 Again the title of our sermon a victory song of celebration victory song of celebration part 3 in Judges chapter 5 so tonight again. We have one more opportunity in our series here our brief series one more opportunity to celebrate with the children of Israel as Deborah and Barak complete their victory song of celebration in judges chapter 5 as we know to set the set the table for us to Give us the setting a great battle at the Wadi Kishon has been decisively won The torrent Kishon has swept away the armies of Jabin king of Hazor and his general Cicera Will not be waking up from the nap that he is taking on the floor of Giles tent a Deborah and Barak now break out into a song of praise of the Lord God of Israel God has come down with the week to defeat and deliver them from the mighty Showing himself to be mighty to save our God is a delivering saving God amen And he delights to come to the aid of those in need to deliver them from the hand of the mighty and here in judges 5 He has delivered Israel from the harsh oppression a severe oppression Under the Canaanite Pagans and he has proven time and time and time again his covenant faithfulness to his people He comes now to their aid and wins this decisive battle And so the response then of God's people to this outpouring of his grace this outpouring of his mercy to them is to sing All right, they sing in praise of God and they sing in praise of God For his mighty deeds verse 3 here. Oh kings give ear. Oh princess I even I will sing to the Lord. I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel as we said last Lord's day This is no Defined Ballad right. This is no sullen Sonnet this is no soft effeminate pretty light a candle love song This is a mess with us again. I dare you fight song. That's what this song is It's a battle him a battle him of Israel now some would say this is scandalous Some would say this is seedy or unrefined No, God's people do not see it this way when you understand sin when you understand The forces the enemies of God at work against him. No, this is not scandalous. This is not unrefined. This is a righteous pious Worshipful praising song of celebration of God's victory over his enemies. That's what judges five is Now this song of celebration this song of victory is divided into three sections Each of the three sections highlighting a contrast in section one of the song from verses one through twelve Section one features a contrast between the power of God and the powerlessness of Israel God is introduced in verse four as Mighty and marching out Toward victory the victor of his people we see his people in the wilderness, right? And God is marching out from the wilderness marching out from Sinai towards seer marching out from seer through Edom Conquering their enemies before them and leading them into the promised land God is their conquering hero The earth and the heavens and the mountains Tremble as God moves through the through the wilderness with Yahweh as her God You would expect that the children of Israel would be unconquerable. They would be Undefeatable, but the sin of Israel and God's righteous judgment left the nation powerless Israel is powerless against her enemies and now under the iron fist of a ruthless enemy in verse six Village life here is decimated the highways are deserted Israelites were driven into their homes driven into hiding Utterly incapable of doing anything to help themselves anything to defend themselves or anything to better their position Not a shield or a spear found among 40,000 in Israel However, the children of Israel have God as their God So the children of Israel cried out to God for mercy and God the faithful God who keeps Covenant and mercy for a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments Our God heard their cry and answers their prayer. He hears them in their distress He remembers them in their misery and he provides for their deliverance In section two of the song from verses 13 through 23 This section features a contrast between those allies of the Lord that the Lord leads into battle and all those Enemies that are defeated at his hand and we saw last Lord's day how Even within the camp of Supposed allies there are still those who would prove themselves to be faithless And those who because of their faithlessness would discourage the hearts of the faithful Nevertheless despite those Deborah records Those who took place in the victory the faithful those who honor the word of God those who esteemed God esteemed his word esteemed his Promises and those who for his sake loved not their own lives even to the point of death Those allies are contrasted with the enemy that shows up in verse 19. Look there at verse 19 with me the kings came and fought Then the kings of Canaan fought in Ta'anak by the waters of Megiddo We looked at that destination in our study of Judges chapter 4 And they took no spoils of silver now Jabin and Cicera as it turns out are Representatives here in verse 19 of all of the enemies of Israel which are the Canaanites and all the kings of the Canaanites Here Jabin and Cicera Stand for all the kings of Canaan and all the kings of Canaan are said to have come down in verse 19 to fight in Ta'anak by the waters of Megiddo and Subsequently all the kings of kings of Canaan were defeated might as well have defeated the whole lot and driven them all out of Canaan There would be no spoils of water for them and God is victorious over