By Mark Proctor
Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Columbia
Focal Passages: Judges 4:4-10, 12-16
Even a cursory examination of Israel’s history in the book of Judges will reveal a glaring theme: Israel had been given the land, every inch of it, and “no man shall be able to stand …” (Joshua 1:5 ESV). This was God’s plan. And as is too often the case, mankind had a better plan. The closing strains of the book of Judges tell us what it was: “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25) even forgetting the Lord their God (Judges 3:7). They forgot God and did their own thing, with predictable results: the enemy “persisted in dwelling” in the land God had given to His children (Judges 1:35).
And there is the classic struggle in the life of all God’s children. His way which results in promise and blessing or our way which results in constant battle with the enemy. Such was Israel’s existence, such is ours. How refreshing it is when God sends a willing human voice, bold and confident, to speak to us straight from God’s heart. When we first meet the prophetess Deborah in Judges 4 we know little of her background and less of her qualifications. But we know she is willing to go, willing to speak, sitting under the palm of Deborah judging Israel, getting up and going with Barak. Her speech and her actions all testified to her willingness.
As I write, the U.S. Congress is in the throes of vetting and approving our President-elect’s (now President) cabinet choices, trying to determine if these leaders are qualified. Qualifications are, after all, important predictors of success. But again, qualified in man’s eyes or God’s eyes? Those are very different skill sets. God’s idea of qualified begins with willingness. God says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.”(II Corinthians 8:12 NIV). That means God doesn’t disqualify willing servants because of a skill or diploma or experience they don’t have.
Deborah may not have had military prowess or experience. But she was willing and God used her in His redemptive plan to test and restore Israel to faithfulness. When she called to the conditionally willing Barak, they both went to face the enemy. Conspicuously absent in the story are the skillsets, the qualifications of these two servants. Deborah even warned Barak the mission wouldn’t result in a resume bullet point for him. It was God’s plan, God’s victory, and God’s glory.
The question at hand for all of us is are we willing to face our days, our enemies, our future God’s way? It demands patience; it demands a humility to set aside our envy of those with more experience, better educations and better human qualifications. God’s way works every time at the right time. He’s looking for you. Can you say today, “Here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8)?