Most of us have experienced feeling weak sometime. Maybe, when coming down with the flu, your legs felt weak and suddenly gave out from under you. Or, perhaps, after being sick you did not have the strength to stand up without holding onto something for support. If a person is very weak, they have no strength to work, and definitely are of little help in a time of emergency. No one likes to be weak. But God has chosen to do an incredible thing.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:27–29. [All emphasis supplied unless otherwise noted.]
Sometimes God chooses the weak things of this world that His glory may be clearly shown. Ellen White was the weakest of the weak. “When as a teenage maiden she was called to be God’s messenger, it was recognized that God had chosen the weakest of the weak. There was nothing about her background, the vitality of her physique, or her education that could ever lead anyone to point to the individual and say, ‘See what she has performed.’ ” Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years, vol. 5, 1900-1905, 97. [Emphasis in the original.] God has often chosen the weak of this world to confound the mighty. In this manner God once did a marvelous thing in the land of Israel. In this article we will work our way through this story that so well explains the magnificence and unexplainable greatness of God’s dealings with both the weak and the mighty.
This time God chose to use a woman. We know it was God’s choice because we are told in inspiration. (See The Signs of the Times, June 16, 1881.) There were only a few, comparatively, weak men that would be on her side. Not one of these men had a sword or a spear, and against her weak forces was a formidable army; an army that had nine hundred chariots of iron with knives protruding from the axles. This mighty army would go tearing through the enemy’s forces in their chariots, and mow the soldiers down like weeds before the sickle. But God wanted to illustrate to the world what could be done against such a mighty army by the weak.
A background of the history of the times would help us understand the story. It was shortly after the days of Joshua, the mighty captain of God’s army. So powerfully had Joshua taught the children of Israel the law of God, that as long as any one was alive in his generation, there was no idolatry. They did not worship idols, or allow their children to. But even so, that generation planted the seeds of apostasy that were so bitterly reaped in the next few hundred years. They did it by neglecting to follow God’s express command. God had said that they were to, little by little, possess the whole land of Canaan. He told them that He would send hornets and drive the enemy out. (See Patriarchs and Prophets, 544, 545.)
Mile after mile they were to possess the land of Canaan. But they were not to stop there. The law of God was to be animated through them and little by little they were to possess the world. They were to teach the whole world the law of God. God had placed His people in Canaan as a mighty breast work to stay the tide of moral evil so it would not flood the world. If faithful to Him, God intended that Israel should go on conquering and to conquer.
What a high destiny was theirs! But regardless of their high destiny, they chose the course of ease and self-indulgence. After all, they reasoned, God had given them a portion of the land where they could establish their homes. Because of their love of ease, they questioned why they needed to drive back the Canaanites and take possession of the whole land. They were established, and they were much stronger than the Canaanites at this point. The Canaanites were just a small people, they did not need to worry about them.
Thus they reasoned in their ease and self-indulgence. So even the parents that would never think of allowing idolatry, by their love of ease planted the future course of misery that was soon to come. In a few short generations their sons and daughters had mingled with the Canaanites and learned their ways. “But [they] were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against His people, insomuch that He abhorred His own inheritance.” Psalm 106:35–40.
By their sins the people of Israel were separated from God. His strength was removed from them and they were open to the attack of their enemies that now prevailed over them. Thus, the very nations they failed to drive out eventually took control of them. In His great mercy, God raised up one deliverer after another. Ehud was a great deliverer. Then there was Shamgar. But again, because of their sins, came a terrible oppression over the land of Canaan. For twenty years the northern tribes were tyrannized by a king named Jabin who banded together with other Canaanite kings and conquered the Israelites and made them tributaries. (See Judges 4.)
The king of Jabin lived just below Lake Muron. It is called by various names on different maps, but it is the lake 15–20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. Right below that lake was a town called Hazor. King Jabin lived in Hazor, right in the heart of the tribe of Naphtali. The tribe of Dan was to the north of Hazor and the tribe of Zebulun was to the west towards the Mediterranean Sea. King Jabin had banded together with other Canaanite kings and they conquered this territory and made them tributaries. King Jabin took possession of the main road through the area. The road went through Merom, through Ramah, through Parsha and on down to Southern Palestine. The Israelites were not allowed to use the road. The oppression was very heavy in the land.
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.” Judges 4:1–3.
