3. (Judges 5:19-23) The battle described and a curse on an unhelpful city
"The kings came and fought;
Then fought the kings of Canaan
At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;
They took no plunder in silver.
"The stars fought from heaven,
From their courses they fought against Sisera.
"The torrent of Kishon swept them away.
The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
O my soul, march on with strength.
"Then the horses' hoofs beat
From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.
'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD,
'Utterly curse its inhabitants;
Because they did not come to the help of the LORD,
To the help of the LORD against the warriors.'
The kings came and fought: Verse 19 tells us about the Canaanite coalition army. Where it says that "they took no plunder in silver", it means that these were not mercenary soldiers. Rather, they were loyal nationalist troops. They were Canaanites bent on ejecting or subjugating Israel.
The stars fought from heaven: Verse 20 is difficult to decipher because it is hard to tell if the reference to the stars is meant to be spiritual or natural. Stars in heaven are often a metaphor for angels. Lucifer is called the brightest and most beautiful star. Thus, this could mean that Deborah is saying that in parallel with the human battle on the earth, there was a spiritual battle in the heavenliness for Israel. That would certainly fall in line with Hebrew and biblical thinking. On the other hand, it could be referring to the weather, which favorably and unexpectedly altered the battle for Israel's sake. Either way, it is referring to something supernatural and divine.
The torrent of the Kishon swept them away: Verse 21 explains the involvement of the Kishon River in the war. The Kishon River explains the place where it all happened; it also explains that the river became the LORD'S vehicle for giving victory to Israel. The river swept away the Canaanite forces. God caused a trickle of water that would have barely qualified as a brook in the summer when this battle occurred to become a raging torrent that overflowed the Kishon's banks. It also muddied the surrounding fields in every direction thus rendering the fearsome chariots of the Canaanites useless.
Most likely, this was a flash flood. This is not an uncommon occurrence in Israel in the summer months. However, what makes it so notable is its timing. It occurred at the LORD'S command, and it was supernatural in its ferocity.
Then the horses' hoofs beat: In poetic fashion, verse 22 speaks of the horses as they slip and slide in the mud. Rearing in panic, they pulled in vain on the heavy iron chariots they were attached to as they became like anchors sinking into the mud. Thus, an army based on chariots was now immobilized. They were easy prey for the Israelites who were fighting on foot. In chapter four, we read how some of the chariots were able to escape, but many more were abandoned. The Canaanite soldiers along with their leader Sisera ran off on foot to escape. Israel chased them and slaughtered them.
Curse Meroz: Verse 23 again raises some interesting challenges--who or what is Meroz, and who or what is being referred to as the Angel of the LORD?
There is no other mention of Meroz in Scripture, but the general consensus is that it is an Israelite town or village that failed to do its duty. The level of anger expressed against this town indicated that they must have had every reason to join the fight, but yet they would not. Perhaps they had too many political alliances with some of the Canaanite kings, or they were too self-absorbed to care much about their brethren.
What is more challenging, though, is that this curse of Meroz is said to come from the Angel of the LORD. we have discussed the concept of the Angel of the LORD before; so, we will not dive very deep into this subject.
Briefly, the Hebrew that is translated as Angel of the LORD is malach Yahweh. Malach does not literally mean angel; rather, it is a generic word which means messenger. Yahweh is one of God's titles. A malach can be anyone who brings a message. In fact, it does not even have to involve a divine message. Many times in the Bible, a malach is merely a human doing strictly human tasks. However, when the term is used in a supernatural context, or when it is attached to God's name, it usually has the sense of this being a special heavenly being or even a manifestation of God. It is often the case that malach Yahweh speaks in the first person, identifying himself as God or at least carrying God's authority. A typical malach (whether human or angelic) refutes all human attempts to worship him. However, a malach Yahweh accepts the worship.
