Homilies on Judges — Homily 6 (Judges 5 — the Song of Deborah (vv. 2–13)
Latin source: Origen's Greek homilies on Judges, surviving only in Rufinus of Aquileia's Latin translation (c. 400), from the reading text of W. A. Baehrens (ed.), Origenes Werke VII (GCS 30, Leipzig, 1921), pp. 464–522. This English translation is released into the public domain.On the song which Deborah sang.
1. Sisera, together with his army and his "iron chariots", with which he was assailing the people of God, was overcome, as prophecy had foretold would come to pass through Deborah. And after the victory was accomplished "by the hand of a woman", Deborah is recorded to have sung this song as, so to speak, the very praise of that victory. But if we remember the things that were said in the earlier passages — namely, according to the mystical pattern, what figure Deborah is, and Barak likewise, what image the woman Jael holds, who alone cast down the adversary of God's people, what image Sisera himself is, who was laid low by a foreign woman through the power of wood — we understand that all these are sacraments which are brought to completion in the last times and at the end of the age through the Church, and that in this song is described, as it were, its triumph-song, that is, the praise of the victory, of that time namely when "the last enemy, death, shall be destroyed". For then Deborah shall exult, that is, the glory of prophecy shall be made illustrious, because the things which she foretold have been fulfilled. Then Jael the Church shall overcome the common enemy of all, and, "after the fullness of the nations has entered in", then Barak too, that is, "the remnant of Israel shall be saved" and shall be received into fellowship of the victory. Then therefore, if we have been worthy, we too shall sing this song filled with mystical and prophetic sacraments; and since to examine everything of it point by point is not for the time available — for the hearers of the Church love brevity — yet, discoursing on a few things either of its beginnings or picking out here and there little flowers from it, we shall try to bring some consolation to the hearers, or at least to train and exercise ourselves, that we may be made fit to sing out Deborah's song.
2. "In the beginning, when the princes were in Israel, in the free wills of the people, bless the Lord". The blessing, he says, with which "we bless the Lord", let it be "in the outset of the princes in Israel", and then afterwards also "in the free wills of the people". For example, when we first begin to come to the worship of God, when we receive the beginning of the word of God and of heavenly teaching, these beginnings must be taken up by us from the "princes of Israel". And by "princes of Israel", that is, of the Christian people, I think we must understand the "angels", whom the Lord says are present to each "least one" in the Church, who are also said "always to see the face of the Father who is in heaven". They therefore are the "princes", and from them our beginnings must be taken. For example, if a boy goes to school, he is indeed received by the master and becomes the pupil of that teacher, but he does not immediately take the outset of his learning from the teacher himself; rather, when he has received from him only the first elements, he is handed over to others to be instructed — to the, so to speak, princes of the school itself; so that, when he has been taught by them, as far as lies in them, and has laid down among them his first rudiments, then at last he may receive also the more perfect precepts of the teacher himself. So therefore even now, recalling the beginnings of our instruction, prophecy says that, when we have begun from the "princes" or the "princes" have begun to work in us, then we should follow on with our own will and purpose, and, increased by our advances, come thus at last to blessing the Lord himself. But see what it says: "in the beginning", it says, "the princes in Israel". It is the "beginnings" that are said to be helped by the "princes"; but after these one must strive by one's own will and purpose, that we may deserve to bless the Lord. For the people of Israel too, when they were beginning to go out from Egypt and to cross the Red Sea, did nothing by their own labor, but everything was done through the princes, that is, through the angels. Indeed, Moses too says thus to the people: "you", he says, "shall keep silence, and the Lord shall fight for you". Or is not the "destroying" angel plainly described as having fought for them — the angel who slew the firstborn of the Egyptians, but of the Israelites did not make even a beast to mutter? But we must not always wait for the angels to "fight for us", but only "in the beginning", that is, in our beginnings, are we helped by the "princes", the angels. For the rest, with the progress of time it behooves us also to go out ourselves, armed for the battles. For before we learn wars, before we practice to fight the battles of the Lord, we are lifted up by the "princes", the angels; before we obtain the provision of "heavenly bread" and are filled with the flesh of the "spotless lamb", before we are made drunk with the blood of the "true vine" which came up from the root of David, so long as we are "little ones" and are nourished with "milk" and hold to the word of the beginnings of Christ, we act, like "little ones", "under guardians and stewards", the angels. But when we have now tasted the sacraments of "the heavenly warfare" and have been refreshed with the "bread of life", hear how we are roused to battle through the apostolic trumpet. For with a mighty voice Paul cries out to us, saying: "put on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil". He no longer allows us to lie hidden under the wings of "those who give suck"; he invites us to the fields of combat: "put on", he says, "the breastplate of charity", and "take" likewise "the helmet of salvation", and also "the sword", he says, "of the spirit", and above all "the shield of faith, with which", he says, "you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one". You see, then, how all things are done in order, and nothing confused is carried on among the people of God, nothing disordered or done in reverse. "In the beginning the princes" help; when you have been helped and instructed by the princes, now do for yourself, of your own accord and by your own will, the things you have learned from the princes. For rightly, when the beginnings have been digested and the rudiments laid down, we are committed to our own will, so that either the praise may deservedly be ours, which was gained by our own virtue, or the fault may justly be ours, which came through our own sloth. So much for that which is written: "in the beginning, when the princes were in Israel, in the free wills of the people, bless the Lord".