Since the main roads were closed, it caused a slowdown in commerce. Any travel that was done had to be in hidden paths that the enemy did not know about. All the small villages had to close. Everyone had to move into walled towns. Among forty thousand Israelites, not a single spear or sword could be found. All the blacksmiths were closed. It was against the law to be a blacksmith. See Judges 5:6–8.)
Sisera’s archers hid by the well. When the Israelites came to get their water, they were often surprised and many were murdered. (See Judges 5:11.) It was in this time of terrible oppression and apostasy that God chose a woman to deliver His people. “For twenty years, the Israelites groaned under the yoke of the oppressor; then they turned from their idolatry, and with humiliation and repentance cried unto the Lord for deliverance. They did not cry in vain. There was dwelling in Israel a woman illustrious for her piety, and through her the Lord chose to deliver His people.” The Signs of the Times, June 16, 1881.
Do you think God slipped up? Surely, somewhere in the land could be found a faithful man. The way some people act today, you would think that God had made a mistake. But God is not tied down to the rules and ideas of men. He can use whoever He chooses. This time He chose to use a woman to free the land from oppression.
The land was oppressed until: “The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.” Judges 5:7. Oh, that today we would havesome mothers in Israel that would stand up against the vices of the enemy, push back the forces of evil and stand unmoved for right.
This woman was not only a mother, but also a judge. “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.” Judges 4:4, 5.
Through Deborah, the Lord called His people to war. “The Lord communicated to Deborah His purpose to destroy the enemies of Israel, and bade her send for a man named Barak.” The Signs of the Times, June 6, 1881.
From his home far to the north, in Kedesh-Naphtali, Barak recognized the call of God. (Kedesh means “holy, a holy place.” Kedesh-Naphtali was given to the Levites and later it became one of the cities of refuge.) Barak believed that Deborah was a prophetess of God. He knew she was judge over all Israel and he could hear the voice of God in her call. But even though he knew it was God speaking, Barak soon displayed his natural timidity and mistrustfulness.
“And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-Naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward Mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots [those chariots with long knives out of the axle] and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; but the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.” Judges 4:6–9.
Deborah and Barak went down to Bethel, and from Bethel they went up to Kedesh, which took them a while, and they summoned the children of Israel to war. Some of the tribes did not respond. Some stayed on their ships, others tended their sheep and debated among themselves whether they should go or not. Like people are doing today, they were still debating when the battle was over. It is now a matter of history that God won this battle, but there was a time when it was a matter of faith that God would win. However, there were some that had faith and came to the help of the Lord.
The battle was to take place in the region of Mount Tabor. It was only five and one-half miles west of the future town of Nazareth, between Mount Tabor and the Sea of Galilee, that this battle would be fought down at the far end of the river Kishon. (Hundreds of years later, the boy Jesus undoubtedly crossed this river and traversed this battle site.)
“And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.” Judges 4:13–15. The Lord discomfited the army! They were overrun with the river Kishon. (See Judges 5.)
The river Kishon is a short river, but in certain places it is a mighty river. The soil around this river is made up of clay. We have clay soil where I live in Kansas, and after a rain, the soil sticks to your shoes and stacks up until you seem to be on stilts. The horses no doubt had the same problem. Can you imagine the horses trying to knock off the build-up of wet sticky clay? Deborah wrote about “the horsehoofs broken by the means of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones.” Judges 5:22. Of course the chariot wheels also bogged down in the sticky clay, making all those long knives sticking out from the axles useless. Consequently, Sisera had no way to escape but on foot.
“Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth [approximately 40 miles] of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.” Judges 4:15, 16.
“Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they showed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to Mount Tabor.” Judges 4:11, 12. According to this verse, some of the Kenite people had first told Sisera that Barak and Deborah were marshalling an army and were on their way to Mount Tabor. The Bible tells us that they had made peace with King Jabin. So naturally, after the army was routed, Sisera wanted to run back to these friendly people.
In his flight he followed the main road going north toward Ramah. He could not run toward the sea because it was a mountainous region, making swift travel impossible. Before he could reach the supposed safety of the Kenites in the plain of Zaanaim, he had to pass right by a little town that now has become infamous in sacred history. The little town is Meroz, which was probably “Merrah” and was about seven miles south and a little west of Kedesh-Naphtali. The angel said about the people in this town:
“Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” Judges 5:23. Why is such a terrible curse given to the inhabitants of the town of Meroz?
