Judges 5 "A mother in Israel"

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
Judges 5:6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
7 Villagers in Israel would not fight;
they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 God chose new leaders
when war came to the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with Israel’s princes,
with the willing volunteers among the people.
Praise the Lord!​

This comment is from the biblestudytools.com site.

The song proceeds in these verses to describe the sad condition of the country, the oppression of the people, and the origin of all the national distress in the people's apostasy from God. Idolatry was the cause of foreign invasion and internal inability to resist it.

Expresses gratitude to the respective leaders of the tribes which participated in the contest; but, above all, to God, who inspired both the patriotic disposition and the strength.

Here is an excerpt from the easy English commentary.

This is a very old poem. Few poems in the Bible are older than this. Some words that the writer uses are difficult to understand. And they are difficult to translate. We read that the important people led the other people. And the other people were willing to follow them completely. The singers are singing a song to praise God. And they call the rulers in the area to hear it. They link the storm with the thunder (a loud noise in the sky) and lightning. They also mention the movement of the earth at Sinai. Even during the lives of Shamgar and Jael, the roads were too dangerous. People stopped using camels to carry things. They went on minor roads instead. They left villages to live safely in towns. These towns had walls. This continued until Deborah became ‘like a mother in Israel’. The people had chosen new gods. The result was war and weakness. Their enemies would not allow them to have anything to fight with. So they did not dare to show their weapons. Deborah’s feelings were with the leaders. And they were with the people who were willing to follow.

So... apparently it wasn't safe for the average Joe anymore. The people the Israelites "allowed" to stay in Canaan were in control. The people the Israelites "allowed" to stay had all the chariots, spears, knives, and swords. The Israelites were unarmed.... and running after shiny little idols....

Consider this.... the "a mother in Israel" might very well steer errant children in the right direction for their own safety. A mother in Israel would cause the Israelites to eat their broccoli, clean their room and ignore those shiny little idols for their own safety.

:coffee:
 
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