these kings and what happened look at verse 20 with me What happened? They fought from the heavens The stars from their courses fought against Cicera. In other words God brought all the forces of nature To this battle All the power of God was arrayed against the powerlessness of the Canaanites as he drew from heaven to defeat them in Verse 21 the torrent of Kishan swept them away that ancient torrent the torrent of Kishan now Deborah Revealing in this at the wonder of it all you can imagine that victory given them by God Deborah responds with an exclamation of exhortation to herself the end of verse 21. Oh my soul march on in strength Now you and I have probably said something like that to ourselves I have certainly over my Christian life before there have been times when I've been so wrapped up in the grace and mercy and might and power and Faithfulness of God that I just have to remind myself. What am I doing? Why don't I serve him more faithfully, right? It's the same kind of a thing. We see the grace and mercy of God and we say to ourselves. Oh, man I have no business doing anything else But serving him with all my heart soul mind and strength and God is worthy of that kind of commitment That's the kind of commitment that Deborah is saying to herself here in verse 21. Oh my soul March on in strength, right? We are more Than conquerors through him who loved us. Do you believe that? more than conquerors He always leads us in triumph in Christ and Lord God will give us the victory This is an exclamation of victorious faith in verse 21. Oh my soul march on in strength when you Find yourself in difficulty. You find yourself in adversity when you're facing a challenge Remember the strength the mercy the grace the goodness of God toward you that God is Powerful against every enemy of ours. He is sovereign over every adversity that we face and say to yourself as Deborah did Oh my soul march on in strength. We have no reason to do anything different, right? But to march on in strength So that's what Deborah proclaims here in verse 21 and then in verse 22 Then the horses hooves pounded the galloping galloping of his steeds Now the infantry here in verse 22 is owned by Jabin this is these are his horses and we know it happens the wadi kishin becomes wet becomes Doused with rain the torrent comes that wadi turns into a mud pit What happens the iron chariots and horses when they're caught in the mud here? You can imagine a horses hooves pounding in the mud the word galloping there That word has the sense of rearing up the rearing up of stallions is exactly what it's talking about And so you have a picture here of the horses that are caught up in the torrent They're caught up in the mud Struggling at the wadi kishon and we know what happens right the armies of Israel route Jabin and his 900 chariots of army and win the battle God wins the battle for them. So then Deborah Ends this section now with a final command by the Malak Yahweh or the messenger of the Lord in verse 23 listen verse 23 curse Mara's Said the angel of the Lord Curse its inhabitants bitterly why? Because they did not come to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty And here we have this city Mara's Mara's Obviously a city inhabited by Israelites The thing with me about what this says Mara's expected in verse 23 expected to come to the battle to aid their countrymen To fight for the Lord Against the mighty against the enemies of God, but they did not Mara's expected to be there but they did not come now It may be the reason for the curse here that if you remember Nor Ruben or Gilead nor Dan nor Asher got for their failure to come now We see in verse 23 Mara's doesn't come to the battle and they're cursed by the angel of the Lord in verse 23 It may be that the city was very close Making their Obstinance that much more offensive to God they didn't come to the aid of their countrymen like they should have Whatever the reason They incur the wrath of God here in verse 23 in a way that even Ruben Gilead Dan or Asher did not They are cursed bitterly by the Malak Yahweh or the messenger the envoy Who is from God here now this in verse 23 then Sets up another contrast for us. We've been talking about contrast through this song verse 23 sets up another contrast in this second section of Deborah's song Mara's along with Ruben Gilead Dan and Asher are Israelites who Refused to stand with the one true and living God against his enemies They refused to stand with God while section three of the song Begins with Jael who is a Gentile woman who will stand with the one true and living God of Israel Against their enemies you see the contrast People of Israel these tribes particularly here Mara's won't stand with God for all that God has done for them And yet here's a Gentile woman Jael who will right this is Exceedingly shameful Exceedingly shameful Mara's think of their think of the blessings and the privileges that the children of Israel have had from the Lord We talked about this or studied this in Romans chapter 9 a sermon or two ago in our study on the essentials on Sunday morning Right Mara's who are Israelites to quote Paul in Romans 9 They're Israelites to whom pertain the adoption the glory the covenants the giving of the law the service of God and the promises of Whom are the fathers Mara should have known better. Amen should have known better What have they done? They've taken the grace and mercy of God for