Who Me?

Some of you may remember the doubt-expressing Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine in his common response: “Who, Me?” It was a statement of innocence, ignorance, doubt, or perhaps just feeling left in the dark. Ever feel that way? Like Alfred, sometimes we are called upon to step up but we are uncertain if we want to.

We find an interesting, but obscure example of this in the Old Testament (Judges 4:1-16) where an Israelite leader instructs a military person, with God’s help and direction, to defeat an invading army.

A leader named Deborah (who was a judge), tells a military leader, Barak, to deploy his army and assures him that God will give them success. His response? He says, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” Deborah replies, “Okay, I’ll go but since that’s the way you want it, you won’t receive the credit and accolades for the victory.” They went, and they were successful, but Barak is now remembered as the doubtful one, not the confident one.
In all honesty, I can relate to his doubt and uncertainty, which is much like Alfred E. Neuman. Can you remember a time when you’ve had to face a difficult challenge or hard circumstance and you’ve wished you could opt out? Ever felt God tugging at you and you think, “Not me Lord, send someone else!”?

Why do you think Barak asked Deborah to go along? Barak’s response reminds me of Moses. We remember Moses as a great leader but he, too, expressed doubts and offered excuses. God told him to lead His people out of Egypt but Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you (Exodus 3:11,12).” Later Moses offered another excuse, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say (Exodus 4:10-15).”
Are Moses and Barak more uncertain of themselves, or of God? It could be either or both but in both examples we learn that “God will be with you.” That’s true for us today.

4832 Ponderings:

• What do you think made Deborah an effective leader? Her courage? Her military mind? Her strong faith? Her willingness to use the gifts God gave her?
• If you find yourself in a situation where it is difficult to trust God to fulfill His responsibilities and promises to you, what do/should you do?
• God placed Deborah as a leader. In what circumstances might God be placing you as a leader — in your home, at your work, in His Church? What do you learn about godly leadership from her?