lasting presence in Ephraimite territory. When Ephraim went into the land they failed to dispel all of the Canaanites from the land and so the Ephraimites likely came from a territory that was still occupied by the Amalekites to some degree. So they had their roots you could say in Amalek. And in continuing in verse 14, after you, Benjamin, with your peoples from Makir, rulers came down from Zebulun, those who bear the recruiter's staff. It's an interesting way of referencing a military leader. Someone who was in charge of troops was a recruiter's staff. The word literally means a scribe, someone who would write, right? So this recruiter you could say this military leader was responsible for recording or keeping track of the people, the men in his unit. So he was a military leader and he carried what was called the recruiter's or the scribe's staff. Now Benjamin Zebulun here in verse 14 were obvious tribes of Israel. We remember those names right from the list of tribes. Makir was Manasseh's oldest son. So we remember one of the 12 tribes was Manasseh. Manasseh's oldest son Makir. And in Numbers chapter 32, Makir goes and conquers Gilead for the tribe of Manasseh. And then Moses gives Makir the northern section of that land in the allotment on the east side of the Jordan. So Makir, the son of Manasseh, settles in Gilead on the east side of the Jordan. And so Makir here is a reference to the tribe of Manasseh. It's referencing the tribe of Manasseh. So leaders came from Manasseh. Leaders came from Zebulun. Now let's keep going. Looking at the allies. Verse 15. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah. As Issachar, so was Barak. In other words, they were of one heart, one mind, one purpose, one intent. Issachar had allied themselves to Barak. They had come under Barak's leadership. And so they were sent into the valley under his command. And then the very interesting statement is made in verse 15. Among the divisions of Reuben, there were great resolves of heart. When you think about verse 15, when you first read that, at first blush, it sounds like that among those of the tribe of Reuben, they were highly committed. Great resolves of heart. Sounds like a bunch of people who were ready to go into battle. They were ready to charge into the fray with everyone else and help in the battle, in the war. Sadly, verse 16 gives us a different understanding of their resolved heart. Look at verse 16. Where Deborah, singing the song, asks of Reuben, why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the pipings for the flocks? The verse 16 reveals that Reuben did not willingly offer themselves the way that the other tribes had offered themselves. Reuben stayed behind. The word for sheepfolds there literally refers to the campfires. That's what the word means. It's a word for a campfire and ash sheep. Literally refers to the campfires that they sat around while they tended the sheepfold. So the shepherds, the tribesmen of Reuben, would sit around the campfires keeping watch over the sheep and listening to shepherds play their pipes. Reuben stayed at home, is what verse 16 is saying. Watching the sheep, listening to the shepherds play pipes. Even though many went to battle, Israel, we find out here, isn't completely unified. And there are some, the only way that you can describe it really is there are traitors in their midst. There are those who failed to go into battle with the rest of Israel. Reuben had resolved. They had great resolves of heart. What was their resolve of heart? To not get involved. We're not going. We're not going. We're going to stay behind around the campfires and watch our sheep listen to people play flute while you guys go off into war. So the divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart. Now, as such, that being the case, Reuben here is sorely rebuked in Debra Sutton. Now, listen, the word of the God, the word of God lasts forever. So they are memorialized in Judges chapter five forever. According to their failure, according to their weakness, Reuben is rebuked in Debra's song rather than sharing in the celebration as a participant in the victory. There's a great victory that's been won, a great battle that's been won. The Lord has delivered his people and rather than being able to participate in that victory, Reuben is instead rebuked in chapter five. Do you see? Now, added to the rebuk given to Reuben, Debra then mentions others who stay behind. Look at verse 17. Gilead, Gilead here, verse 17, now like referring to the southern part of Gilead given to the tribe of Gad in Joshua 13. In the land allotments, Joshua 13, Joshua gives Gad 60 cities, I think it was, in Gilead. So Gilead, again, referencing the tribe that we know is Gad here in verse 17. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan and why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore and stayed by his inlets. Think with me for a moment, okay? Dan, known for their trade west of the Jordan toward the Mediterranean, noted for their trade with the Phoenicians. They often traded with ships, their shipping trade. And so Dan was busy with their shipping trade, shipping with the Phoenicians, right? Trading with the Phoenicians. Asher, verse 17, preferred beaches to battlefields. So Asher stayed around the court. Now we're going to go to a beach for the day. They stayed near the coastlands, stayed by his inlets. And so now what you have so far is Reuben, Gad, Dan and Asher, Reuben, Gad, Dan and Asher fail to help and their rebuke is recorded forever in Judges chapter 5. That's interesting if you think about this failure in the context of it. In particular, Reuben and Gad should have known better because this very