The wimp refrains from getting his hands dirty in both physical and spiritual battles. Read Judges 5:15-18. Deborah, the prophetess, called for the tribes of Israel to send soldiers to help defeat Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army who had 900 chariots of iron, plus a multitude of soldiers. She chided and mocked those who would not get their hands dirty in the battle.

The tribe of Reuben got bogged down with indecision. They debated the pros and cons of the battle but even though they had an uneasy conscience, they stayed at home among the sheepfolds and listened to the bleatings of the sheep. The sheep will always bleat about something or other. We need to listen to God, as there will always be confusion if we only listen to the bleatings of the sheep.

The tribe of Gilead’s excuse for not helping was obviously the fact that they lived on the other side of the Jordan River. They used their location as a weak excuse. When the brethren need help, which may require getting our hands dirty, we ought not to let location stop us.

The Danites were too busy with their ship projects – fishing, transporting and leisure seeking. The tribe of Asher sat unmoved upon the seashore. They did not want to leave the leisurely life of living on the coast to go to a battle called by a woman of God. 

Deborah praises Zebulun and Naphtali because they “jeopardized their lives to the point of death on the heights of the battlefield.”

Now listen to the words of the angel of the Lord in Judges 5:23. “‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.’” The angel of the Lord invokes a curse on the brethren who refused to help their relatives in the day of battle. Wow! We need to realize more than ever how important it is to lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in Christ in their hour of need.