The Public Thanksgiving Text: Judges 5:9-11
Introduction: A Culture of Public Gratitude
We live in an age of curated outrage and manufactured discontent. Our public square is filled with the shrill voices of grievance, a constant, whining chorus of accusation against God, against our fathers, against our history, and against the very structures of reality. Everyone is a victim, and every victim is entitled to a microphone. But a society built on grievance is a society that is rotting from the inside out. It is a house built on the sand of subjective feelings, and when the rains of reality descend, it will collapse into a muddy ruin.
The Bible presents us with a radically different vision for public life. It is a vision centered not on public grievance but on public gratitude. It is a culture where the great deeds of God are not whispered in private but are shouted from the rooftops, sung at the city wells, and declared in the gates. The song of Deborah in Judges 5 is a prime example of this. Israel had been under the thumb of a brutal enemy for twenty years. Life was dangerous, commerce had ceased, and the people were disarmed and demoralized. But God raised up a deliverer, and in the aftermath of a stunning, supernatural victory, the first order of business was not to lick their wounds or to conduct a political post-mortem. The first order of business was to sing.
This song is not a private devotion. It is a public declaration, a national anthem of praise. It is a polemic against the gods of Canaan and a proclamation of the sovereignty of Yahweh. And in the verses before us today, Deborah calls every segment of Israelite society, from the highest rulers to the common man, to join in this public festival of thanksgiving. She is teaching us that a healthy culture is one that knows how to thank God, and how to do it out loud, together. This is not optional; it is the essential glue that holds a covenant people together. When we forget how to thank God publicly, we forget who we are. We become spiritual amnesiacs, and our society begins to disintegrate.
The Text
"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless Yahweh! You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road, muse aloud! At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates."
(Judges 5:9-11 LSB)
Hearty Leadership and Willing Followers (v. 9)
The song begins with a commendation for the human instruments God used in this great deliverance.
"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless Yahweh!" (Judges 5:9)
Deborah's heart is full of affection and gratitude for two groups: the leaders and the followers. This is the divine recipe for any successful endeavor in the kingdom of God. You need godly, courageous leadership, the "commanders of Israel," who are willing to step up and take the lead. And you need a people who are not conscripted, not coerced, but who are "volunteers," offering themselves willingly to the cause. When leaders lead with faith and the people follow with zeal, God is blessed.
Notice the balance. It is not all top-down command, nor is it a chaotic, leaderless populism. It is a beautiful synergy. The commanders did not have to drag the people into battle kicking and screaming. The people did not have to beg for someone to lead them. God stirred both, and the result was victory. This is a picture of a healthy church, a healthy family, a healthy nation. The apostle Peter echoes this principle for elders in the New Testament, telling them to shepherd the flock "not under compulsion, but willingly" (1 Peter 5:2).
And what is the immediate, reflexive response to seeing this kind of godly order? "Bless Yahweh!" When men lead as they ought, and when people follow as they ought, the glory does not go to the men or the people. It goes to the God who gave them the grace to do it. We are to praise the human instruments, to give honor where honor is due, but the ultimate praise, the blessing, is reserved for God alone. He is the one who gives courage to commanders and a willing spirit to the people.
A Call for Universal Testimony (v. 10)
Next, Deborah summons every class of society to join the chorus of praise. No one is exempt.
"You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road, muse aloud!" (Judges 5:10)
This is a poetic way of saying "everyone, from the richest to the poorest." Those who "ride on white donkeys" were the nobility, the wealthy, the magistrates. White donkeys were a status symbol, a sign of prestige and peace. Those who "sit on rich carpets" were likely the prosperous merchants or landowners. And those who "travel on the road" were the common folk, the pedestrians, the working class. Before this victory, the roads were unsafe, and no one could travel freely (Judges 5:6). Now, the highways are open again.
The command to them all is to "muse aloud." This is a wonderful phrase. It means to meditate, to consider, and then to speak it out. It is not enough to have grateful thoughts in the privacy of your own mind. Thanksgiving is not a spectator sport. It must be verbalized. It must be made public. The rich man on his donkey and the poor man on his feet have both benefited from God's deliverance, and so both have an equal obligation to testify to it. God's blessings are not just for our private enjoyment; they are fuel for our public witness.
This is a direct assault on the privatized, pietistic version of faith that is so common today. We are commanded to take our faith into the public square and to "muse aloud" about the goodness of our God. The wealthy are to use their platform and influence to praise God, and the common man is to speak of His goodness to his neighbor on the road. All of life, for all people, is to be a theater for the glory of God.
The Content of Our Song (v. 11)
Finally, Deborah tells us what this public musing should be about and where it should take place.
"At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates." (Judges 5:11)
The "watering places" were the social hubs of the ancient world. They were the equivalent of the town square or the local coffee shop. Before, these places were scenes of danger, where archers would ambush those who came to draw water. Now, they are places of peace and celebration. Instead of the sound of arrows, there is the sound of singers. The shepherds dividing their flocks, a picture of restored peace and prosperity, are to be the choir directors.
And what is the song they are to sing? They are to "commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh." The word for "righteous deeds" is plural. It speaks of God's acts of salvation, His faithfulness to His covenant promises, His justice in overthrowing the wicked and vindicating His people. This is the central theme of all biblical praise. We do not praise God for abstract philosophical concepts. We praise Him for what He has done in history. Our faith is rooted in historical events: the Exodus, the conquest, and supremely, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to be constantly retelling the story.
Notice for whom these righteous deeds were performed: "for His peasantry in Israel." The word "peasantry" refers to the villagers, the common people who were most vulnerable to the enemy's oppression. God did not just save the elites; He saved the little guy. Our God is the great defender of the humble. He is the God who looks upon the lowly and raises them up. This is a profound comfort and a central part of the gospel message.
And what is the result of this public commemoration? "Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates." The city gates were the place of civic life, of law, of commerce, of government. Before the victory, the gates were places of war (Judges 5:8). Now, the people of God re-occupy them. They go down to the gates to re-establish godly order, to judge righteously, and to build a flourishing society on the foundation of God's deliverance. Public worship leads to civic renewal. When a people remembers and celebrates the righteous deeds of God, they are empowered to take up their cultural mandate with confidence and joy.
Singing the New Song
This entire passage is a beautiful picture of the life of the redeemed. We too were oppressed by a cruel enemy, by sin, Satan, and the fear of death. The highways of our lives were impassable. We were disarmed, demoralized, and without hope. But God, in His great mercy, sent a Commander, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He has won a decisive victory on our behalf at the cross.
Because of this, we are now called to a life of public thanksgiving. We are the commanders and the volunteers, the rich and the poor, the shepherds at the well. And we have a greater story to tell than Deborah ever did. We are to commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh, supremely demonstrated in the gospel. The cross is the ultimate righteous deed, where God satisfied His own justice and demonstrated His covenant love for His people.
Our watering places, our homes, our workplaces, our churches, are to be filled with the sound of this song. We are to "muse aloud" about the righteousness of God in Christ. We are to tell everyone, from the man in the boardroom to the man on the street, what God has done for us. We were the peasantry, the spiritually poor and vulnerable, and He acted for our sakes.
And as we sing this song, as we commemorate His righteous deeds, we too are empowered to "go down to the gates." We are called to bring the lordship of Christ to bear on every area of public life. We are to build families, churches, and communities that are ordered according to His Word. The gospel does not just save our souls for a future heaven; it restores our lives for present cultural engagement. It moves from the watering well of worship to the city gate of dominion. Let us, therefore, take up this song with gusto. Let us bless the Lord, muse aloud, and commemorate His righteous deeds, until every gate confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.