circumstance had been presented to them before. Flip back with me and look at Numbers chapter 32. Numbers chapter 32, it's just a very interesting point here, something to think about with respect to these tribes, in particular here, Reuben and Gad. Look at Numbers 32. We think that from this, Reuben and Gad would know better. Look at Numbers 32 beginning in verse 1. Now this is, we're in context here in Numbers 32, of the tribes of the inheritance generation going in to take their land, right? They're going to go in and take their allotted territory as their inheritance. This is the land that the Lord God had given to the children of Israel. So in verse 1, now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, there they are, right? Children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock. And when they saw the land of Jayzer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock. The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation saying, Adirath, Deban, Jazer, Nimra, Heshban, Elilah, Shibam, Nebo, and Ba'an, the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock. Therefore, they said, if we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession, do not take us over the Jordan. Now think about the problem with me, okay? This territory that they want to take as their inheritance is on the east side of the Jordan. What is Israel about to do? They're about to cross over the Jordan to the west side of the Jordan, and they're about to go to war with the inhabitants of the land with the intent of expelling all the Canaanites so that they can take possession of the land they've been given as an inheritance. So what it may sound like at first impression is that Reuben and Gad now are going to stay on the east side of the Jordan. Listen, we're going to take our inheritance over here. You, our brothers, you go ahead over the Jordan, take your inheritance on that side of the Jordan. God be with you. Be warm, be filled. We'll stay on this, right? It's what it sounds like is about to happen, not the case. Let's keep reading. So Moses said in verse 6, Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? I think with me for a moment, this is, gives us a little picture, if you will, of the shame associated with what Reuben, Gad, Dan, and Asher now are doing in Judges chapter 5. They're not going to get away with that here in Numbers chapter 32. Moses isn't going to allow that to happen. Watch what Moses says to them. Moses said, verse 6, to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the Lord, into the land, which the Lord has given them? See, that's what that does. Do you see? When your brothers are going to battle and you prefer to sit back in the camp and watch YouTube videos or whatever it is that you want to do in the camp, watch Hallmark movies, whatever it is, when you sit back and your brothers, you leave your brothers to do the work, it's discouraging the heart of your brothers. When a church, for example, is laboring in the cause of Christ, they're laboring, they're serving the Lord, they're being fervent, they're being faithful, they're going out to the work. When they're laboring and working and discipling and evangelizing and praying and studying and reading and laboring and loving and working and serving and evangelizing, for you to sit back while the rest of the flock, your brothers, your sisters, are laboring in the cause of Christ, you are discouraging the hearts of your brothers and sisters. Do you see? It's discouraging when that happens. What are they threatening to do here? They're threatening to discourage the hearts of the tribes of Israel from going in and taking their possession in the promised land. They're discouraging the hearts of the people. Listen, verse 9, for they went up to the valley of Eskol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. They're bringing back to their remembrance the 10 spies who came back with a bad report. They would not go in and take the land and so they discouraged the heart of Israel. Verse 10, so the Lord's anger was aroused on that day and he swore an oath saying, surely none of the men who came up from Egypt from 20 years old and above shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me except Caleb the son of Jephunah, the kenozite and Joshua the son of none, for they have wholly followed the Lord. So the Lord's anger was aroused against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness 40 years until all the generation that had done evil on the side of the Lord was gone. And look, you have risen in your father's place, Ruben and Gad, a brood of sinful men to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel, for if you turn away from following him, that's what this is, right, this treason, the part of Ruben and Gad so to speak, is a failure to follow the Lord in faith. He says he will once again leave them in the wilderness and you will destroy all these people. Then verse 16, they came near to him and said, wait a minute, hold on for just a second. We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, cities for our little ones, but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance, for we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan. Then Moses said to them, if you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel. In other words, if you don't do that, if you fail to arm yourself, if you fail to go into the battle, you'll not be blameless before the Lord and you'll not be blameless in the eyes of your brothers. This land shall be your possession before the Lord. Verse 23, but if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord and be sure your sin will find you out. Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep and do what has proceeded out of your mouth. The children of Gad, the children of Reuben spoke to Moses saying, your servants will do as my Lord commands, our little ones, our wives, our flocks, all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead, but your servants will cross over every man armed for war before the Lord to battle just as my Lord says. Back in Judges chapter 5, then you see the connection between those two circumstances. We essentially now have a circumstance presented to Reuben and Gad, the same two tribes, in addition to those, Dan and Asher, and on this particular situation in Judges chapter 4, Judges chapter 5, upon the Lord calling the children of Israel into battle against the Canaanites, who stays home, Reuben and Gad. They refused to arm themselves. They refused to go to war with their brothers. With them, Dan and Asher follow suits. And what do they do? They obviously discouraged the hearts of God's people. They stayed behind and not blameless before the Lord and certainly not blameless in the eyes of their brothers. Do you see the connection, the strong connection here between these two circumstances? Listen though, you have even in Israel, this contrast between allies and enemies in the second section of this song, you have contrasted with them, even within Israel, you have dual MVPs listed in verse 18. In contrast with Reuben, Gad, Dan and Asher, listen to verse 18, Zebulun is a people who jeopardized. In other words, that word means that they disdained or they showed contempt for their lives to the point of death. Do you know that that's the way that Revelation 12 speaks about the people of God, speaks about Christians? That in Revelation chapter 12, the people of God described as brethren overcome the wicked one there in Revelation chapter 12 verse 11. It says, by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives, even to the death. That's the way Christians are described. So in verse 18, what you have, a bunch of people from Zebulun and Naftali that sound like Christians, they're going to follow the Lord, even if it means their death. And they're described as those who despised, disdained or showed contempt for their own lives. Why? Because they really hated the Canaanites. Well, yeah, they hated the Canaanites, because they thought they could get all kinds of treasure if they killed all the Canaanites and looted their... No, it's because they love the Lord their God. Cicero's army was massive. Israel overwhelmingly outnumbered. Cicero's military might might was staggering. It was devastating. 900 iron chariots and there was hardly a spear or a shield among 40,000 in Israel. But standing on Mount Tabor, looking down from the mountain into the valley at the river Kishon, where Cicero's army of upwards of 30,000 men, 900 chariots, an infantry, a cavalry, in all of their horde sitting in the valley, Zebulun and Naftali esteemed and preferred God, esteemed and preferred God's word more than their own lives. You see, now standing on Mount Tabor, looking down at the valley before this battle takes place, there was no... In their own heart and mind, God had given them a promise, listen, you go into battle, I'm going to deliver them into your hand. There's no guarantee that that one standing on the mountain is going to come out of there with his life. God is going to give the enemy into their hand, but they're going into war. They are taking their lives, you could say, into their own hand, trusting God, because God's word, God's promise, God's command was precious to them. It was precious to them. They esteemed God, preferred his word more than their own lives. That's the stuff of faith. All right, that's the stuff of Christian faith. These are those who did not love their lives even to the death. These were those of whom the world is not worthy, is the way that Hebrews 11 describes them. This all carries the very same sense, right? Zebulun, Naftali answer the call. They stand on Mount Tabor with Deborah and Barak overlooking the multitude of Cicera's army, and they take the battle to God's enemies. When men go into war today or in our day and age, it's spoken of often as willing to give the last full measure of devotion, right? That's how you would describe someone who goes to war for his country, goes to war for our nation, right? Goes into battle. That one willing or gave the last full measure of devotion, what does that mean? It means he died in the line of duty. He died giving himself the last full measure of devotion to a cause. That cause may be the cause of our country. When we said men off into war, often when we send men off into war, they're saying, I'm willing to die for my country. I'm willing to give the last full measure of devotion. Here, the way that Zebulun and Naftali are described in Judges 5 verse 18 is that they are willing to give the last full measure of devotion to God, to his cause, to fight his enemies, to see him magnified, right? To see his promises fulfilled. It's interesting in this section of the song, there's not simply a contrast between allies and enemies in this second section. There's a striking contrast even within the camp of Israel itself, even among the Israelites. That's striking, isn't it? Reuben didn't want to get involved. Gilead too comfortable at home. It's too far of a drive. We've got too many other things to do, right? Dan too busy with work. Now we've got a trade with the Phoenicians. Too much going on at work. I really, I just can't, sure it'll go well. I'll be praying for you guys. Asher too concerned with the cares of this world. We prefer to go to the beach rather than to the battle. While at the same