Godly leaders are God's gift
Salomon de Bray - Jael, Deborah and Barak - WGA03141 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel ” ( Judg. 5:3). Led by Barak, Israel has defeated Sisera and has begun the gradual process of bringing down Jabin , king of the Canaanites . After 20 years of harsh oppression (Judg. 4:3), Israel is free again. In the joy of the moment, Deborah the prophetess pens a song of praise to God for the incredible victory that He has given His people, and she and Barak sing it before the Israelites . Like other Biblical figures at high points in redemptive history (Ex. 15; Deut. 32; Isa. 38), she turns to verse to express her praise. God is to be praised, Deborah begins, “ ‘When leaders lead … [and] the people willingly offer themselves.’ ” God called forth Deborah and Barak to be His instruments of deliverance, and He caused them to respond to Him and caused the people to respond t...