Battlefield Records (Part C)

Stands out to me most in this chapter is called that's what strikes me the most. Over the years me. There were other things but now I'm at a place where look at this chapter and just stands out because I know what it looks like when Christians serve. I know what it looks like when they stop serving will never serve and I know what happens when they could go to their graves, serving what will the battlefield records show about you and me. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher. Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Judges, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will continue his message called battlefield records. She teaches through Judges chapter 5 Elijah on Mount Carmel, who incidentally will take the false prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth down to kiss Sean the valiant kiss Sean and execute them. That's what much of this battle is going take place for Deborah on this day but anyway that's a side note 1st Kings. Elijah came to all the people and said, how long will you falter between two opinions of Yahweh is God, follow him.

If Baal is follow him, but the people answered him not a word they wanted proof because the truth wasn't enough they wanted something that they could see God tolerated that we are living in the age of truth, which thus says the Lord. We have the gospel record and the Old Testament in her prophecies. New Testament prophecies to we are appealing to reason not so much to the miraculous James chapter 1 we know this one be doers of the word not hearers only, deceiving yourself that's what Roland was doing there were just hearing and talking and then we how we really want to do but never did anything false is always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth again. Analyzing without action discussing without doing an active intentions. The troops of Ruben they saw no action because of inaction amongst the leaders so there's bad leadership for you. They just would not make a decision for 16 why did you sit among the sheep foals to hear the piping's of the flocks the divisions of Ruben have great searching's of heart.

What a rebuke. If you're from the tribe of Reuben with you. One of the soldiers you are ready for action. What you are getting the call. You waiting for your leaders to give you the commander never comes.

By the time you decide I'm going to go on my own wars over and so she has the sarcasm in the song forever against the tribe of Reuben, what is your deal you just enjoying the sheep. Let me what was happening with you, you're missing or action. They sincerely debated the pros and cons of entering the battle but that's all they did just debated debate. Also, good point or not this will that's a good one. I have Jack go, then the center that objected, somebody should have said enough.

This is what we're doing. Let's go. In this case.

Action did not speak louder than words.

Inaction spoke louder than action.

Verse 17 Gilead state beyond the Jordan, why did Dan remain on ships. Asher continued that this seashore and stayed by his inlets, but sarcasm there, never letting it out. You see it all ended before the song came up sheep I'm pretty hot what message would come Ruben's not coming. Dad's not sending the forces we need these jobs back in sync fine. I'm going to go without them Deborah when she bends revocable battle. She gets her the pen out and she round off again, this is going into the work.

This is going on record. This is a battlefield record who didn't show up. The Transjordan dad remained there Gilead. That's the east side of Jordan, the Transjordan Tribes. The hand that is withered won't help that hand was withered because it lost its identity. He forgot how it got into the land why it was there.

He forgot who the brethren were the God of the brethren their own God. High joy of serving was missed.

We see this we see Christians have. This was on going to. I'm going to when people pledge I'm going I'm going to give this to that I don't want to eat you know, just between you and if you say you're going to do it and you better do it but I don't want to hear it until nicely, catching you start making these promises to God he's going to look for you to fulfill them. You be better off not making the promise if you not going to fulfill it. Why did Dan remain on ships and peer out at sea for fishing for fish while you say that we know better description.

You can fish were more things in fish Jesus at all make you fishers of men was safer was convenient convenient.

This was the season the fish are biting Lord for pain following the jumping into the net. No surprise that Dan never subdued the larger part of her territory, but even shamefully migrated north Concord, weaker people just so that they could promote their own idolatry.

Asher continued at the seashore and stayed in his inlets himself catchy little dinghy just as I don't want to see Asher my condition, member of UC that never I see that sarcasm. They preferred this honorable piece over duty.

That's one of the lessons half of Manasseh, and all of Gad along with Ruben stayed out of the fight.

