THROUGH THE BIBLE - Judges 5..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Very good, my dear brother, my dear sister, beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us to have clarity as we receive the Word, as we preach the Word and as we meditate on the contents of this chapter number 5.

As I said to you, I want to speak to you about the joy of revival. There is in revival joy. And when I speak about revival, my dear brother and sister, I'm speaking about this gracious condescension of God. that comes down to visit His people who have deviated their ways in ways of unrighteousness and wickedness, and just out of His grace and out of His desire to glorify Himself in the work of His people, He comes down to visit them and to mightily work His grace in them. so that these people who were walking in ways of unrighteousness, who were walking in ways of wickedness and darkness, will be mightily transformed and will be directly in the ways of the Lord.

And the power of the Spirit of God will be so mightily manifested in them, so that that which was natural to them, darkness, wickedness, and unrighteousness, will be converted into times of peace, times of righteousness and times of abiding in the presence of the Lord. And the reason why I want to speak to you about the joy that comes from that revival is because here in chapter number five of the book of Judges, we have the song of Deborah, which is a manifestation of that joy that comes as the result of the revival that God is bringing to the land. We're going to be told, not only in chapter 4, but also in chapter number 5, that after times of wickedness and after times of disobedience, the Lord will hear the crying out of the people of Israel, who had been given over to the judgment of God, the disciplinary judgment of God, to the hands of the Canaanites. that the Lord will hear the crying out of these people. And that crying out just coupled with a little of faith, as our brother mentioned to us last week.

The crying out of the heart of the people unto the Lord, coupled, coming together with a little bit of faith. produces and is manifested in a great coming of the Lord to deliver the people of Israel, as we saw in chapter number 4, not only from their enemies, because they are actually going to be delivered from the Canaanites, but more importantly, they are delivered from the unrighteousness of their heart. Because as we're going to read in this chapter, 40 years of peace will be given to the people of Israel. Not only because now they have been delivered from the hands of the enemies, the Canaanites and the other enemies, but also because these people who have enjoyed and received the presence of the Lord, now are going to walk in ways of obedience for 40 years. A cycle that will then start with disobedience once again.

Here in this song of Deborah, as we are going to read, my dear brother and sister, we see a clear manifestation of joy, of seeing the victory of the Lord. The Lord coming down to rescue these people that were under the bondage of the Canaanites. A manifestation of what genuine joy is, to behold the works of the Lord and to see the judgments of the Lord upon the land. The Song of Deborah, as we're going to read it in these 31 verses, does not only outline all the accomplishments of the Lord when the people of Israel did not deserve, but also, as we're going to see, brings the reality of the judgments of the Lord upon those who oppose the people of God. Because this revival that came to the people of Israel came with that, the presence of the Lord to bring times of peace and also the judgments of God upon the Canaanites, their kings, and the people of the hidden.

So let us come, my dear brother and sister, and let us pay careful attention to these 31 verses. And let us see now the heart of this woman as she's moved by beholding. So having beheld the beauty and the power of the works of the Lord, now is moved in joy to open her mouth to sing praises unto the Lord in this song of Deborah in chapter number 5. Let us read, paying careful attention to the details that she gives us. And after that, we'll speak about the joy in revival or the joy of the Lord in revival.

This is Judges chapter 5. And this is the word of the Lord. Let us pay careful attention to each one of the words. Judges chapter 5, Then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, that the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly. Bless the Lord.

Hear, O king, give ear, O princess, to the Lord, I will sing. I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel. Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom, The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped. Yes, the clouds dropped water. The mountains quaked before the Lord, even Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel.

In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways. The villagers ceased in Israel. They ceased to be until I arose. I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel. When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates.

Was shield or spear to be seen among 40,000 in Israel? My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the Lord. Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets, and you who walk by the way. To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord, the righteous triumphs of the villagers in Israel.

Then down the gates march the people of the Lord, awake. Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake! Break out in a song!

Arise, Barak! Lead away your captives, O son of Binoam!" Then down marched the remnant of the noble. The people of the Lord marched down from me against the mighty. From Ephraim, the root, they marched down into the valley, following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen.