This is one of the worst curses given in the Old Testament. Was it because they were terrible idolaters, murderers, immoral or liars? We have no record of that, instead, the Spirit of Prophecy tells us they were just plain lazy. In fact, they are called “do-nothings.” (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 246.) They reasoned that they were safe in their town, so while Sisera, the enemy of God’s people, was running by, why should they subject themselves to danger? Let someone else do the work was their motto.
“Many of our people are lukewarm. They occupy the position of Meroz, neither for nor against, neither cold nor hot. They hear the words of Christ, but they do them not. If they remain in this state, He will reject them with abhorrence. Many of those who have had great light, great opportunities, and every spiritual advantage praise Christ and the world with the same breath. They bow themselves before God and mammon. They make merry with the children of the world, and yet claim to be blessed with the children of God. They wish to have Christ as their Saviour, but will not bear the cross and wear His yoke. May the Lord have mercy upon you; for if you go on in this way, nothing but evil can be prophesied concerning you.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 76, 77.
The Lord expects us to do something. There is a world lying in wickedness and we have the truth. We know the law of God, the messages of the three angels, and if we do nothing, we will have the curse of God upon us. We need to get up and work. We cannot stay within our peaceful walls. We have a job to do. God has borne long with us. He has given us every advantage and it is time for us to work. “When the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few—this will be our test. At this time we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason.”Testimonies, Vol. 5, 136. Oh, the terrible sin of Meroz is in our midst. The sin of self-indulgence and the love of ease. Sit by and let someone else fight the battles of the Lord.
The following is a quote from a letter written in 1890 to Elder Olson, President of the General Conference. This letter is by another woman who was called of God to fight in the battle for truth. She was resisted at every step.
“I do not expect to be at your General Conference. I would rather run the other way . . . My brethren, who thought they were doing God’s service in discouraging my heart in obstructing my way, and opposing themselves to all that I was in the fear of God trying to do, could they look upon me, would see something of their work. They made my work fifty-fold harder than it would otherwise have been. I wonder if these earnest, zealous men who were engaged in sowing questionings and doubts and resistance, and stubbornness in rejecting the counsel of God against themselves have thought of these words? ‘Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord,Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.’ Judges 5:23. We have had entrusted to us a message to bear to God’s people. We have had a raid against that work: Satan, his whole host and traitors, and evil men. We have need of the help which everyone should have been prepared to give to us. We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“But when men who claim to be faithful and true to all purposes engage with the enemy of God to hinder and confuse and perplex minds and keep them on the side of the enemy as has been the case since I left Europe and stepped on American soil, how can the Lord look upon these things that so many have not worked on God’s side of the question? How could the burden but be of crushing weight to my soul when God was opening before me the messages He would have come before the people?” Ellen G. White, 1888 Materials, 648.
Under whose leadership were these professed soldiers of Christ actually engaged? These things have grieved the Spirit of God and the curse of Meroz was applicable to them. We cannot sit by and watch the battle. We have to be a part of it or we are under the wrong general.
The battle rages all around us. It is time to take up our weapons (the Word of the living God and prayer) and go forth to push back the powers of evil. There are thousands of souls dying without a knowledge of the truth. Are we earnestly working?
The men of Meroz chose to stay at ease in their walled town, while a woman carried the battle for the day. “And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? That thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.” Judges 4:18–23.
“Jael was at first ignorant of the character of her guest, and she resolved to conceal him; but when she afterward learned that he was Sisera, the enemy of God and of His people, her purpose changed. As he lay before her asleep, she overcame her natural reluctance to such an act, and slew him by driving a nail through his temples, pinning him to the earth . . .slain by the hand of a woman.” The Signs of the Times, June 16, 1881.
The prophecy was fulfilled, as God has said, that the glory that day would not go to Barak, but to a woman. Deborah wrote the story of God’s marvelous deliverance in a beautiful (albeit gory) poem. As was the custom in those days, the story was put to music so the children could sing about the deliverance of Israel. It is recorded for our benefit in Judges 5.
If you realize you are weak, rejoice. Rejoice! Because if you realize your weakness, God can, through you, do great things for His cause. He has promised: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect through weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things that are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence.” 2 Corinthians 1:27–29.