time, while Zebulun and Naftali for the sake of the Lord, for the sake of the Lord's people, out of love for the Lord, out of love for the Lord's people, did not love their own lives to the death. Now that's not hyperbole and that's not a fictitious story. This is what happened. This is an actual battle, an actual war. These are the actual results. This is what they actually did. We're to learn from their example and we're to take to heart what they did and didn't do. Let that be convicting to us. Let it be motivational to us. Let it charge us on and let it warn us not to be like those who stayed behind, right? The Lord here in this song certainly commends Zebulun. He commends Naftali. They're commended just like the saints in Revelation 12, just like those of heroic faith in Hebrews chapter 11. They're those who subdued kingdoms, those of whom the world is not worthy and they are memorialized in song. They're memorialized in Judges chapter 5. Not unlike Mary, who broke the alabaster flask in John chapter 12. The Lord said of Mary, assuredly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. The Lord is gracious in that way, isn't he? Despite all our weaknesses, despite our frailty, despite our failures, despite our faithlessness often, right? How faithless we can be, how unbelieving we can be, how fearful we can be, despite how weak we are and certainly how weak even Mary was or certainly how many in Zebulun and Naftali may have stood on Mount Tabor knee knocking in fear, despite our weakness and our frailty and often our faithlessness and our fearfulness, the Lord is gracious and merciful to count it a victorious faith when we esteem him more than our own lives. We esteem his word more than our own comfort, more than our own leisure, more than our own work, more than our own worldly preferences. The Lord remembers us, remembers that work. Listen to Hebrews chapter six verse 10, listen to the Lord's grace and mercy in this. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. That's a staggering statement, right? How often, like if you would with me for a moment, maybe I'm not the only one, maybe I am, would say how pathetically I often minister to the saints and do minister, or how weakly, and I don't mean that W-E-E-K-L-Y, I mean that W-E-A-K-L-Y, how weakly I often serve him, right? How often fearful I can be or timid I can be, how pathetic I can often be in my own flesh and yet the Lord is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his name in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. Man, the Lord is gracious, overwhelmingly merciful and compassionate and kind. What does he ask us to do? Just trust me, right? Just trust me for having sakes, just believe and go out there and do what I'm asking you to do. Trust in me and I'll bless you and I'll remember your work, right? It's tremendous. Verse 11, he goes on to say, and we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. Show the same diligence. We have an example here before us of Zebulun and Naftali and what Hebrews 6 tells us is, listen, show the same diligence, show the same heart, show the same zeal, show the same fervency, show the same faith, right? Just be, show faith, put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. That, he says in verse 12, you do not become sluggish. Sluggishness, sluggish is what we're being exhorted against here in Hebrews chapter 6. Really is what we're being exhorted against in Judges chapter 5. Don't sit home like a Reuben, right? Don't sit back like Dan or Asher or Gad. Don't sit back listening to the pipings of the flock, right? Don't sit back and do your trading with the Phoenicians or lull the gag around at the beach while there's a battle raging. Show the same diligence as Zebulun and Naftali. Show the same faith, full assurance of hope to the end so that you do not become sluggish. You know what causes sluggishness? Being sluggish. How do you escape sluggishness by stop being sluggish, right? Show diligence, full assurance of hope until the end so that you do not become sluggish. But, Hebrews 6 verse 12, imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. We have glorious examples, don't we? Absolutely beautiful, faithful, triumphant, conquering examples of faith. And you know what? It's not that one. It's not that person who is triumphant in and of themselves. You look at the Hall of Faith, the Heroes of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11. You look at that chapter. These aren't trophies carved out of the meat and matter of those men, those women in that chapter. Those are weak, frail, often fearful, morally compromised, timid clay pots through whom our great God did triumphant works of faith, right? You and I, we are the same. We are the same. Weak, frail, clay pots, expendable, dispensable clay pots. But imitate, he says imitate those through faith and patience, those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. But God is so gracious in remembering our labor. God is so gracious in not remembering all of our sins and faults, amen? It's amazing to me often how, even in Hebrews chapter 11, how God just disregards great failing. You know, it's a wonder. When we get to the end of the book of Judges and we look at the story of Samson, Samson is morally compromised in virtually every way that a man can be morally compromised. And yet Samson shows up in the hall of faith, right? How gracious and merciful is our God? God says of David, right? In all things, in all things, David was a righteous man except for that incident with Bathsheba. And somehow what's not written into that account is the fact that David sinfully took the census and thousands of Israelites die because