The Song of Deborah – Part Two

This meditation is based on a passage for July 31, 2010 in the Daily Lectionary Year 2 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Judges 5:19-31

Reflection and Question: This amazing ancient poem ends with a gripping description of Jael’s killing of Sisera, which guarantees the victory for Israel against the Canaanite army. Then, the mournful plight of the Canaanite women waiting for their defeated sons is so poignantly described. Embedded in this is the fact that Meroz, an Israelite city, refused to fight, while Jael, who was not a Hebrew, is crucial to Deborah and Barak’s success in battle. While the final exclamation speaks of God’s enemies being defeated, it is not clear who that enemy is. What moral do you draw from this story?

Prayer: Holy God, this text ends with the plea, “May your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might,” and we, too, would wish that for Your friends. But we know that only You know who Your friends are. We humbly hope that we are among them. Amen.