granted here. Look at all they've got and they've taken it for granted Being the recipients of such grace being the benefactors of such blessing and In the end all of that has been received in vain and it profits Mara's Nothing Mara's is cursed Why why? Because Mara's sat by and Did not take up the Lord's cause That's why of all that Mara's had been given all the blessings afforded to them Mara's then sits by Does not take up the Lord's cause against the Lord's enemies and Mara's is cursed cursed for it put to shame By a gentile woman Who would have been pleased to be to have eaten from the crumbs that fell from the master's table. Yeah, you remember that story? Jail a gentile woman who would have been pleased with the crumbs that fell from her master's table while the children of Israel sit by Did the Lord need their help did the Lord? Need the help of Mara's to win the battle No No, he wins the battle. He's victorious without their help. He needs no one or no thing He certainly would have won the battle. He did win the battle, but the Lord says in Luke chapter 11 verse 23 He who is not with me is what is against me is against me he who does not gather with me what? He scatters abroad He scatters abroad We've received Such grace from God. Have we not? You and I are the recipients of Tremendous lavish Outpourings of God's grace and mercy if you're in Christ it is because God in a bounding Grace from the riches of his mercy has reached to you to cause you to be born again to Transform your wicked heart from a rebellious perverse corrupt heart to a heart that loves him Loves the Lord Jesus Christ loves righteousness. The Lord has done that for you Lord. It's forgiven you of your sin He's adopted you into his household as a son or daughter of the kingdom. We have such blessings We have the fullness of God's revelation given to us The fullness of God's revelation and the Lord Jesus Christ himself given to us. We've received such Grace from the Lord and the Lord says that we are not to receive the grace of God in vain Not to receive the grace of God in vain Mara's that's exactly what they did all that grace Received in vain. May we never be indifferent to it as Mara's was We must stand with him stand with him in his cause For his purposes for his aims for his glory if you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ you are employed in his work. Do you see? You are now an ambassador for Christ Paul says you are employed in the gospel work of Preaching the gospel to all creatures. You are employed so to speak in God Gathering his elect from the four corners of the earth. You were employed in the service of his people to make disciples You're employed in his cause Here Mara says now, you know We simply don't care Don't care not going to show up and Mara's is cursed Stand with him if you're not with him in the work preaching the gospel making disciples Serving in the Lord's church loving the Lord's people then you are against him if you're not gathering with him Then you are scattering abroad. You see Mara's here is cursed There were cities in the New Testament cursed right the Lord cursed Bethsaida Lord cursed Karazin cursed Because if the light that was revealed to them Had been displayed Manifested in Sodom and Gomorrah Then those two wicked and perverse cities would have remained to this day the Lord said And yet they received the grace of God in vain. They received the grace of God in vain We have such grace has given us such blessings such privileges It's the privilege to be here tonight. Amen a privilege to have a church building where we can gather in A privilege to be saved to a body with other believers that we can fellowship with and Share with and have sweet fellowship together. Love one another, right? This is a blessing a tremendous blessing a church like this where the people are they love the Lord They love the Lord's word. They love one another. This is a tremendous blessing We cannot receive the grace of God in vain. We can't be like Mara's You see We can't sit by While others take up the cause of the Lord We must pick up the mantle of ministry ourselves. Do you see? You and I we The church is not a nebulous thing, right? The church is not an ethereal Undefinable nebulous blob that the Lord created. It's made up of you and me It's made up of individuals people that the Lord has redeemed. It's you and I we are the church. Do you see? So it's up to you. It's up to me to pick up the mantle of ministry and serve the Lord in his cause We're not to sit by here. God issues a curse against those who sat by while others fought the Lord's battles Do you see? Let it not be said of us This is our generation. This is our time. This is our area This is our place. This is our location, right? This is our community These are our neighborhoods This is our place our time. Let's be faithful. Amen. Let's be faithful in our time Let's be faithful and what the Lord has called us to do. Let's be faithful in his work Laboring with him gathering with him. So it's not said of us that we are scattering or against him So as we come then To section three in the song of deborah and verses 24 through 30 In section three now We find lastly a contrast between jah el the workman's hammer And the mother of sissara It's a poignant vignette Contrast here between jah el and the mother of sissara now the third section here of the song begins with jah el From the raging battle in the wadi kishan