Dannon, the just and Asher's mentioned Scripture carefully notes those who showed up for battle, and those who opted out unwilling to risk I'm willing to be disturbed willing to let others do the struggling willing to let others all the chili just so that they could stay comfortable. Verse 18. Zebulon is a people who jeopardize their lives to the point of death. Naphtali also on the heights of the battlefield there is.

That's the point.

She making is a list of the other tribes. This this similar Naphtali.

They showed up for battle. They put their lives at risk. Now dead and you stay by your inlets. Your Honor, you little boats riding on the other side which is sheep. These warriors showed up. Action servants faith in God leads to courage leads to action that the conviction and presence of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is not always have to be in the form of rebuke conviction means convinced you can. God can convince us to do something very gently and sweetly sweet Lord serving faith includes knowledge and that knowledge leads to duty leads to action and I am fortunate enough to pastor a church. We have a lot of people from Zebulun and Naphtali.

They come out and they serve to do so much you can't even keep track of it, few people know how much everybody is doing pastors no they know how many people in it and few people know how much the pastors do not talk about myself and the other pastors they do quite a bit and Doug God knows that's what's important. So you gotta walk with God to develop the fate Naphtali also on the heights of the battlefield, so she singles out these two nobody tribe summing a sonic shooter showed up.

In fact, Judah and Simeon not even mention why is that likely because they were busy fighting the Canaanites and their own territories over on the other circumstances.

That's probably why they're not magic is a not rebuke so you can keep. You gotta give him the benefit of the doubt because the doubt is removed by no rebuke turned their way. And so, in contrast to the battlefield absentees. These two tribes are singled out along with the others that showed up to the glory of God and may the world not out, serve us, may they not be more courageous than us.

Verse 19 the Kings came and fought.

Then the kings of Canaan fought and 10 ack by the waters of Megiddo. They took no spoils of the silver so the Kings came and they fought and the kings of Canaanite but they were defeated. Of course he did not they would.

They did not get the spoils that they wanted. Now this of course.

What part do I want to come the ghetto. The ideal battlefield a lot to say about me cattle the valley of the ghetto to go to Israel and you get up on this hills all around and you look down at me ghetto this fast Valley solve most of its farmland announced beautiful. It is one of the ideal battlefield of the world by Eric again defeat defeated Cicero there. Gideon will defeat the Midianites. There King Saul died. Mount Gilboa is on the perimeter of Megiddo King Josiah that great King. The last good king of Israel among men.

He was, he never should have been there, but he was and he was killed there in the battle of Armageddon.

Antichrist's forces will be defeated. There also is told in the book of Revelation. In chapter 1670 now verse 20 they fought from the heavens, the stars from their courses fought against Cicero. Now the victory is described in vivid terms or with metaphor.

But it's nice to have the heavens, the stars, the fought and it is a reference to none. The stars on because rain the heavens do with the creation, the divine intervention on the battlefield that day of how God neutralized 900 chariots. It is the time when kings go out to war. It was not during the reign seasonals. It would not of taken there chariots they would just take an infantry. Well, it was likely sunny over these chariots the whole day in the water and rains in the mountains, brought down, of course, these torrents of water and it could've been raining on the battlefield to this just one up one.

One option that you know the water could've come from up in the mountains and just when I was a kid there was a reservoir, the large reservoir in back of the high school and you could walk down the path that came from this reservoir but no problems drive most of the time but when the rains were heavy that reservoir will overflow and that that dry walk there turned into this raging river. I seriously was quite impressive. So I you know if you've never seen it you know Howard a dry wash can turn into this torrent of water just believe that it can California a lot of problems with that. People get killed on the go down there also.

These flash floods come from nowhere and they're not ready for it in the even just by the debris in the water company upside your head.