Rabbis and Christian commentators disagree about the Messenger of the LORD in many cases. The Rabbis tend to view almost every instance of this malach Yahweh as a human messenger. Thus, we commonly call this messenger a prophet because bringing a message from God is exactly what a prophet does. Some Rabbis believe that this use of Angel of the LORD is referring to Deborah, who is a prophetess. Others say it is referring to Barak. In short, according to the Rabbis, either Deborah or Barak is being quoted.
Rabbis tend to put some biblical characters on a high pedestal the way the Catholic Church anoints some of their own as Saints. They are put on a higher spiritual plane, above a normal human being and even has them at times having direct conversations with the LORD. There is a tendency in Judaism to take what is some mysterious account that seems to be of a spiritual nature and humanize it. (Christians are equally guilty in taking some very literal Bible passages and spiritualizing them so that they mean something else entirely.)
Since God as the divine supreme warrior leader of Israel is woven so visibly into the Song of Deborah, it is hard not to take this mention of the Angel of the LORD as God speaking. First, it is a stand alone statement. It comes immediately after a summation of the battle at the Kishon River. It comes immediately before the praise that is heaped upon Jael, who killed the Canaanite army general, Sisera.
Second, we have a curse being issued. Even though some of the other tribes failed to show up for the battle, only the town of Meroz is given such a harsh rebuke. Unless the "curse" is only rhetorical, if this is Deborah speaking, we have her issuing the curse by her own authority. When other prophets issue a curse, it is typically prefaced with the words, "The LORD says..." making it a pronouncement of God and not of their own righteous anger.
Third, no where else in the Book of Judges can we make a case for a Judge being given the lofty label of a messenger of the LORD.
The most plausible explanation is that this is a divine manifestation of God that we find in a number of places in the Old Testament; it is a manifestation called the Angel of the LORD who invariably speaks in the first person "I".
4. (Judges 5:24-27) Praise for Jael for killing Sisera
"Most blessed of women is Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Most blessed is she of women in the tent.
"He asked for water and she gave him milk;
In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
"She reached out her hand for the tent peg,
And her right hand for the workmen's hammer.
Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head;
And she shattered and pierced his temple.
"Between her feet he bowed, he feel, he lay;
Between her feet he bowed, he fell;
Where he bowed, there he fell dead.
Most blessed of women is Jael: In verse 24, praise upon praise is heaped upon the brave wife of Heber the Kenite. Saying that Jael is most blessed of women is not a continuation of verse 23; nor is it being uttered by the Angel of the LORD. Rather, it is an adoration by Deborah upon this female assassin who came to Israel's aid even though her own husband allied with Jabin, King of Hazor. This statement should not be taken word for word as God's divine pronouncement. Rather, it is a Middle Eastern way of speaking. It is similar to when we heard Saddam Hussein warn that if the USA attacked Iraq, it would set off "the mother of all wars". It is a culturally based exaggeration.
Furthermore, it is key for us to recognize that Jael was a gentile and not an Israelite. As quickly as we can forget the entire Old and New Testament is Hebrew literature based entirely on an Israelite culture, so, we find many accounts of gentiles operating on Israel's behalf and having praise and blessing heaped upon them. Jael went against the tide, went against her own husband and clan, and put herself and her family in jeopardy to help a people to whom she had no familiar or genealogical attachment. There is only one reason she would do this: she knew that God was preeminent and to not help His people when the opportunity fell into her lap was more dangerous than standing by idly.
While I do not recommend murder, I do recommend adopting Jael's recognition that with God. There is no such thing as neutrality. You are either for Him and His people or against Him. Not acting on their behalf makes one guilty by association of siding with His enemies.
He asked for water and she gave him milk: The next few verses recount the story of Jael killing Sisera as told in Judges chapter four. In a nutshell, Sisera was running away from his defeat at Kishon and heading back to his headquarters near Hazor. It was not by accident that he arrived at the tent encampment of the Kenites as he fled. He would have known exactly where they were. He just did not happen to stumble across them. He intentionally went there for temporary refuge because Heber, the clan chief, had created a friendly alliance with the Canaanites.
