Judges 5: The Song of Deborah.

This chapter is a song of victory, describing the events of Judges 4 in poetic and exuberant language. Throughout, there is a sense of exhorting the people to turn to the Lord and praise Him for the victory. Singing this kind of song was a customary way for Israel to rejoice after a major victory.

The spiritual meaning of singing has to do with our overall joy and affection for spiritual things: joy for what is true, for the Word, and for everything about the Lord. Affection is not merely knowing spiritual truths; it is our heart’s response to them, which goes far beyond words.

This is why the lyrics of sacred songs such as Judges Chapter 5 are very eloquent and passionate. They are not simply an account of what took place, but more an outburst of praise and gratitude in recounting the story. We experience the same inner ‘music’ when our heart feels a deep spiritual affection, and is stirred up with praise to the Lord. Just as Deborah and Barak sang after a battle, our songs of gratitude will generally be felt after the Lord delivers us from a period of temptation during regeneration (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 8265).

The song itself frequently acknowledges the Lord’s part in Israel’s victory:

In verse 4: “Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom.”

In verse 11: “There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord for his villagers in Israel.”

And in verse 13: “Then the Lord came down for me against the mighty.”

These references serve to remind us that everything is the Lord’s doing. We must do what is good as though our actions make the difference, but we are to affirm that the Lord brings about all that is good. This acknowledgement allows us to act from free will, while still understanding the spiritual truth that all goodness comes from the Lord (Arcana Caelestia 9193).

This is emphasized through the song whenever Deborah praises her own actions, as well as those of Barak and Jael. For example:

In verse 7: “Village life ceased in Israel until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.”

In verse 12: “Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam!”

And in verses 24-27, when Jael receives full praise for her actions.

Another theme in the song is a lament over those tribes which did not come to the aid of Israel, although only Issachar and Zebulun were called to battle. A town called Meroz is roundly cursed for failing to help. The name ‘Meroz’ comes from a verb meaning “to withdraw” or “to hide” (see Swedenborg’s work, Heaven and Hell 18). This lament reminds us that our intentions to serve the Lord and to fight our spiritual battles can be hindered by our own divided wills.

7750. Since the bird of stone represented those who are interested in knowledge alone and not in a life of love, and since as a consequence they have practically no spiritual life, let a final note be added here to show that those who are governed by a heavenly love and by knowledge subordinate to that love are the only ones to receive spiritual life. This final note must also show that a love holds within itself every bit of knowledge that belongs to that love. Take for example the animals on land, and also the creatures in the sky, the birds. They possess a knowledge of all the things that belong to their love. Each one's love consists in feeding itself, living in safety, producing offspring, and providing its young with food. Living creatures therefore possess all the knowledge they require, for every creature has such knowledge within its love; this knowledge flows into its love as if entering a receptacle made for it. That knowledge with some creatures is such that one is bound to be amazed by it. It is said that creatures are born with that knowledge, and it is called instinct; but it is part of the love that governs them.

[2] If man were governed by his love - which is love to God and love towards his neighbour, the love that is properly man's and marks him off from beasts - he would not only possess all the knowledge he requires, but also all the intelligence and wisdom. He would have no need to acquire these through learning, for they would flow from heaven into those two forms of love, that is, from the Divine by way of heaven. But since man is not governed by those forms of love but by their opposites, that is to say, by self-love and love of the world, he is inevitably born into complete ignorance and lack of knowledge. He is however brought by Divine means to some measure of intelligence and wisdom, though even then he does not actually enter into it at all unless he removes self-love and love of the world and thereby opens the way for love to the Lord and towards the neighbour.

[3] The truth that love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour hold all intelligence and wisdom within them may be recognized from those who were governed in the world by those loves. When they enter heaven in the next life they know and are wise in things such as they had never known before. Indeed like other angels they think and utter things there that are beyond description such as ear has never heard and mind has never known. The reason why they do so is that those forms of love hold within them the ability to receive such gifts.