of his sin. And yet David is a righteous man except for that incident with Bathsheba. That's the grace. You see the grace and mercy of God? What we, you could say, right, all, all that we need to do is just trust him and step out and service to him. Imitating those who through faith inherit the promises. God is so gracious. He's gracious here, merciful to remember the sacrifice of Zebulun and Naftali, memorializing them in this song in Judges chapter five. Make no mistake about it. Paul calls all of this, including their despising of their own lives, even to the point of death. Paul calls all of that in Romans chapter 12, verse one, our reasonable service. It's our reasonable service. Why is that? Because God is worthy and God is worthy. It's reasonable. It's reasonable, entirely reasonable that we should give that kind of devotion, that we should, with all that we are, give the last full measure of devotion to the God who loved us, created us, redeemed us, and should have no qualms about doing that because he is worthy of nothing less than that devotion. And God in grace and mercy will reward it. He blesses it. All of that though reveals in the actions of Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher from Judges chapter five, their actions, it reveals to be that much more shameful. Their actions are shameful. That devotion, that commitment, that love, that zeal is certainly owed to God, is our Creator, is our Redeemer. They owe it to the Lord. They owe it to the Lord's people. It's loving to love the Lord's people in that way, but they have their excuses. They have their excuses. I have to work. I have to provide for my family. That's true, isn't it? We need to work. We need to provide for our family. My first responsibility, one of them might have said, is the minister to my family. But that's not our number one priority, is it? And it doesn't grieve them a wit that they are seated back around the campfire, listening to the shepherds play their pipes while their brothers go off the war. It's not grieving them. It's not a point of sorrow that they can't make it. Is it a point of sorrow for someone here? It is really if you're in a circumstance where, let's say work, for example, is taking you away from being with the people of God. Does that grieve you at all? Does that cause you to pray to the Lord? Lord, please, I trust you. I know that you work all things together for my good. So I trust you, Lord, please arrange my work, help me, grant me favor with my employer such that I can be there with the people of God while they worship, while they sing praise to your name, while they sit under the preaching of your word. Make it, Lord, so that I can. They may say, I've got to take care of kids. Lord, please, God, please help me cultivate within my children the ability to sit quietly while we listen to preaching on Sunday night. When otherwise they would be so tired, they can't keep their eyes open. I would scream. Please help me, right? Does it, in other words, does it grieve you? Does it cause you pause? Does it make you think? Does it make you cry out to the Lord? Lord, please help me in my circumstances, because this is what I want. I want to be with the people of God. I want to be under the preaching of the word of God. I want to be in fellowship. I want to be serving my brothers and sisters. I want to be there. I want to be present. I want to be involved. I want to be woven into the fabric of this church, this body. I want to be serving you, Lord. I want to be faithful in evangelism. I want to be faithful in my devotions. Is that your heart? And does it grieve you when that's not the case? Or do you sit back with Reuben Gad, Dan and Asher, and say to yourself, Ah, you know, can't do it. Does it grieve you at all? There are many who work hard to provide for their families, and they are faithful to the Lord. These things aren't, they're not at odds with one another or in battle against one another. You are to work. You are to be faithful to the Lord. You're provide for your family and you're to serve him. These things are wed. They're not at odds against one another. Take note of those that are faithful in those circumstances. We have them for an example. The reality is, is that many are simply not willing to sacrifice their own worldly preferences. I have these worldly preferences. I'm simply not willing to sacrifice them when Zebulun and Naftali despised their own lives, even to the point of death, out of love for God and love for God's people. For the sake of appropriate and biblical application, don't think of Reuben, Gad, Dan and Asher, or Zebulun and Naftali, for that matter, as tribes in Israel. Think of them for a moment as people in our church, people named Reuben, Gad, Dan, Asher, Naftali and Zebulun. We might make fun of Naftali for his name, but now we would never do that. We love Naftali. Think about them as individuals in our church. What does, what does a Reuben, Gilead, Dan, or Asher look like in our church? We have a memorial here of Reuben, Dan, Gilead, Asher in Judges chapter 5. What would a Reuben, Gilead, Dan or Asher look like in our church? What does a Zebulun or Naftali look like in our church? We have Zebuluns and Naftalis here. We also have Reuben, Gilead, Dan's and Asher's. And there's plenty of opportunity for Reuben, Gilead, Dan's and Asher's here to follow the faith of Zebuluns and Naftalis. They must repent, repent of their associations with Reuben, Gilead, Dan and Asher, and associate themselves with Zebuluns and Naftalis. The Bible commands us to do so. You have them, for an example, follow their faith. Demas once served in the Lord's work with Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 