3. After this it says: "hear, O kings, and give ear, O satraps: to the Lord I will sing, I will sing praise to the God of Israel". "Hear", it says, "O kings". It calls "kings" those who are summoned to hear the word of God. Exult, O people of God, hearing the insignia of your nobility. You are called to hear the word of God, and you are called not as the common crowd, but as a king. For to you it has been said: "a royal priestly race, a people for acquisition". Therefore, because you are "kings", deservedly is our king Christ the Lord called "king of kings and lord of those who rule". But just as you have exulted over the title of your nobility, so ought you to learn what each of you must do to become a king. Which I will define for you thus, briefly. It makes you a king over all, if Christ reigns in you; for a king is so called from ruling. If therefore in you too the mind reigns and the body obeys, if you send the desires of the flesh under the yoke of your dominion, if you press down the nations of the vices with the tighter reins of your sobriety, deservedly are you called a "king", who have known how to rule yourself rightly. When therefore you have been made such, worthily, as a king, will you be called to hear the divine words. But this which follows indicates something more corporeal, where it says: "give ear, all you satraps". For just as a satrap is lower than a king, so also to give ear seems to be something lower than to hear. For to hear pertains to the inner man, as the Lord too said: "he who has ears to hear, let him hear"; but to give ear regards the outer and bodily hearing. Therefore here too those who ought to "hear" are called "kings", but those who are to "give ear" are called "satraps". "I to the Lord will sing, and I will sing praise to the God of Israel". Blessed are those who are able "to sing a song to the Lord". When we return to the Scriptures, we find many songs committed to the sacred volumes. We have a whole volume written about the Songs of Songs. Behold, in this book of Judges too we have a song, and in Numbers a song is written, and in Deuteronomy, and in Exodus, and in the first book of Kingdoms; in the first book of Chronicles too, and in many other places, you will find that divine songs are recorded. Here therefore the voice of the just man says: "I to the Lord will sing, and I will sing praise to the God of Israel". Who, do you think, is of so tuneful a voice and of a spirit so pure and a mind so sincere, that his singing can delight the divine hearing? He assuredly is the one who has in himself no hoarse sound of sin, who bears nothing of offense on his tongue, nothing of grossness in his spirit — he can rightly say: "I to the Lord will sing, I will sing praise to the God of Israel".
4. But since we do not undertake to expound the continuation of the song point by point, let us at least, skipping over the sequence of the reading, see what it means where it says: "my heart is toward the things that have been appointed for this Israel". This seems to me to be what it means: my heart and my soul and my sense and my whole mind is bent toward that and looks forward to that "which has been appointed" and which has been prepared "for Israel"; I look forward with my whole mind to that which is to come. For if I bend my mind toward that, all the things that are in this world "I will count as dung, that I may gain Christ", who "has prepared" all those things "which eye has not seen and ear has not heard nor has ascended into the heart of man, for those who love him". "My heart", therefore, it says, "is stretched out toward those things". For I no longer bear a human heart, nor do I think the things I think according to man; but because, according to the Scripture, those "to whom the word of God comes are gods", I too look upon these things not with a human but with a divine mind.
5. "O mighty ones of the people, bless the Lord, you who have mounted upon beasts of burden". What is it "to have mounted upon a beast of burden"? This body of mine is a "beast of burden"; for it was given for the aid of the soul and for its ministry; but it is I, that is, the inner man, "who have mounted upon" this "beast of burden", to whom it is said that I should "bless the Lord". If therefore you have truly mounted upon the body and have been made superior to bodily desires, and the motions of your body are governed by the bridle of the mind and by the direction of the inner man, it is said of you that you "have mounted upon a beast of burden", that you may "bless the Lord". But what is it that follows? "You who sit upon vehicles", it says, "and shine upon she-asses". What do "shining she-asses" seem to be? For the Scripture says that "those who sit upon vehicles and upon shining she-asses" ought "to bless the Lord". To me, as in places so difficult, something of this sort seems the case: when this beast of burden, that is, my body, has come under the yoke of the word of God, then the "vehicle" of my body will begin "to shine", and this "she-ass", that is, my flesh, will then be said "to shine" when it has been adorned with the splendor of chastity and modesty. And thus it is rightly said that the soul "sitting upon a shining she-ass blesses the Lord" and praises him in the midst of those who rejoice. "There they shall render acts of righteousness to the Lord". That sacrifice is acceptable to the Lord which is offered to God in righteousness and equity, and therefore it is said: "the just have been strengthened in Israel". Among the other nations, indeed, those who are stronger in bodily might are called "mighty" in battle; but in Israel, those who are more just are themselves called the more powerful in wars, because righteousness, even if it be weak in strength, conquers, whereas unrighteousness, even if it have many and strong defenders, is overcome. So therefore in this nation of ours, that is, in the people of God, either through righteousness we overcome or through unrighteousness we are conquered.
6. "Arise, Deborah, arise and rouse up the ten thousands of the people". When does prophecy "arise"? Assuredly at the coming of Christ, and not only does it itself "arise", but it also "rouses up" the peoples to believe. "Lead captivity captive, O son of Abinoam". "Abinoam" is interpreted as "the answer of the father". His son is Barak. He "will take captivity" from the enemies, who has kept the answers of the heavenly Father. "O Lord, humble for me those stronger than I". This is the voice of the faithful, who confess simply that their enemies are stronger, against whom is our struggle and battle, because "our battle is not against flesh and blood" — otherwise our adversary would not be stronger — but since "our wrestling is against principalities and powers and against the rulers of the darkness of this world and against the spiritual forces of wickedness", therefore the prophet says: "O Lord, humble for me those stronger than I". For how should this so great force of spirits not be far more powerful than human frailty? But in this God "helps our weakness", in that the Apostle says: "I can do all things in him who strengthens me, Christ". These powers, then, are indeed stronger than we; but again, "Christ", who is in us and "strengthens" us, is stronger than all, "to whom is glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen!".