We're great!

Judges 5:1-11

"You can't be great without the greatness of others." If you know me, you know I didn't miss last night's game. My team won and, of course, we celebrated. I even watched the post game interviews for fun. That's where I heard that quote from our head coach. You hear a lot of clichés in sports. But that quote stuck with me because right before the game I read the passage for today's devotional. Yes, even as I cheered on my team, I was reflecting on scripture. The prophet Deborah and the military leader, Barak, sang a song of victory, recorded in Judges 5. My team has a great fight song, but nothing like Deborah's. Hers recognizes the power of God. God won the battle Israel celebrated. As the song recounts the details of the battle, the assumption is God must've been at work for the people. After all, "was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel" (5:8b)? But notice the greatness Deborah leads with. The NRSV translates Judges 5:2 like this: "When locks are long in Israel." Have you ever seen professional sports players not touch their hair during a particular part of their season? This might be something similar. Warriors may have decided to leave their hair as is as a sign of dedication. Other translations make the idea a bit more simple to grasp. "When the princes in Israel take the lead (NIV)" means when leaders lead, people follow. What Deborah is getting to is that Israel rallied as a people to win their battle. Yes, Deborah recognized God's greatness in battle. First, though, she praised God for the people coming together. The leaders couldn't be great without the people and the people couldn't be great without their leaders. Praise the Lord when we recognize what God can do through us when we join our efforts. Yes, it is good and pleasant when we dwell in unity (Psalm 133:1). And it's great when we learn to trust and depend on each other's faith.  Stay blessed...john