Today’s passage is Judges 4:1-10.
Ehud died and the Israelites did evil again. King Jabin oppressed them for twenty years. His general Sisera had 900 iron chariots. Prophetess Deborah led the people. She told Barak that God commanded him to take ten thousand men, go to Mt. Tabor and that God would deliver Sisera and his chariots into Barak’s hands. Barak said he’d do it if Deborah went with him. She said because of his answer the honor of killing Sisera would be a woman’s.
Why 900 iron chariots? Why does Barak want Deborah to go with him?
My iron chariots are my lack of preparation and my failure to accept my responsibility. They go together. I am like Barak.
I always want someone to go with me. I want them to do the work I shirk, but I want to take the credit for the good work.
God has shown me by my failures that I need to ask him and him alone to go with me. Nowadays I do my best to give others the credit because that’s like giving God the credit.
I try to take the blame. That’s how God is breaking my iron chariots.
I still haven’t reached the point where I say to God’s command: I will go. I still look around and say, “If you will go with me,” to someone.
Yesterday my wife asked me what mission trip I was going to go on in July. I said I didn’t feel the call to go on any.
That was just another way of saying, “If you go with me.”
Tonight, pastor Jung Ji-hoon asked me if I was going on the Nepal mission trip with him.
I didn’t say Yes and I didn’t say No. I waffled because I don’t want to go. I want to rest. But in tonight’s sermon I heard a pastor say, “There is no resting.”
When I say, “If you go with me,” what I mean is I don’t want to go.
I don’t want to be responsible for my decision or my action. I need to repent.
Application: to tell Jung ji-hoon I will go to poor, filthy Nepal.
Lord, inspire me with your courage to obey your word now, not later.
