Often times God’s people are alone, mocked by the world, and even forsaken by or at odds with those who name Jesus Christ. To stand up requires courage and sacrifice, qualities much in need at any time in history, but especially so today.
Growing up hearing the story of Debra and Barak fighting against Sisera, I always imagined all Israel banding together and going to out meet Sisera. Recently re-reading it though, it seems that wasn’t the case. Most of Israel did not join the fight – only a remnant fought, alone.
Debra’s song recorded in chapter 5 of Judges tells the pathetic situation of Israel at the time. First she offers thanks for the people who came offering themselves up for military service (v. 2) and adores the Living God (v. 3-5) who brought deliverance. Then she shifts to explaining the sad situation before her tenure as judge: it wasn’t safe to travel on main roads (v. 6) and villages turned into ghost towns (v. 7). She was trying to raise a family in the midst of a civil society disintegrating around her (v. 8) while the men were busy trying out other gods and consequently embracing a passive disarmament (v. 9). She repeats her thanks again, this time for leaders who came (v. 10). She then goes on to name those who served – the tribe of Ephraim with Benjamin and Zebulun and Issachar (v. 14-15). Ruben wanted to come but was terrified, uncommitted, and passive (v 16). The land of Gilead did not come. Dan and Asher apparently ignored the situation and casually went on with life as usual (v 17). Debra does not forget that Zebulun and Issachar took great risk to their own lives (v. 18). The Angel of the LORD curses the inhabitants of Meroz who sat on the sidelines during the battle when the little flock of Israel bravely fought against the iron chariots of King Jabin (v. 23). The woman, Jael, is praised for killing Sisera (v. 24-27). Debra closes her song: “So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might” (v. 31).
In many ways this parallels our own situation around us today. God is calling men to sacrifice, crucify their flesh, and reject passivity – to humbly toil to direct the lives of their families, community and nation towards righteousness. Christ purchased the world with his blood. All those kingdoms that Satan showed him in a flash (Luke 4:5) have rightfully become and are becoming Christ’s (Rev. 11:15). Christian men are called to live out the gospel in light of that reality; not merely mentally believe it. To share the gospel by living out that spiritual reality in the shoe leather of their flesh and blood lives.
Sadly, men are busy trying out other gods. It maybe even things that are not wrong in and of themselves – alcohol, women, sports, cars, the latest movie on HBO or Amazon, that get-a-away adventure for two away from the children, one’s job, or even serving in the church choir. It is so easy for something to take the place of God. Whatever is setup in the heart as a substitute for God becomes an idol. America is, by and large, consumed with idolatry. As such, for a Christian it is easy to become tainted to some degree just by breathing the air of the idolatrous culture surrounding us. And so, rarely has a body of Christian men been weaker spiritually than they are today.
By and large, men of our times are not willing to sacrifice today what is required for a better day tomorrow. This does not bode well for us because civil society is built on sacrifice. Blood along with toil and sweat is required to maintain civil order and the mindset of a godly man should be of one willing to give them freely as Christ gave his own on the cross. This is what men were called to do. If you find yourself in this world as a man, this is what God expects of you.
It does not require you to be physically strong; although, you should be if you can. Rather, it does require that you develop strength of character as you walk with God and breath his air and be filled with his mind and his nature over time.
The temptation to young men is to put this off for later – to think oneself as I’m ok for now, to be complacent. “I’ll deal with developing spiritually later after I get out of college…after I get married, after I get settled in my career…after…” type-of-thinking. But not a moment is to be lost because the process takes time. God doesn’t sanctify a man overnight. If our nation is to change for the better, it must be men, myself included, who repent of their apathy and indifference to the chaos and civil disintegration that is largely the result of their own, their father’s, their grandfathers, and their great grandfather’s espousal of the same viewpoint.
The Genesis record of Lot should be a warning about the high cost of passivity – merely vexing our souls with the wickedness surrounding us but not proactively dealing with its effect in our lives, that of our families, and community. God graciously delivered Lot from suffering in the fate of Sodom but he didn’t spare him the consequences of his own passivity perservered in day by day, year by year. He was delivered but alone, afraid, penniless, still short-sighted, despised by his faithless daughters, and unwitting father to two incestuous sons. God was merciful and faithful, exceedingly so, but the righteous heritage of Lot was lost. Passivity breeds chaos and chaos, when mature, inevitably returns in full the destruction of the civil order.
In a nutshell, the Song of Debra is her thanksgiving to God for men who stood up and hazarded themselves to restore order to civil society. In it we see both the unflinching condemnation of passivity in the face of evil and a grateful heart to God for those who came forward and made sacrifices to make the day possible. As well, I think it offers us men perspective today on the importance of rejecting passivity, crucifying our flesh, and humbly toiling for gospel righteousness in our families and an ordinate civil society.
Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him….But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat. 16:22-24
*Jan Hus at the Council of Constance by Václav Brožík (1883)
