Judges 5:2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
Judges 5 is a welcome song in a day of heaviness. Israel had been oppressed over and again by her enemies. They had drifted from God, and God sent judgment in the form of enemies. Then God sent a deliverer and there was peace. This is a cycle you see often repeated.
Judges 4 is largely the story of two women whom God used in the deliverance of Israel. One was Deborah, a prophetess. She judged Israel at that time. The other woman was Jael. Both these women were used of God to defeat the enemies of Israel, specifically a man named Sisera who led the armies against Israel. Judges 5 is a remembrance of that victory that God had given. It is a song that Deborah and Barak, the Israelite commander, sang on that day.
Verse 2 says, “Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.” That is a theme you find throughout the song, people who were willing to give themselves. When Deborah challenged Barak to go against their enemies and Barak consequently called for an army, the Bible tells us that the ones that followed him were the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. They were willing, and offered themselves willingly. That was in stark contrast to other tribes sung about in this song who just sat back and did nothing. They were safe and passive. But these two tribes willingly gave themselves.
Verse 9 says, “My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.” Specifically, in verse 18 it tells you what Deborah is talking about in this psalm. “Zebulon and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.” So, when everyone else was satisfied to sit where it was safe and do nothing, these two tribes followed the leadership into battle, and God gave a victory.
Now they were going against a formidable foe, Sisera, who had nine hundred iron chariots. That means nothing to us today, but in that day chariots were very advanced war technology. In the hills and mountains you could fight against such an enemy and perhaps prevail, but the plains, where Barak led his forces against the enemies of Israel, were the worst place to fight an enemy who had chariots. Yet, God gave the victory.
In fact, verses 20-21 say, “They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away.” Literally, nature itself went to the aid of these soldiers that gave themselves willingly.
The point is that you don’t have the power to do everything that needs to be done. You don’t have the knowledge to know everything that needs to be done. But, you do have the option of willingness. If you are willing to do what you ought to do, what God has made clear to you right now, you unleash an omnipotent God on your behalf. When we offer ourselves willingly, the very heaven come to our aid. When that happens God is the One to be praised. Praise the Lord! That is the whole intent of this song. When these tribes were willing, God gave miraculous victory.
So, the victory is the Lord’s. Do your part. Give yourself willingly. When you do, the very universe of God Himself comes to your aid.