Let us put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation for a helmet. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess 5:8-9
Read. Judges 4:1-7 We know very little about Deborah apart from this snapshot of her life and leadership. She was the wife of Lappidoth but we know even less about Lappidoth. However from this story Deborah stands out as a fine example of a faithful servant for the Lord and Israel. Deborah was a judge which means she had oversight of the region of Ephraim and people came to her for counsel and judgement. The Lord empowered her to make the wise decisions that were needed for the welfare of the people. It was a time when the tribes were quite separated and the worship of Yahweh has mostly been forgotten, but the Lord had not forgotten Israel and when the oppression of King Jabin became unbearable the people as always, turned back to Yahweh seeking relief. It was in response to this cry for help that the Lord directed Deborah to command Barak to gather a fighting force and face the oppressor of Israel: Our lectionary reading for today ends with the command to go and fight. The rest of the story is interesting to unfold for it raises some interesting cultural issues.
However to go back to today’s Lection; In Israel it was unusual to have a woman leader never the less the people recognised that God had gifted this person and so they responded with obedience to Deborah. In their record of history there is no hesitation in reminding themselves that Deborah was a model of faith and obedience. Here we read of her taking her place among the judges who were the great leaders during the formation of Israel. Though it was against the culture and the tradition, yet they responded to Deborah, because they trusted in the Lord. Their trust in the Lord helped them see past their cultural norms to something new. Maybe it is a challenge for us to be more aware of God in each other and be prepared to lose some of our preconceived ideas about who can and who cannot provide leadership and insights from God.
Prayer. Holy Lord, there are many ways to serve you and many opportunities along the way. Help us to see with clearer vision the new things that you call us to do; help us to hold onto those things from the past which are good but also to grasp those new things that you are presenting to us. May we be more effective in our witness and share sincerely of your love for us. Lord help us to forgive those who stand against us, who find things in us which annoy and offend. Help us to do all that is in our power to live in harmony and tranquillity with all people. Help each of us to trust in you alone, together we may seek only to please you and Lord, may our reputation rest in you and in your strength alone. Amen
Read. Psalm 123. This psalm forms both a beautiful prayer and a heartfelt lament. As we read to the end, the psalm almost leaves a feeling of being unfinished, “Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud”. Psalm 123:4 (NRSV). The psalmist meanwhile may have intended that verse to be the perfect ending. The psalmist is keeping his whole attention on the Lord just as a devoted manservant or maid servant would do. Clearly the circumstances which prevail are a great cause for anguish and so the only avenue of meaningful help is the help which will come from the Lord. Maybe that is why the plea seems to hang in the air. The supplicant is not daring to suggest what the Lord should do but is asking without any suggestions and therefore putting their whole trust in the Lord’s response. How often do we call out to the Lord but rather than waiting for an answer we have the temerity, to tell the Lord just what it is that should be done! Forgetting completely that we are the creatures and it is the Lord who is the Creator, the instigator of all things. Perhaps the psalmist with long experience of waiting on the Lord has the confidence to trust even in the most severe of circumstances. Thus by reminding us to keep our eye firmly on the Lord, the psalmist is also reminding us to patiently trust that the Lord will answer with a perfect answer if we will only wait.
“Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the God of my salvation”. Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NRSV)
Prayer. Forgive us Lord if we have presumed to instruct you in any way. Teach us to be patient, waiting for your guidance and grace to lead us on in all the circumstances of life. Teach us to trust your providence, looking always for your direction; relying on your power and strength, not on any wisdom of our own. As we keep our proper place before you, may that peace which passes all understanding keep our soul, mind and body in perfect harmony with your will. As ambassadors of reconciliation (2Cor 5:19), equip us to play our part in your perfect plan. All honour and glory is yours, now and for ever more. This we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect. Lord God, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by your Holy Spirit, that, always keeping in mind the end of all things and the day of judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of life here, and may live with you for ever in the world to come; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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