Judges 5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
In Judges chapter 4, an epic battle had just been won. Israel had just recorded a victory against Sisera. A lot of interesting things can be deduced from this chapter of scripture. For one, men where spurred on to go into battle by the prophetic voice of a woman, Deborah. When Israel was subjected to oppression, God used a woman to offer prophetic direction.
If you are reading this and you feel disqualified from being used of God because of your gender, then this verse of scripture challenges that. In fact one of the greatest people that worked in the power of the Holy Spirit was a woman named Kathryn Kuhlman, a woman who dared to believe in the miracle working power of God and to this generation, she was a sign. Don't listen to men, God has a plan for you and He does not consider your gender as inferior. Its the heart you carry that He looks at.
Going back to our discussion, having secured the victory, Deborah and Barak started to praise God in Chapter 5. The summary of the whole of this chapter is stated in in the first two verses of this chapter. In fact, Judges 5:2 started by stating clearly their intention. It says:
Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
Please note that, God avenged His people but His people willingly offered themselves. The great Evangelist, Reinhard Boonke, said God needs manpower, man needs God's power, and God works, when Man works. This statement clearly agrees with the scripture above.
For those who wonder why God needs men, when He is all powerful. The answer is that for God to intervene in the affairs of men, He needs the permission of a man. God has given the administration of the earth to the sons of men. Its like the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) we get for the government, for while all land belongs to the government, a C of O is given for us to 'own' a portion of that land by the government until a certain number of years expire. As long as we have that C of O the land belongs to us and we are entitled to compensation if the government intends to reclaim the land. Your life and your existence on the earth is your right to the earth. Unfortunately, man was not created to be master of himself. However, men are called to choose who they submit to. Whoever, you yield it to becomes your master.
The issue of choices also features in our story above. Some men choose not to come for the battle. In this battle, a careful record was kept of those who fought and those who did not. From the summary of their initial intention as discussed, I do not think Deborah intended to call out curses on those who did not come to battle ,but as it so often is the case in an atmosphere of true worship, the prophetic switched on. She revealed an incidence that was happening behind the scenes. According to her prophetic insight, an angel of the Lord, called for curses on the people of Meroz for not helping out in the day of battle.
This twist in the reading concerned me. Why was it necessary to call for a curse on these people? The battle had already been won and the enemy overcome. Why was it necessary to pronounce this curse over these people? I will attempt an answer.These people where going to benefit from the battle but they did not offer themselves to fight in it. Secondly, the entire kingdom was on the verge of being destroyed but these people had no care.
As I thought on the above reasons, I must say that many in the church today could be called up for the same curses. Horrible thought, I know but please before you dismiss me, consider the attitude of the saved in the church today and if you dare to be honest, look closely at your own life.
Many are unconcerned about the cause of Christ.Many are afraid to stand up for what they believe in. For some, when God wants to use their vocal cords to preach they gospel they will not yield. They are unconcerned about the cause of Christ in the earth and do not contribute to the advancement of God's kingdom. Their lives are lived for their selfish reasons and will not be bothered if the Church suffers. If you live all your life without finding out why you were put on this earth, or even why Christ saved you, then you are no different from the people of Meroz. If your life is lived with no thought of God and the advancement of His Kingdom, then you are no different from these people.
Unless we strive to locate the heart beat of God for us and seek that His purposes come to pass in our land and time, we are no different from the people of Meroz.
Friend, Don't just live for yourself, Live for Him who died for you. Our King has need of men to advance His Kingdom, may you come to his aid in a time like this.
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