among thousands Here to a seemingly insignificant and private encounter between two two people One commentator remarks that the killing of sissara is recorded here with savage pleasure I like that. It is true. Look at verse 24 Most blessed among women Is jah el sounds like the blessing afforded mary The beginning of the new testament here in the old testament most blessed among women is jah el the wife of heber the kennight She was a Gentile woman Blessed is she among women in tents here Contrasted with the women of israel who at this time would have lived in paneled houses Israel has taken the land israel lives in houses here jah el living in a tent blessed Blessed is jah el the wife of heber the kennight blessed is she among women in tents now the song Commends her shrewdness Commends her wisdom commends her courage verse 25 He the general sissara asked for water jah el was shrewd She gave him milk. She had a plan. She was carrying out her plan. She was courageous She had intentions here And for as far as sissara was concerned. They're not good intentions She brought out cream In a lordly bowl in other words. She gave sissara the royal treatment Not just water but milk a lavish gesture fit for a general of jayben's army The word for brought here. She brought out cream in the lordly bowl is formal formal award it carries the sense of presentation. She presented to sissara a Adarim a magnificent bowl She presented to him a lordly bowl a magnificent or majestic bowl of cream Now jayel Has determined her course of action. She's calculated What she is able to do to serve the god of israel and think about this with me. She that's her that's her mind She has thought to herself This is how i am going to serve the one true and living god of israel Sissara comes passes by her tent. She sees him and calls out to him to lure him into the tent Jail has intentions and her intentions is to take up the cause Of the king the one true and living god of israel. She a gentile woman is going to serve the lord It's not unlike reyhab. You remember Not unlike other gentiles who have taken up the cause of the one true and living god of israel Here it's jayel's turn. She has inter intention. She's determined her course of action She's calculated what she can do and now she acts in great faith Great faith great courage great wisdom great shrewdness And then recorded with great relish The death of the enemy of god's people at jayel's hand verse 26 Again in faith, right? She stretched her hand to the tent peg her right hand of the workman's hammer She pounded sissara. She pierced his head. She split and struck through his temple I remember when we looked at this in judges four Jail would have been really handy with a tent peg and a hammer It was up to the women at that day in time to put up the tents She would have known exactly what to do. She would have been very proficient with the hammer and what is recorded there is A blast from jail Likely one strike was all it took One hammer to the peg and the peg drives through sissara's head into the floor of the tent And kills kills sissara splits his head right there at her feet She pierced his head. She split and struck through his temple at her feet. He sank. He fell. He lay still at her feet He sank. He fell it might have been Could have been we're speculating that the first blow Was a shock to sissara. Maybe he had he had enough strength. I can't imagine But to maybe get to his knees or to attempt a move But he sank. He fell. He lay still where he sank there. He fell dead Jail and judges chapter five Portrayed as anything But a foolish woman Jail's portrayed as a strong courageous shrewd wise Triumphant woman. She is the workman's hammer. Do you see so we get the title of our sermon the workman's hammer. This is jail While the men Of mara's that shameful lot While the men of mara's loiter behind in their paneled houses Jail calls out to sissara from her tent To lure her enemy to her What do we see in contrast to this faithful bold and decisive act of jail in contrast Mara's despite all its privileges is cursed The weak men of israel are shamed God's enemies are humiliated bail is seen as utterly worthless Their general is dead at the hand of a woman and jail God's appointed means of deliverance is memorialized in song. Why because of her shrewdness because of her faith Because of her courage because she took up the hammer against god's enemies. Do you see she did what she could the puritan Richard rogers commenting on this text said this He said many silly persons Now think of that word silly for me in the 16th century when rogers was writing The word silly in the english of the day meant innocent Or meant deserving of compassion Silly meant someone who is simple Right, so think of it that way not terms of silly as in foolish so many simple people many innocent people those that You might see as deserving of or needful of compassion many of those persons So furnished with the grace of god Have forced great ones To wish from their hearts For all their wealth and power that they were like unto them You see what's being said about jail in other words It's that one who Despite what the world would see as their Desperate condition or needful condition or their humblest state or their Difficult plight or their difficult state those Who simply in faith Serve the lord faithfully In what they've been called to do in their circumstance in their time in their place