no junk

Judges 5:1-9 (JDV)

Judges 5:1 On that day Deborah (and Barak son of Abinoam) sang:
Judges 5:2 When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless Yahveh.
Judges 5:3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to Yahveh; I will sing praise to Yahveh God of Israel.
Judges 5:4 Yahveh, when you came from Seir, when you marched from the fields of Edom, the land trembled, the skies poured rain, and the clouds poured water.
Judges 5:5 The mountains melted before Yahveh, even Sinai, before Yahveh, the God of Israel.
Judges 5:6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main roads were deserted because travelers kept to the side roads.
Judges 5:7 Villages were deserted, they were deserted in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
Judges 5:8 Israel elected new gods, then there was war in the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
Judges 5:9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the people. Blessed be Yahveh!

no junk

God used volunteers to make a difference when times were bad. When it seemed like there was no hope for the Israelites, God used Deborah and Jael to light a fire under the men of Israel. Such has been the case for God’s people through the ages. When it seemed like no man could stem the tide of failure and bondage, God’s Holy Spirit empowered women to step in. We should not be surprised at that. God always exceeds our expectations.

But we should also learn the lesson from such events. Our God tells us not to put people in boxes. When we discount people because of their biological sex, or because of their race or social status, we are telling God that he has made some treasure and some junk. He does not make junk. Every one of his creations is a miracle, potentially empowered by him supernaturally.

LORD, thank you for all your marvelous creation.