Why does Dan stay by the ships?

We read excerpts from the victory song of Deborah and Barak, from the Book of Judges, chapter 5: “At that time, Deborah and Barak, son of Abinoam, sang this song: ‘Praise the Lord, for the leaders guided Israel, and the people were willing!

Then the rest of the nobles of the people came down; the Lord himself came down to me among the heroes. From Ephraim came those whose roots are against Amalek; behind you, Benjamin, in the midst of your tribes; from Makir came the commanders, and from Zebulun, those who wielded the staff of muster. The princes of Issachar also joined Deborah; and Issachar became like Barak; he followed closely behind him through the valley. By the streams of Reuben, there were difficult decisions in the heart. Why did you remain among the sheepfolds to listen to the sound of the flute beside the flock? By the streams of Reuben, there were difficult reflections in the heart.

Why did you remain among the fences to listen to the sound of the flute beside the flock? By the streams of Reuben, there were deep reflections of the heart. Gilead remained on the other side of the Jordan; and Dan—why did he stay by the ships? Asher sat by the seashore and remained in his coves. But Zebulun is the people who give their lives to death; so too is Naphtali, in the hills of the countryside. The kings came and fought; there the kings of the Canaanites fought near Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they gained no spoils of silver. The stars of heaven fought against them; from their orbits they fought against Sisera. The Kishon River swept them away, the ancient stream, the Kishon River. “My soul, trample them down!” Then the hooves of the horses thundered in pursuit, in pursuit of their nobles. “Cursed be the city of Meros!” said the angel of the Lord; “yes, cursed, cursed be its inhabitants, because they did not come to the aid of the Lord, to the aid of the Lord with the heroes.”

The victory song of Deborah and Barak describes a military conflict in which Israel fought against several neighboring enemy states at once.

In this context, the Jewish tribes of Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher stood out negatively, since they withdrew from the battle and abandoned their brothers.

How shameful is that behavior?

It is dishonorable, cowardly, and shameful.

But what is most interesting is that the tribe of Dan no longer appears in Revelation among the 144,000 “sealed” by God.

What is happening today with God’s people in the churches? Are they all participating in the fight for the souls of the lost, or are they immersed in a festive Christian atmosphere, in the “enjoy life” style?

The most prominent German missionary of this century coined the following phrase: “The church is not a pleasure cruise, but a lifeboat, and we need all the help we can get on board!”

I wholeheartedly agree with this. Jesus’ Great Commission applies to all Christians, and I would go even further: in my opinion, a church that is not fundamentally committed to missionary work has no reason to exist at all! Everyone who has experienced the grace of Jesus Christ is called to bear fruit, and that fruit consists of leading others to Jesus. The response of those who are called is secondary. What matters is that they are warned and exhorted. Furthermore, the following applies: “My word will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

The image above reminds me very much of many community gatherings today, where the main concern is “that things go well for us,” isn’t it?

Now each of you can examine yourselves: Am I like Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher, or like the noble ones of the people, Zebulun and Naphtali?

Anyone who wants to be part of the fighters for the Kingdom of God can delve deeper into our current weekly series on missionary work. I wish you God’s blessing in this endeavor.