Jael knew who Sisera was and treated him with the utmost respect. She offered him some type of milk product which was highly prized, and she presented it to him in a royal sized bowl. Once he felt safe, had his appetite satisfied and relaxed in Jael's tent, Jael grabbed a wood tent peg and a large workman's hammer. In a couple swift blows, she drove it through Sisera's head all the way into the tent floor.
We need to be careful how we view Sisera's assassination. Christians tend to point out the deception, seduction, lying and then cold-blooded murder that occurred. They essentially see this as a barbaric and heinous crime. But, we must remember and understand that this was a time of war. There is nothing scripturally that prohibits deception, ambush, spying or killing the enemy during times of war. This is a rather gruesome way to be killed; however, it is merely indicative of the way of war fought during biblical times. Today we have cleaner and neater ways to kill during wartimes. There are bullets and long range missiles, which only a selected few actually witness the dead. We have sanitized the whole process of war. And when the American public gets an occasional glimpse of the actual horror of it on our televisions, it pulls back in revulsion and wants to indict the military for doing its job.
While we do not see God giving His direct approval to Jael's actions, neither is there any indication that the LORD saw this as a negative act.
5. (Judges 5:28-30) Reflection on the soon disappointment of Sisera's survivors
"Out of the window she looked and lamented,
The mother of Sisera through the lattice,
'Why does his chariot delay in coming?
Why do the hoofbeats of his chariot tarry?'
"Her wise princesses would answer her,
Indeed she repeats her words to herself.
'Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil?
A maiden, two maidens for every warrior;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed work,
A spoil of feed work embroidered,
Dyed work of double embroidery on the neck of the spoiler?'"
If there is any section of this song that is perhaps a bit questionable in its character, it is here. We have Deborah mocking the pain and anguish of Sisera's mother who is anxiously waiting for him to return.
Out of the window she looked and lamented: In a kind of dark poetry, Deborah sings of Sisera's mother looking expectantly out of her window wanting for her victorious son to arrive home, leading his men in a victory parade. Why, she wonders, is his chariot so long in coming? Where are all the horses and their riders? I imagine Sisera's mom believed the battle between the Canaanites troops with their fearsome chariots would make short work out of the Israeli army.
Because she is the mother of the military general, Sisera's mother was part of the elite. She had servants and ladies-in-waiting surrounding her. And when they see that she is terribly concerned, her ladies attempt to cheer her up by saying that the only possible answer is Sisera's men captured so much booty, it is taking an especially long time to divide it.
A maiden, two maiden for every warrior: This is a very cleaned up version of the more graphic and frank reality that it literally says. In the Hebrew, the words are "a womb, two wombs for every warrior". During the time of the Judges, women were part of the war booty. The victorious soldiers used them as objects of sexual gratification. It was quite typical to bring some girls home to be used as long-term sex slaves. The Law of Moses, however, prohibited the Israelite soldier from behaving in such a degrading manner.
6. (Judges 5:31) Final praise to God and the long-term effect of the victory.
"Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD;
But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might."
And the land was undisturbed for forty years.
Let all Your enemies perish: The song ends with two petitions addressed to the LORD. The first is that God would have all of His enemies be destroyed as thoroughly as what happened at the Kishon River.
But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might: The second petition is for those who love God should be like the glorious rays of the sun. Deborah prays for vindication and victory on behalf of the LORD'S followers, those who will set aside convenience, comfort and safety when called by the LORD to be His holy warriors.
And the land had rest for forty years: The final words in this sections of the Book of Judges are the typical words uttered when a certain Judge has finished his task. In this case, after the tremendous victory of Barak over Sisera at the base of Mount Tabor, the tribes of Israel had peace for one full generation. But let us be clear, the reason for this peace was not so much the lack of enemies present as it was the backtracking of Israel from their sin and idolatry. They had a new determination to be obedient to the will of God.
Lastly, it should be noted that the reference to the forty years of rest in the land was in this case referring to the northern areas of Canaan, and the tribes who lived in this region.
No comments:
Post a Comment