Judges 5

From time to time, I can be decisive. A few years back, when I traveled to my brothers to Walt Disney World with my brothers, I took it upon myself to plan what parks to visit on which day, which attractions to experience (and in, some cases, the order to visit said attractions), and what food to partake of. The entire trip pretty much ran like clockwork, allowing us to visit everything we wanted with ample time for mid-day naps in the hotel. However, I can also be frustratingly indecisive. When I eat out with my family, I just have the most difficult time choosing somewhere to eat. When playing board games, especially when it's my first time and I've only had the rules explained to me out loud (as I mentioned, I'm a visual learner and not an auditory learner), I can get crippled by analysis paralysis. I'm fully aware that I can take too long to make decisions, and that such a trait can be detrimental.

In the song of Deborah, a more florid account than the prose version of the story in chapter 4, Deborah criticizes the tribe of Reuben for not joining the fight against Sisera's army. In fact, she says the exact same thing twice in verses 15 and 16: "In the districts of Reuben / there was much searching of heart." I know that Hebrew poetry relies on parallelism, but Deborah repeats this phrase verbatim. To her credit, it is a nifty little phrase, so I can understand if she just wanted to use it twice. But "searching your heart" is usually a positive term, reflecting the idea that one should think about the ramifications of a decision before making an impetuous choice. However, it's also no good if someone just stands around mulling over one's options all day; at some point, one needs to take action.

As I mentioned, most of Deborah's song retells the story of the previous chapter using more poetic imagery; the phrase "From the heavens the stars fought" (verse 20) proves especially vivid and evocative. However, she does add an extra little tidbit at the end of Sisera's mother peeking into Jael's tent and wondering why her son is taking so long. Well, he's taking so long because his head is stapled to the ground with a tent peg, but Sisera's mother seems to be in some sort of denial, thinking that Sisera has won and is merely taking his time sorting through all the plunder. She's even looking forward to receiving "highly embroidered garments for [her] neck" (verse 30). This emotionally complex scene, dealing with hubris denial, and even poignancy, adds a somber note to the otherwise triumphant mood of the song.