3. (Judges 5:6-8) Describing life under Canaanite oppression
"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted,
And travelers went by roundabout ways.
"The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose.
Until I arose, a mother in Israel.
"New gods were chosen;
Then war was in the gates.
Not a shield or a spear was seen
Among forty thousand in Israel.
In the days of Shamgar: Verse six describes the dire situation in the land before the battle. Reference is made to the Judge, Shamgar, who was used by God to liberate some of the southern tribes from the Philistines. The freedom was short lived, lasting about one generation. Shamgar most likely predated Deborah by a few years.
In the days of Jael: The mention of Jael, the Kenite woman who killed Sisera, is meant to operate in conjunction with Shamgar to show several things.
1. The oppression by Jabin King of Hazor was not new. It had been going on for several years.
2. Jael was contemporary to the writing of the Song of Deborah and the conditions of the Canaanite subjugation only officially ended when Jael assassinated Sisera.
3. It shows us that conditions were quite different in the northern and southern tribes. While Shamgar was liberating the south against the Philistines, the northern tribes were suffering a different kind of oppression from the Canaanites. We know that the oppression the Israelites were experiencing was a direct result of God allowing the tribes to be oppressed as a punishment for their idolatry and disobedience, we can see that no tribe, either in the north or the south, was living according to Torah.
The highways were deserted: The northern tribes did not even use their main roads to operate their trade caravans for fear of an attack by the enemy. Thus, they had to use the byways, the paths located off the beaten track that made travel very difficult. The leaders of Israel shrunk back in fear. Israel had no leadership to help them because the tribal leaders had only self-preservation in mind.
Until I arose, a mother in Israel: Verse seven states Deborah arose as a mother in Israel. This is a Middle Eastern colloquialism. Recall that the Patriarchs of Israel were called the "fathers" of Israel. No man in Israel would stand up and lead. So, God raised up a female leader, Deborah, and thus she was called the "mother" of Israel. She would shepherd Israel, dare to defy the Canaanites and be bold to assert to Israel that they had gone terribly wrong when no one wanted to hear it. Good leaders do not concern themselves with popularity as much as doing what is right.
New gods were chosen: Verse eight explains that faced with these daunting circumstances, Israel's reaction was NOT to turn back to the God who redeemed them from Egypt, gave them the Torah and gave them their own land, but they chose OTHER gods. This meant two things. First, some chose the gods of their oppressors. That is they simply appeased the Canaanites by giving in and essentially becoming Canaanites by their worshiping their oppressors' gods. Secondly, others appealed to gods who were not necessarily the gods of their oppressors, but were Babylonian gods, in hopes that these gods would show them favor and somehow liberate them from Jabin.
Not a shield or weapon was seen: This does not mean that the northern tribes had no weapons. Rather, it means that they had no courage to fight for their liberty. They refused to rise up because they were not prepared to risk their lives.
4. (Judges 5:9) Refrain: Bless the LORD for leaders who lead
"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,
The volunteers among the people;
Bless the LORD!
Commanders of Israel: In verse nine, Deborah gives much of the credit for Israel's turnaround and subsequent victory to the leaders of Israel. They stood up for what was right and faced great danger. Their brash and pious action aroused many others to accept the call to arms. These leaders are the same leaders references in verse two who "grew their hair". These are the men who offered up themselves for service to God (much like someone under a Nazarite vow). They lead their people back to the ways of Torah and towards actively fighting their captors.
B. The victory remembered
1. (Judges 5:10-12) A call to recount the great victory
"You who ride on white donkeys,
You who sit on rich carpets,
And you who travel the road--sing!
As the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places,
There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the LORD,
The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel.
Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates.
Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.
You who ride on white donkeys: Verse ten talks about three different classes of people who are to pay attention to what has happened. Those who ride on white donkeys represent the first class. White was greatly prized because it was rare among donkeys and horses. Thus, only royalty rode on white beasts of burden. Do you remember what color the donkey was in which Jesus rode into Jerusalem? It was a white donkey which infuriated the Roman and Jewish elite because everyone understood that He was indicating His own royalty.
You who sit on rich carpets: Those sitting on rich, soft carpets represent the second class. Such things were luxuries that only the wealthy and the aristocracy could afford. When a person was seen riding any color animal but was sitting atop the animal on a nice cushiony carpet, it was a sign of his status as an elite and wealth.
And you who travel the road: Those who walked on the road represented the third class. Walking was the way in which the poor and common folk traveled. So, we see that all classes are being indicated by the reference to these three specific means of references.
As the sound of those who divide the flocks among the watering places: Verse 11 is another problematic section of the Song of Deborah. The Hebrew word chatsats is translated in various Bibles as archers or those who divide the flocks. This Hebrew word is very obscure and has been used for many things. For example, it can also be translated as musicians.
After reading through various translations, it seems the Complete Jewish Bible has done a good job in essentially translating it as: "Louder than the sound of the archers at the watering-holes." This means that after the battle is over and won, the archers will go get water and like soldiers at a bar recounting their war stories, they will swap tales of their own experiences, show each other their war scars and so on. However, the end of the verse also explains, they will also give God all the glory. They will retell the righteous acts of the LORD, their ultimate divine warrior leader. They will also give credit to those "men who grew their hair" who led them into battle.
Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates: The gates specifically refer to the city gates, but in this context, it means that they left the relative safety of their own villages to go to war. This is important because before Deborah encouraged the people to rise up, and until she enlisted Barak as the military leader, the people of Israel were content to cower and be as invisible as possible behind those metaphorical city gates.
Awake, awake Deborah: Verse 12 has Deborah exhorting herself to awake and do what she must. That is, to throw herself into this great event she initiated as the LORD'S earthly agent, and now to equally throw herself into commemorating the event through song. She also calls on Barak to lead away his prisoners of war.
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