Songs to Remember

Judges 5:1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

When was the last time you sang the National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”? When was the last time you really thought about the words to this ‘impossible to sing for most people’ song? So often we just sing without really listening to the message.
The words “Bombs bursting in air” is part of our Anthem. Pause to think about that image. Bombs bursting! This is the story of the defense of Fort M’Henry, during the war of 1812’s historic battle of Baltimore. The poem’s author was Francis Scott Key who witnessed the battle. The battle was a turning point in that war.
The song celebrates that victory, the survival of the fledgling nation was in the balance and God tipped the scale in their favor. We miss much of the message of the whole song by only singing the first verse. It is the LORD who is credited with bringing the victory.
So songs that celebrate a battle victory have been a part of cultures for thousands of years. Deborah, a judge in the time of the ruling judges of Israel, had been victorious in battle. She had encouraged the battle to happen and predicted the downfall of the enemy king at the hands of a woman, rather than at the hands of their king, because their king had doubted the LORD’s ability to bring the victory.
Deborah’s song of victory tells in Hebrew fashion the victory, including the role she played as the nation’s judge and the role of a woman in the actual killing of the enemy leader. Even in a time when men usually ran things, Deborah was the leader! The man didn’t step up. She was leading, culturally a very difficult spot. But the LORD doesn’t consider gender to be a problem. He will use anyone who is available and yielded to Him.
So what are the songs we sing? Do they celebrate the LORD’s victories in our lives? Do they proclaim to the nations the greatness of our God? Maybe they should!