From Makir, marched down the commanders. And from Zebulun, those who bear the lieutenant's staff. The princess of Issachar came with Deborah and Issachar, faithful to Barak, into the valley. They rushed at his heels among the clans of Reuben. There were great searchings of hearts.

Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of hearts. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings.

Zebulon is a people who risked their lives to the death. Naphtali too. on the heights of the field. The kings came, they fought. Then fought the kings of Canaan at Tanakh by the waters of Megiddo.

They got no spoils of silver. From heaven the starts fought. From their courses they fought against Caesara. The torrent Kishan swept them away. The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishan, march on, my soul, with might.

then loud beat the horses' hooves with the galloping of his steeds. Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord. Curse its inhabitants thoughtfully, because they did not come to the help of the Lord against the mighty." Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite, of ten dwelling women, most blessed. He asked for water, and she gave him milk.

She brought him curds in a noble's bowl, and she sent her hand to the tenth peg, and her right hand to the workman's mullet. She struck Cicero. She crushed his head. She shattered and pierced his temple. Between her feet, he sank.

He fell. He lay still between her feet. He sank. He fell where he sank. There he fell dead.

Out of the window, she peered. The mother of Cicero wailed through the lattice. Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoop-beats of his chariots? Her wisest princesses answer indeed.

She answers herself, Have they not found and divided the spoil? I womb or two for every man, spoiled of thy materials for Caesara, spoiled of thy materials embroidered, two pieces of thy work embroidered for the neck as a spoil. So may all your enemies perish, O Lord, but your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might. and the land had rest for 40 years." Amen.

This is the Word of the Lord, my dear brother and my dear sister. Of all the ways that a testimony could have been written for what took place in chapter number 4, of all the ways that Scripture has to recollect the mighty events of the Lord, of all the different types of genre and how writers write in the Bible, to give a recollection, a testimony of the things that happened in chapter number 4, the Lord chose a song. a song to be written and a song to be sang, to give testimony of those things that had happened in chapter number 4, of this coming of God to rescue the people of Israel, of this condescension of the grace of God, to hear the crying out of the people of Israel and to respond to that in grace and to visit them, to rescue them from the bondage in which they were in the hands of the Canaanites. I sung, my dear brother and sister, that was supposed to be not only a testimony that was going to be written, but a testimony that was supposed to abide in the lips of each one of the generations of the people of Israel. God had given Israel the Scriptures, But in this case, he also gave the Scriptures and I sung.

I sung, my dear brother, that just like the song of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 32, which was supposed to be a transgenerational token of the work of the Lord among the people of Israel. It was supposed to be a testimony from generation to generation of the works of the Lord. Something that was not only supposed to be written, but that was supposed to abide in the lips of those people who profess to be the people of God. And my dear brother and sister, my dear soul, a song in the Scripture is with the ultimate purpose to bring praise to the Lord. As we have just read it there in verse 3 and 4, this is with the purpose of bringing praise to the Lord for what He has accomplished.

Not only the song here, but as you go through the songs, all the songs are with the purpose of bringing praises and glory to the One who is the One that operates and does. But that is not the only purpose of a song. There's also a purpose that is for the audience of the song. And if you pay attention there carefully in verse 3, Deborah says, Hear, O kings, and give ear, O princes, to the Lord, I will sing. The audience of this song was supposed to hear of the marvelous works of the Lord.

And these kings, of course, my dear brother, are not the kings of Israel, because they did not have kings. And these princes were not the princes of Israel, because they did not have princes, but rather these were the Gentile kings. for whom this song had been written. And as she was singing this song with Barak, and the generations will sing of this song, what happened in chapter number 4 will be a testimony for the Gentile kings of the mighty things that God had done upon the people of Israel. The ultimate purpose of a song is to bring praise to the Lord, but also to be a testimony to those who hear the song.

But also, my dear brother and sister, A song is supposed to be a natural manifestation of joy in the heart of the person who sings that song unto the Lord. You see, there's a very interesting power with songs in the Scriptures, because there is a sense in which we can just fill our mouths with songs and with words and just put melodies in our words, in our mouths. But brethren, the songs that we find in the Scriptures are meant to be natural. Organic, move of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the person. So, that person now is moved to sing with his lips, to bring praises unto the Lord, to offer sacrifices that are pleasing unto the Lord from their lips, because this person is moved genuinely by the work of the Holy Spirit.