For example, the riverbed anyway of Kishore turned into this torrent God did it was out of season. No one expected it on the enemy so no one expected around Israel siding and God of course brought these things to bear in that turn the battle in Israel's favor while the horses were bogged down trying to pull the chariots and the men were trying to get the horses marshaled war the Jews were just picking them off the that does the miracle that she is referring to. Again, the rains could've been upstream or they could've been overhead. Verse 21.

The torrent of Kishore and swept away swept them away. The ancient torrent. The torrent of Kishore and O my soul, marching, strength, and so Deborah is there saying that there torrents of water were coming down and just doing them in. We saw Farrell's army wiped out by the sea, and we saw the Amalekites wiped out by the hailstones and other elements of creation that God brought to bear on behalf of his people, annihilating the enemies threat. Verse 22 then the horses hooves pounded the galloping gallop things of his steeds the horses trying to get out of this. They came rushing in to make it out. Verse 23 curse Ms. Mroz said the angel of Yahweh curse its inhabitants bitterly because they did not come to help Yahweh to the help of Yahweh against the mighty well is a heavy curse from the prophetess that means God is speaking through her. That means it's God's curse. And that's what it says curse is pronounced but is not pronounced by Deborah Mubarak. It is the Lord curse Miraz said the angel of Yahweh curse its inhabitants bitterly because they did not come to the help of Yahweh to the help of Yahweh against the mighty, and so those tribes that were left out, they miss the blessing and they hear Miraz, we would otherwise never hear of.

They were singled out as being judged for their inaction and so you know I don't know how a Christian who insist on not serving can justify. Usually they say something like living there with those people of their evil letter does know that talking on the just some lame excuse and only they're the only ones that are right. If the Tigger mentality. You know, I'm the wonderful thing about takers and I don't remember how Hall calls, but the millions of say I'm the only one could use Liza, but changed up his allies again. Thought he was the only one in God's it's not so he says because they did not come to help Yahweh. Their sin went beyond failing to assist their brethren. It went to failing to help the causes of the Lord. Verse 24, and now she changes she gets to the end of the battle with the commander.

Cicero's execution by JL verse 24 most blessed among women is JL, the wife of Heber, the Canaanite blessed is she among women and tense. Now she's not Jewish woman.

Nothing anti-Semitic about that.

She simply wasn't neither was Sapporo. Moses wife for Rahab or Ruth and that is an encouragement because you can come to Scripture and the Old Testament, and you can just get the feeling under these blessings are only for the Jews and God is saying. These blessings are on the Jews. But I've expanded them and I wanted to use these blessings through my people and when they did not receive Messiah I use Gentiles and Gentiles are no better than the Jews and Jews no better than the Gentiles.

I heard once you say why is there even a distinction and he's got a good point. Why is the world have it earth versus the Jews. I me know other people that you don't pick on the Eskimos like that. I magenta what are you an Eskimo he just doesn't wind it on the Jews singled out because it's something spiritual about their existence and man does not have to see it or agree with it to participate in this fact from heaven, and so verse five is this blessing pronounced upon JL for her heroism and here we have some details. Verse 25 he asked for water. She gave Mel she brought out cream in a lordly bowl. Then, remember, this is the song so she brings him this dairy products. II think it's to help him sleep so she can do men and he's oblivious to it. He thinks he's getting care. She comes him up with a blade he's exhausted from the battle and running from the battle he feels very safe what's not clear is that what point did she decide this is the enemy and I better kill him. What we don't need to know that we know.

Out came with this part about you know temper she got the sarcasm and is what I believe it is when she says in a lordly bowl. I think the sarcasm in that is like he is so full of himself.

He thought he held his great commander and yet he's going to his death in a shameful way. So much for this lordly bowl of Lotta good that did you you know we have a saying no no hitches on hers. You can have whatever you want you not taking it with you when you die, and that's just love that in Scripture that they tell it like it is the say things that will where feeling and believing and sometimes you know we may be to reserve to call it like it is. She's not verse, verse 26.