10, but Demas simply gave it up because of worldliness. Demas, Paul says, has forsaken me in love with this present world, gave up serving the Lord for worldliness. Many have done that. Many have followed Demas without ever saying those words, themselves. I love this world, so I'm going off to that. We're not sure that Demas said those words. Demas just left the work of God for worldliness, for love of this world. And Paul is calling them out in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 10. Let's work for others to do. Those I call my brothers, I'm going to let them do that. Shameful. What does that do? It discourages the heart of God's people, discourages God's people. There are those who sit around the sheepfold, listen to music like Reuben. There are those like Dan, their work takes top ultimate priority before the Lord's work, before the Lord's people, ultimately before the Lord himself. Like Asher, there are those who prefer the beach to the battlefield, comfort of the coast rather than the blood and guts of trench warfare. You may see them on Sunday morning, but they're not exhorting their brothers. They're not evangelizing the lost. No good reason why they couldn't come on a Sunday night. Bottom line, their love for the Lord, their love for the Lord's word, their love for the Lord's people is dull, cold or absent altogether. Like Demas, the seed of the word has been choked out by the cares of this world. And then at the same time, you have Reuben, Gilead's, Dan's and Asher's. You also have those with a white, hot love for the Lord, for his word, who do not love their own lives even to death. First John, chapter three, verse 16, John says, by this we know love, because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. It's a clear statement, isn't it? By the grace of God, by the grace of God, it's only by the grace of God. Are you a zebulun? Are you a naftali? Let's charge one another up to be like zebulun, to be like naftali. I want to serve the Lord that way, right? I want to be devoted like that. Or by your own sin and neglect, are you a Reuben, Gilead, Dan or Asher? We're to take exhortation from God's word, we're to take admonishment from God's word, rebuke from God's word, repent of sin and to turn from our association with these. The Lord is worthy of zebuluns and naftalis. And for whatever you, whatever you forsake for him in this life, you'll receive back from him a hundred fold, not only in this life, certainly in this life, but also the blessedness of eternal life in the age to come. God is faithful and gracious and merciful to reward and bless his people for such devotion. Well, Deborah, we're out of time. Deborah continues this section of her song with the record of the Lord's enemies in verses 19 through 23. Quisly in verse 19, the kings came and fought and the kings of Canaan fought in Ta'anak by the waters of Megiddo. They took no spoils of silver, battled it and go as they expected. They took no loot, no spoils of silver. Cicero certainly would have expected this to be a route, but certainly would not have expected that it would be a route of his own army. There's simply no way he could have expected or prepared for what happened. They fought from the heavens. The stars from their courses fought against Cicero. God brought the very heavens against Cicero and his army. The enemies of the Lord and all their supposed strength are nothing. They are like dust on the scales against the power of the one who made heaven and earth and against the power of the one who controls the weather. Because verse 21, the torrent of Kishon swept them away, that ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon, oh my soul, march on in strength. It was then that the horses hooves pounded, the galloping, galloping, or the rearing up of his steeds, flailing in the mud of that waddy. The picture is the flailing of Cicero's horses. Curse Meras said the angel of the Lord. Curse its inhabitants bitterly because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Last statement in verse 23, the inhabitants of Meras are seen to have joined the ranks of Ruben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher. We'll speak more on this section of the text next week. Bless the Lord, amen, for all his goodness and grace to us. Praise his holy name. And bless the Lord when the people offer themselves willingly. Let's consecrate ourselves to him fully to his service and put our faith and trust in him as we do. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, we are grateful that you know our frame, how weak and frail, how often timid and faithless and unbelieving we can be, how much we need you, Lord. And yet, in great mercy and grace to us, you pity us and you come to our aid, you come to our help, Lord, and you strengthen us. In our weakness, you are seen as strong. And Lord, we are more than conquerors through you. We praise you and thank you, Lord, that through faith we can serve you fervently as zebulans and nafflees. Lord, you are gracious to hear our confessions of sin, our repentance, when we behave more like Rubens, Gilead's, Dan's, or Asher's. And we ask you, Lord, that you would be merciful to us, help us, Lord. We confess our weakness, our need of you, help us, Lord, to serve you faithfully, fervently, devotedly by faith for your glory. May we magnify you, may we love our brothers and sisters, or help us protect us from discouraging their hearts by being faithless or disobedient ourselves, and help us to encourage one another more so as we see the day approaching. And all the things may you be honored. Thank you, Lord, for this time together. Thank you for this text. In Jesus' name, amen.