And my dear brother, my dear sister, this is what we see with this woman, that this woman, after seeing the power of God in coming and liberating these people from the oppression of the Canaanites, she's so moved by the Holy Spirit that now she opens her mouth to not only bring praises to the Lord and to be a testimony to the hidden, but also a manifestation of her heart. And of course, also Barack, that this God has visited us and has liberated us. And this is the manifestation of joy, brethren. manifestation of joy that is begotten in a very important place. If you very quickly come to chapter number four, there we have a verse in chapter number four, that that is the place where joy is begotten.

Chapter number four, verse three, we're told something about something very important about this whole narrative of chapter number four, and chapter number five. Chapter number or chapter number four, verse three says, then The people of Israel, brethren, cried out to the Lord for help, for He had nine-handed chariots of iron, and He oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for 20 years. The place where the joy that we see in Judges chapter 5 is begotten and commences and starts is in the crying out of the people of Israel, that deserving the judgment of God because of their iniquity and having received the oppression of the discipline of the Lord, now are moved to cry out and not so much crying out of pain. Because you can see there in verse 3 that the object of the crying out of the people of Israel is the Lord. The people of Israel were moved to cry out to the Lord, their God, for help, knowing that it was only the Lord, the one who could rescue them from the place in which they were.

The joy that we see of liberation that is found in chapter number 5 is begotten and it starts with a heart that is moved to cry out to the Lord. And as the brother said last week, just that couple with a little bit of faith, with someone who believes, to someone who hears the Word of God, the crying out of the people of God, couple and coming together, brethren, with faith. Humanly speaking, it moves God to come down to visit His people and to work in such a way that it would have been impossible for the people of God to liberate themselves from that particular oppression. My dear brother and my dear sister, that is the place where joy of revival begins. in the coming on the knees, crying out to the Lord for the help of the Lord, that the ways that now have been crooked and deviated, the ways that now have been moved from the ways of righteousness, that the Lord will be the only one who is able to come and visit the transformer and to ask the Lord for help, that He will be the one that gives that joy of revival that is the one that sustains.

But if you return to chapter number 5, we're told something very sad, my dear brother and sister, because all the joy that we see in the heart of Deborah is concluded with a very particular verse. And that is verse 31, the last clause. Did you pay attention to that? It says, "...and the land had rest for 40 years."

You know what that means, brethren? That means that the rest of the effects of the coming down of God to visit the people of Israel was temporal. What happened in year 41 or year 40 in one day? They turned and they deviated. The Lord who had come down to visit the people of Israel, the Lord who had done that mighty work that we read in chapter number 4, the Lord that had empowered the people of Israel to defeat the Canaanites in such a mighty way, the Lord who had filled the heart of Deborah and Barak with such a joy that they will sing this song that was meant to be a transgenerational token, that it was even written in the Scriptures, because brethren, there's no other songs there, it's only the song of Deborah.

That visitation of the Lord came to an end. The effects of God working in the midst of His people came to an end. And why did that happen? That happened because the people of Israel removed themselves from the presence of the Lord. Come very quickly, please, to Psalm chapter 16 and learn something very important about not only joy, but also the presence of the Lord.

Psalm 16. Psalm 16, verse 11. You make known to me the path of life. In your presence, There is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Brethren, read that again.

In your presence, there is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Brethren, The words that we have just read in chapter number 5, that the Holy Spirit decided that they would be left in the Scriptures for us to read, a song of Deborah, not only written in words, but also meant to be a song in the lips of the people of God, to remember the works of the Lord, just as the Psalms are songs that are supposed to be not only in your Bible, but also in your lips, as you sing unto the Lord for the things that He has done. are supposed to be a manifestation of the works of God in your life, or the life of the people of God, that genuinely move you to experience the joy that only comes from the Lord. Not joy that can be produced by temporal things, not joy that can be produced by the things of this world, but rather the joy that can only be found in the presence of God. to remain and to abide in the presence of the Lord.

