Reuben, Reuben, You've Been Thinking - Too Much

Judges 5:15, 16:

"The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
yes, Issachar was with Barak,
rushing after him into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.

Why did you stay among the campfires
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart."

So, Reuben - just what were you guys talking about? You obviously had heard the battle cry, you knew the situation, and then you sat by the campfire discussing and debating whether to get involved. By the time you had made a decision, the troops were already coming home victoriously! Something tells me that you analyzed the situation for just a little too long, that you spent just a bit too much time 'searching your hearts.'

You know, I'm not against standing and looking and asking. I'm all for collecting information and counting the cost before making a decision. But I'm starting to worry that we've created a generation of Reubens - men and women who want to listen and talk and sit around the campfire searching their hearts, instead of throwing themselves into the fight. I fear that by the time this generation figures it all out, the battle will be over and the troops will be coming home. (Sorry about the war analogy, but that's the setting of Judges 5.)

We have a wonderful luxury in America, the luxury of time to study. Time to debate. Time to pick apart the finer points of theology, stripping them down to the bone, chewing on them until there's nothing left. We have wonderful campfires that we sit around.

Other cultures don't have this same opportunity - they're too busy fighting for survival. They're in the streets feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, bringing in the homeless, caring for the orphans. There are no campfires of discussion, there's no time for searching of hearts, there's no waiting for a more 'convenient time.' It's now or never for them.

Jeremiah 6:16 says:

`This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'

Stand. Look. Ask. But at some point you gotta take the walk or you'll never have rest. I don't believe that there was a lot of rest around those Reubenic Campfires, before or after their indecision. Indecision is not a very restful place. It's a place of discontent, and that's the most uncomfortable 'tent' in the world. So - get up from the campfire and get into the battle. The people that are in the world don't have the luxury of waiting for you in your time of indecision. They're dying for you right now.

Stand + Look + Ask + Walk = REST

You want the rest of the campfire story? Well, you'll have to get up to experience it. We need to be like Issachar - rushing after our commander into the valley. Not to the mountaintops, He lifts us up there when we need those moments. But into the valley, where Jesus is actively bringing people back to life. We need to rush in with Him. There we will find the REST of the story.