• V. 2 Praise the Lord that the people were willing to do as the Lord called them. This obviously is in contrast to those who came before; if they had remained faithful they would have no need of salvation. We can emphasize, then, a repentant change of heart. 

• Vv. 3-5 Although the people did as God commanded of them, ultimately credit is being brought to the Lord. The earth trembles when HE marches; he causes the rains to come and the mountains to quake. 

• Vv. 6-9 Israel becomes a place of fear as the enemy overtakes them and the people have no qualms with taking on new gods. 

• Vv. 10-18 The people being freed is a movement of God inside the captives. Though Deborah and Barak are called to lead, it is the people’s desire which brings them out. Though, not all people joined in on the fight. It shows that all are called but only some will respond. 

• Vv. 19-22 As the people of Israel march into battle, a cosmic battle is going on all around them. God is seen fighting for them, as those rains caused a flood washing out the feared chariots. 

• Vv. 23-27 Those who aided in the battle are granted blessing and those who avoided it were cursed. 

• Vv. 28-31 We see the broken heart of the new widow. And this victory gives the land 40 years of peace. 

Judges 4 gives us, the reader, a view into the rise of Deborah and Barak and their role in the freeing of Israel. Much of the credit is attributed to these two. Deborah is given the image of a bold and faithful prophetess, willing to charge into battle against chariots because of her belief in the promise of God. Barak is seen ultimately as a great warrior, leading the armies of Israel into victory over their persecutors. Judges 5 is a retelling of that same story, only this time one large detail is changed. 

There are several new details that are added to this song which are not part of the original narrative. The most important detail is what actually happens on the battlefield. As the two armies approach one another, the flooding rains the Lord has provided washes the strength of the enemy away. The advantage that the Canaanites held is gone and now the Israelites have become emboldened. The Israelites claim victory, but only by the hand of the Lord. 

This once again draws us into the significance of names. Deborah, though means “honey bee”, is also close to dabarwhich is“to speak”.She can be seen, then, as the mouthpiece of the Lord declaring the coming victory. Barak’s name, meaning “lightning”, resembles the power and actual movement of the Lord. This is evidenced more clearly in vv. 4-5 as the storms roll in bringing fear to the Canaanites. Both of their names point away from themselves as the focal point of the story and instead to God who is moving the Israelites into salvation from their circumstances. 

I pray that you are able to see the connection of the salvation of the Israelites to our own uncomfortable situations today. No matter what it is that you are currently facing in life, God is drawing us into faith with him. And that drawing close to his plan is not always comfortable. The Israelites still had to go to battle and they still had to march towards the enemy. But through Christ he has already provided the victory. We can be assured that we will triumph, if only we take responsibility for carrying our cross.