Judges 5:28-31 – Lasting victory is experienced only in God

In these closing verses of Judges 5, we see the rejoicing of Israel at the expense of one woman. She is no other than the mother of Sisera. Here we see Deborah imagining the anxiety she must have, waiting for the return of her son from battle. She wondered what was taking Sisera so long to return home. Usually, by that time she would have heard the sound of the thudding of horses returning, and her son returning home with the victory report. Deborah imagined how Sisera’s mother must have felt when her son did not return as usual. She imagined her pacing up and down, peering through the window time and again wondering what’s taking Sisera so long to return.

In verse 29, Deborah imagined her being assured by “the wise princesses” providing explanation and hope for Sisera’s delay. They gave her three false explanations to bolster her hope of her son’s return. Firstly, they suggested to her that perhaps the spoil of the war was so much that he needed time to sort them out. Secondly, perhaps he and the soldiers were having a wild time with the women captured in the war. Thirdly, maybe he was busy sorting out what he had taken from the war that he could give as a gift to his mother. These explanations brought some hope to her, even though they gave her false hope. She seemed to be convinced that what they told her could be true. But she had no idea that the real situation was furthest from the imagination given her. For Sisera, her precious son laid motionless and dead in a tent at the feet of an ordinary woman.

This poem concluded with a prayer to God for all His enemies to be destroyed, defeated, and obliterated. Her desire was to see the Kingdom of God take dominion and the people who loved Him experience a bright day of rest that had been secured. Her prayer was that as the light of the morning sun, God’s people would dispel the darkness of defeat. The victory that God granted to Israel through Deborah and Barak brought 40 years of peace and rest. This victory is an illustration of the triumph of God’s people. It suggests that the forces that come against us have no chance of overthrowing us. Whatever emotional pain experienced by the mother of Sisera need not be ours when we trust the Lord who will bring us the victory. Be reminded that our victory is secured only in God. It may not come instantly but it will last longer to bring the rest we desire. After everything has been said and done, one thing is clear, it is only in God can we have an enduring victory. Thanks be to our mighty God!