Speaking of Gile, Deborah Wright. She stretched her hand to the Tempe her right hand to the workman's handle. She pounded Cicero she pierced his head. She split and struck through his temple glory right you serious.

I like the fact he says with her right hand. She reached for the hammer. I'm thinking that Deborah spoke with Joelle. Tell me how you did it and she say I grab my Tempe I got picked Amber up like this and never got that mental picture when she writes a song I don't know if it exactly turned out that way but that that's not far from how things turn out. Remember also, these people were used to killing their meals economy on the stove. I mean outback goats cutting throats of goats, rhymes, rabbits, whatever else will not wrap silently but other animal late so you know this may seem quite savage to us, but it's is not so you get the feeling through this that there was more than one blow administered to Cicero's noggin. The workman's hammer. She pounded Cicero she pierced his temple. She split and struck through his temple. And she she pierced his head struck through his temple to say that because verse 27. We talked about this last session and judges at her feet. He sank. He fell. He lay still at her feet. He sank. He fell where he sank there.

He felt that this is driving his own. So I'm thinking what would happen. It wasn't a single deathblow. The first blow. You know, injured him and eat, but it was severe is gone, but he rose up any he collapsed and fell at her feet and then she finished them off. It wouldn't help again scared me to death.

Dorothy was still alive they will go bad. This is war and the rules of war, strain everything decency and civility that all begins to take a second seat, war is probably the most dramatic human experience on earth only on earth because death the most dramatic experience is that first moment where you go, what up or down verse 28, the mother of Cicero look through the window and cried out to the lattice biases chariots along and coming white tarries clatter of his chariots assistance for most of this is Deborah saying you know you people tried to kill us. You enslaved us and so she's just projecting. She said Lente was happening in their side of the camp.

This hope where there is no hope his mother's thinking he's going to come home. Where was taking them so long well out, they were stadiums along Giles tent peg he's not coming home, so she's envisioning those those hours that are ticking by is getting a little lady should've been here by now.

I me 900 chariots of the get the Jews what happened in her sarcasm continues. Verse 29. Her wisest lady that answered her yes she answered herself, are they not verse 20 verse 30 are they not finding and dividing the spoil to every man a girl or two.

Cicero plunder of died garments plunder of garments embroidered and died two pieces of died embroidery for the neck of the looter so that he was in the looter to them amid our English to them. He was the hero taking the spoils of war.

But Deborah is saying yeah you is not a hero and he's dead and he's not getting any of this stuff, but this is what he came for the cave of the silver and the gold in the roles and the women and anything else he could lay his grubby fingers. I think God put an end to it and this is going into the song and children of Israel rejoice when God fights for you. Don't be apostates and so they told themselves what they wanted to hear filled with this calculated confidence that how could the invincibility of Cicero's 900 chariots be defeated by these rake carrying shovel wielding Jews yeah well their false encouragement turned out to be their worst nightmare, and Deborah records it because her people had gone through it.

Verse 31.

Thus, let all your enemies perish, though Yahweh but let those who love him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength. So the land had rest for 40 years so that it the song ends where she says let it let them be like the sun in full strength in all of her brightness and intensity Amalekite. Of course picks up on the brightness of the sun amongst the righteous.

Also, each character played their part.

Deborah had her role.

Bharat had his role tribes that came out the Gile had her role. The other tribes. They had their role, but they did not show up for duty but stands out to me most in this chapter is the call to duty. That's with strikes me the most. Over the years mean there were other things, but now I'm at a place where look at this chapter and just stands out because I know what it looks like when Christians serve and I know what it looks like when they stop serving will never serve and I know what happens when they can go to their graves, observing what will the battlefield records show about you and me how participation in Christian battlefield.

What will the records show. This is the record of Deborah this time the records still being Move. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Judges cross reference radio is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you'd like more information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there, and we encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast out or just follow the links and cross reference radio.com that's all the time we have for today. Join us next time to continue learning more from the book of Judges right here cross reference rate