Devotion

"The angel of the LORD said, 'Curse the city of Meroz.

Curse its people!

They did not come to help the LORD fight.'

They did not help the LORD against his powerful enemies."

— Judges 5:23 ERV

Our verse for today is a part of the song of victory that Deborah and Barak sang on the day that the Israelites defeated Sisera, the commander of King Jabin the Canaanite's army. Deborah, a prophet and judge in Israel, had prophetically commissioned Barak to gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and attack Sisera. Charging down Mt. Tabor, Barak led the Israelites into battle and victory.

From time to time and from place to place the people of God still encounter enemy opposition to the Kingdom of God. Although the battles that ensue are not usually military battles, like the battle at Mt. Tabor, they are battles nonetheless. The powerful enemies of the Lord under Satan's command try to stop and roll back the advance of the Lord's Kingdom on earth. The opposition can be strong and the battles can be fierce.

During such times the Lord still calls out leaders to attack the enemy in order to preserve and advance His Kingdom and rule. He fills people with the same Spirit Deborah had and he sends them forth to sound the alarm. The alarm reaches people like Barak and they gather together an army in order to stop the opposition and defeat the enemies of the Lord.

The people that respond to the Baraks of the world are volunteers for the battle (Judges 5:2). No one makes them fight; they fight because they are obedient to the call of the Lord. Not everyone is called to join a given battle. They may not be able or they may not be near. But for those ready and able, it is incumbent upon them to volunteer for the fight. For their efforts the Lord blesses them, as he blessed Jael, the wife of Heber who killed Sisera by driving a stake through his head (Judges 5:24).

On the other hand, those that refuse to join in the battle, although they are ready and able, do not receive the blessing of the Lord. Indeed, they receive the opposite of a blessing. They receive a curse from the Lord Himself. You cannot ignore the call of the Lord with impunity.

After all, as Jesus said, "Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me" (Luke 11:23).