Have you been touched by the Lord's activity lately? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 5:28-30,

"Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she
cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter
of his chariots delayed?' The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed,
she keeps saying to herself, 'Are they not finding and dividing the
spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for
Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for
my neck— all this as plunder?'"

Here are several verses from the victory song sung by Deborah, judge
or leader of Israel, and Barak, called on by the Lord to vanquish an
enemy of Israel. Sisera was the commander of King Jabin's army, a king
of Canaan who had "cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years."
Through Deborah, a prophetess as well as leader of Israel, the Lord
told Barak to take ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun to the
Kishon River where the Lord would give Sisera into his hands.

The song, commemorating Deborah's and Barak's victory over Sisera, is
recorded for us in Judges 5. In the song, verses 28-30 picture
Sisera's mother's painful and unfulfilled wait of her son's arrival
home following the battle. This poignant and painful passage depicts
the human reality of an historical account of war in ancient Israel.
It pictures the empty hope of a woman who lost a son. A woman looking
ahead to relish in the spoils that would be hers, were the Israelites
to be defeated. "Colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered
garments" she anticipated that would be given her from her victorious
son. They would not be arriving, neither the son.

The would be spoils, the "girl or two for each man" this mother
anticipated would have been daughters of Israel. The spoils
anticipated would have been the possessions of Israel. Rightfully,
Deborah and Barak relish in the victory celebration that these are
denied Sisera and his mother. Indeed, Sisera's mother is denied his
return. I am reminded the accounts I read in Scripture represent real
people that went through very real experiences, painful experiences as
well as experiences to celebrate and rejoice in.

I am likewise reminded that the Scriptures are not simply the domain
of dry and dusty theology, the domain of clergy and theologians as
grist for their perspectives and points of view. The Scriptures are
for us all. Among its writings are accounts of real people who lived
in a world touched by our Lord for his purposes, his agenda. They tell
us of the great acts of the Lord in this very same world we live in,
this world in which we must, just as the personalities we meet in its
pages, respond in one way or another to our Lord's very same purposes
and agenda.

As this sinful and rebellious world continues in its rejection of God,
we all experience the Lord's intervention in one way or another. As
this world continues its existence in its present form, we will
continue to experience events that will be both just as painful and
just as much a cause for celebration and rejoicing as the accounts we
read of, whether in Genesis or Judges, whether Luke or Acts. Accounts
of real people experiencing the ultimate reality of the Lord's acts
guided by his own purposes, his own agenda.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com