And let me submit to you, my dear brother, my dear sister, my dear soul, that there's no comparison with the joy that is found at the presence and at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, at the feet of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us, the joy that is given to us by the things of this world, or the things that are not of God. There's absolutely no comparison. And I hope that the words that I'm speaking relate to your soul. Because if you have been at that place in which you are at the presence of the Lord, and the realization of what He has done for you comes so mightily upon your soul, that place is a beautiful place for you to remain and you don't want to depart. Because my dear brother and sister, genuine joy, as the joy that we see in the heart of Deborah, is the joy that is the result of genuine communion with God, and seeing and beholding the works of God that mightily take place in the people of God, and also in your soul.

The problem is, my dear brother and sister, that just as the people of Israel that deviated so often of the ways of the Lord, and just as the people of Israel that so often received the mighty work of God and saw the mighty things of God, it is many times with us necessary that the same afflictions and the same things that they experienced and they went through will be manifested in our lives, so that we will know to rely on the Lord and to depend upon the Lord. If you remember, if you come very quickly with me, please, to 2 Corinthians. Chapter number 1, 2 Corinthians chapter number 1. I was telling those who were in the prayer meeting last night of the power of 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians chapter number 1.

Brethren, what happens after 2nd Corinthians is powerful. Many churches are going to be planted. The Gentile world is going to be transformed upside down after what happens in 2nd Corinthians. Yet the Apostle Paul is going to tell us something very interesting of his experience of what was taking place. If you go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 8, it says, 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 8, For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, pay attention, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.

Now, pay attention to how the apostle speaks about that affliction. Remember, chapter number 4, Israel crying out because of the affliction of the Canaanites upon them. Pay attention to this, how the Apostle speaks about this affliction that they experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened, beyond measure or beyond our strength, that we despaired of life itself. Brethren, imagine and picture that experience, that the circumstances are so dark, That the burden is so heavy, that the circumstances are just so uncertain.

That you know that death is there. That you know that there's no hope of one more day. That you know that life will be no more. that you know that that's it, that is the end, that is my last second, that is my last minute, that is the last moment of my life. Now you are certain and the only strength that you have is sufficient just for you to be enough, to know enough that you are about to die.

Yet the Apostle says this, verse 9, Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But then he says, But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. Oh, brethren, this is the power of dying to self. This is the power of suffering. This is the power of affliction in the life of the Christian, in the life of the people of God, that when we are crushed by the circumstances, that when we are crushed by darkness, that when we are crushed with tribulation, that is in a sense the best place to be.

Because when you arrive to that place, then if the Spirit of God is in you, that Spirit will make you know and give you the certainty of that is not about you, but that you are to rely on Him. Brethren, when that happens, when the soul of the Christian arrives to that point, and if all that happens collectively, that is revival. It's all of us, brethren, coming to a point in which we realize that we need to rely completely upon Him. And brethren, the Lord does it two ways. One, with the grace of the scriptures that continually call us to submit ourselves and to come to the Lord.

Or if this does not work, brethren, if this does not work, If the preaching of the words, if the calling to people to bow their knees to the Lord, if the calling to people to pray and to give themselves unto the Lord, if the calling people constantly and ongoingly to surrender their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ does not operate, Then the Lord works through tribulation, the Lord works through trials and difficulties, that we will count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." My dear brother and sister, you know what the will of the Lord is for us? Come to 1st Thessalonians, please, chapter 5, and I finish with that. 1st Thessalonians, chapter 5.

Verse 16, did I mention the chapter? Chapter 5. Let us read it together, paying attention to the words, brethren. Verse 16. Rejoice.

When, brethren? Rejoice always. Verse 17, brethren? Pray without ceasing. Number 18.

Give thanks in some circumstances, brethren, in all circumstances. My English is terrible today. Now it continues and it says, For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, for whom, brethren? For you. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in every single circumstances of your life.

My dear brother, my dear sister, that a visitation of the Holy Spirit will be so mightily moving among us and in our hearts, that we will be able to open our mouth to sing songs unto our Lord, just as Deborah did, and just as Barak did, and just as that generation were doing, singing songs, speaking of the things that God had accomplished. Because when we fill our mouths with songs, there's a lot of things that we can say about our God that He has done for us. May He give us the spirit, my dear brother and sister, to bring these sacrifices of our lips unto Him, because He loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen? Let us pray.