They take up the lord's cause And in humble simple devoted faith They faithfully serve god It will be those Who are great Those who are powerful those who are mighty Those who believe themselves to be proud those who believe themselves to be worth something It will be them for all their wealth and power That they wish they were like jail. Do you see we get so caught up in Wanting more for ourselves That we forget is just simple faithfulness simple obedience right following the lord Obeying the lord living for him Simple acts of love and devotion. It's like Mary and john chapter 11 Uh an innocent person Someone you might think would be in need of compassion Who on the night before jesus christ was crucified She broke The alabaster flasks of costly costly oil She anointed the head anointed the feet of the lord jesus christ Loved in that way Devoted to the lord in that way giving her prized possession For him for his cause for his sake And what does the lord do he memorializes her Wherever the gospels preach in all the world what this woman has done will be remembered It's the simple things right it's not that complicated Doesn't take the mighty doesn't take the wealthy doesn't take the powerful. It just takes the faithful The faith filled it takes those who are devoted of heart and mind to the lord jesus christ And that here is jael Someone who we might think was simple living in a tent and yet here jael Apart from god who is the hero of our song jael here is lifted in judges five as a heroine And what of cicera? what of cicera That proud Enemy of god What of the haughty right what of the mighty one the general cicera? The lord brings to naught the high and haughty He brings forth the mighty from their god defying seat of supposed power What does god do? He puts them to an open shame Puts them to an open shame. Listen god knows how to cast down the proud It's not just that god casts down the proud and gives grace to the humble He certainly does that but god knows how to do it Think with me for a moment about cicera An illustration of this would be abimelech abimelech in judges chapter nine God draws out abimelech on his high horse so to speak And then an unnamed woman drops a millstone on his head And he calls to his armor bearer his page his little servant boy And he says draw your sword and kill me so it's not said of me that I was killed at the hand of a woman God knows how to cast down the proud. Do you see what about jezebel? That vile despicable disgusting woman in second king's chapter nine God spoke by elijah about what he would do to her Jehu shows up at her house She puts on her makeup. She calls out from an upstairs window. Is it peace? Is it peace that wicked woman? Jehu calls back to others in the room. He says who's on my side in other words Who's on the lord's side? Who's on the lord's side? Throw her down He calls There were a couple of eunuchs up there who took jezebel by the scruff of the neck and threw her out of the window Her blood splattered splattered on the wall of the building splattered on his horse He trampled her with his horse What did jehu do jehu went inside to have lunch? God knows how to cast down the proud does he not? While jehu was inside eating his lunch the dogs were outside eating their lunch Nothing was left of jezebel but her skull her feet and the palms of her hands And the feces left behind by the dogs That was all that was left of jezebel the lord knows how to cast down the proud A righteous end to jezebel a righteous end to abimelech and a righteous end to cicera This is the end of all those who stand opposed to god and listen all of that Is a mere foretaste of hell A mere foretaste of hell god knows how to cast down the proud God also knows how to give grace to the humble Praise the lord Humble yourself before god Acknowledge your sin against him turn from your rebellion against him turn to jesus christ in whole hearted faith and commitment And he will give you grace. He will give you mercy Now contrasted with jail Is the mother of cicera While jail yet clutches the hammer look at verse 28 The mother of cicera Looked through the window cried out through the lattice Why is this chariot so long and coming? Why terries the clatter of his chariots? That's certainly a natural response, isn't it of a mother for her son Concern for his safety the longer he's gone the more worried the more anxious she becomes But be sure here in verse 28. This is a godless pity a godless selfish concern She may have concern for her son But listen, it's a concern that is in defiance of god The lord's cause the lord's people the ever-living soul of her own son. She's concerned Not for those things. She is defiant against the lord god of israel It is a worldly misplaced fleeting and idolatrous affection And it's seen in how she comforts herself look at verse 29 It's seen in how she comforts herself her wise this lady's answered her. Yes, she answered herself. Listen, are they not finding and dividing the spoil? Certainly, that's why he's late in coming back They're dividing the spoil amongst themselves and she's celebrating She's relishing the thought of this in her head and what is the spoil they're dividing to every man a girl or two The word there means a womb literally in verse 30 A womb A couple of wombs for every man in other words in other words She comforts herself in the thought of her son sissera raping and pillaging That's what she comforts herself