“The people shall be wiling in the day of Thy power, in the beauty of holiness from the womb of the morning: Thou hast the dew of youth.” Psalm 110:3
The history of Israel during the days of the Judges was one like the rising and retreating of the sea at the times of the tides. There were times of great blessing, when the first and foremost priority was the worship of the only One and True God. Worship was primary, and great attention was given to doing that which was right in the sight of God. But there were times of great negligence when little attention was given to worship, and the matter of watching, living in the light of God’s countenance, pursuing Him, and His holiness. It was during these times that God would give them over to the domination, and oppression by their enemies. One such enemy was Jabin the king of Canaan. The captain of his army was named Sisera, who “mightily oppressed” Israel because of his superior military strength, having about nine hundred chariots of iron. The result of this oppression was that there came a moment when freedom became more important to them than their own lives. It was then that the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. It was in response to that earnest cry that God spoke His word to Deborah, a prophetess in Israel. She was a judge in Israel at that time. She then communicated to Barak, who was to be the captain of Israel’s forces, the Lord’s word: “I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude, and I will deliver him into thine hand.” (Judges 4:7) The miracle of the deliverance of Israel at this time resided in several very critical facts.
First and foremost, there was the cry of the people to God for deliverance. There is no doubt as to the sincerity and honesty concerning this cry, for the Lord answered.
Secondly, there came forth to Deborah the prophetess, the clear “word of the Lord.” This word of the Lord did not come forth from Deborah as an idea that she had, nor was it the imagination of someone else. It came from heaven, from God, and would be the basis for faith, and commitment.
Thirdly, with regard to the people, there had to be the engagement, or commitment of their hearts to God, and this, “…not loving their own lives..” The author of the book of Judges several times mentions this as being when “…the people willingly offered themselves.” (v.3,9) Scripture tells us that the ten thousand soldiers of Israel came from the two tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, a people “…that jeoparded (risked) their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.” (5:18) Why is this matter of commitment so very important, and how did it come about at that time?
In Psalm 110, we discover the source of this “willingness.” It is the working of the Spirit of God in the heart of the people. The Psalmist writes, “The people shall be willing in the day of Thy power.” It is God who is at work to WILL and to DO of His good pleasure. He is the One who stirs up the soul and spirit of men, who strengthens the heart, who brings the individual, the couple, the family, and the nation to the point of forsaking all to follow Christ, not loving their own lives. But this commitment goes beyond that which one loses, to lay hold on that which Christ offers. Not only does His power work in the heart to forsake all, but to embrace all that is of Him by the Spirit. The enemies of Israel were routed by God. Deborah declared in her song of victory that the LORD had avenged His people. He did so because, by His grace, “…the people willingly offered themselves,” committing themselves to God first, and then to the battle.
God’s victorious power is given to the willing heart.
Dear Father, Make us truly committed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.