with that's what she's doing in verses 29 and 30 Right garments plunder of dyed garments plunder of garments embroidered and dyed two pieces of dyed embroidered for the neck of the looter And for every man a girl or two He's raping and pillaging. She's comforting her comforting herself that he's off with the boys Getting himself into all kinds of trouble and he's just delayed in his coming What a godless woman right in her misplaced sympathy for her son To debora and barric singing this song There's a certain sense of justice. Can't you hear it? See it there in the white space between the words There's a certain sense of justice in the notion that she sits at home waiting and weeping for a son who will never come back right vane hope prideful and delusional woman God casts down the proud and gives grace to the humble This is not unlike the wicked hayman The wicked hayman builds the gallows Believes that he's got mordecai dead to rights Right i'm gonna hang mordecai on these gallows that i've built And then he has hung himself on the very gallows that he has made listen If you are on the wrong side You may have experienced what you believe to be a victory here or there as certainly The mother of cissura believed But it will not end well for you It will not end well vane hope Will certainly end in everlasting shame vane empty pointless meaningless unbiblical hope Will certainly end in everlasting shame And you should be warning your sons and daughters with the same message Warning them unlike the mother of cissura Judge yourselves lest you be judged by god with the world Well this song victory song of celebration comes to a conclusion in verse 31 Thus let all your enemies perish. Oh lord Thus let all your enemies perish. Oh lord. Let all those that despise you. Oh god Thus perish let all those Who take up a cause against you our righteous Holy victorious gracious loving forgiving Merciful kind Compassionate holy god let all those who take up their cause against you god Parish in just the same way Why because god is worthy of praise and devotion Worthy that we should take up his cause and praise and worship him Let all your enemies perish like that. Oh lord Notice they're not her enemies, but god's enemies in verse 31 all those who oppose god May all your enemies perish like cissura May all your enemies perish like a bimilek like jezebel Just like the canaanites Just like those heartless Faithless inhabitants of meras Unless they repent they will likewise perish. Do you see? Unless you repent you will likewise perish What about those who stayed behind resolved not to obey the word of god unless they repent they will likewise perish This in verse 31 is debra praying Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven That's what she's praying here in verse 31. Thus let all your enemies perish. Oh lord but God knows how to cast down the proud, but he knows how to give grace to the humble But she finishes let those who love him Be like the sun when it comes out in full strength The word for love here verse 31 is the word ahav. It's far more than mere emotion The word carries the sense of covenant commitment A commitment to the lord the bible says that god shows Hesed loving kindness His covenant love for his people is a hesed love. It's a loving kindness And it's for those who ahav those who love him and show that love through a commitment to keep his commandments It's love him and keep his commandments Those who love him in this way Those who will be like the sun when it comes out in full strength in other words those who will be glorified Are those who love him and express that love through faithful grateful joyful obedience Proverbs chapter 4 verse 18 The path of the just Is like the shining sun That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day The way of the wicked is like darkness They do not know what makes them stumble And so the record of the workman's hammer comes to an end in verse 31 And so the land had rest for 40 years The overwhelming defeat of jaben Cicera and the canaanites is evidence that his ultimate victory is imminent God wins this victory pointing forward to the fact that he will win all of his victories And there is an ultimate and final victory coming Those who love him through faith in jesus christ Will have their rest with him not for 40 years But into eternity amen amen. Let's pray Father in heaven, we love you Our desires to be faithful to you our desires lord not to receive the grace of god in vain but to Place ourselves humbly Under the word of god under your revealed will to obey you to love you to serve you in faith lord and to be faithful with all that you've given us With all our heart soul mind and strength to love you to worship you to praise you to serve you Into eternity We praise you and thank you lord that that is Not in our own strength, but we have your spirit to strengthen us your spirit to guide us and direct us And we need you lord in this help us Help us lord protect us from being like mara's protect us from being vain and Shallow in our commitment like rubin or gilead or dan or asher in this particular situation lord help us protect us from certainly from being like those proud those opposers of god Like abimelech or like Jezebel Heyman Lord and help us to serve you in faith and obedience and love and devotion Thank you lord for your word and instructs us Give us faith lord now to follow you in it in jesus name amen