Vintage

     "the stars, in their courses, fought against Sisera"  (Judges 5:20).

     Daily newspapers have long played a crucial role in informing the American public.  The number of U.S. newspapers in circulation peaked in 1950 with over 1770 daily newspapers.  The number has been steadily declining.  Last year the number dropped below 1500 papers.  But one of the most popular items in that media continues to hold it popularity-the daily horoscope.  Most daily papers still run the horoscopes.  Many people read it religiously, somehow believing it holds some intrinsic power to predict the events of their daily lives.  Can our lives be affected by the movements and alignments of the planets and stars?  Such a belief is called "astrology".  It is a very ancient practice.  When Sir Leonard Wooley uncovered the ancient home of Abraham, Ur of the Chaldees, they discovered a huge ziggerat, a pyramid shaped temple, designed to study the heavens, and with it ancient zodiacs, revealing that astrology was a very highly regarded aspect of daily life in ancient Chaldea too.  Solomon was right, "there is nothing new under the sun".  Even monarchs sought to guide their military strategies by "the sun, moon, and stars", as interpreted by their wise men.  They included the study of the entrails of sacrificial animals as well!  Sisera, the captain of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, likely entered into battle against the people of God, with full assurance from the Canaanite wise men, that their gods had so aligned the planets that Israel will fall prey to them.  But...the Scriptures tells us that the God who created the stars, and the planets, and set them in their courses, also controlled the events surrounding His people, and their enemies too, as they met in battle.  Instead of the stars in their courses fighting for Sisera, God, "turned all circumstances and events a different direction, so that it appeared all the stars, though projected in Sisera's favor, were really aligned against him".  And so it would be! 

     As the battle turned to certain defeat, Sisera leaped from his chariot, and escaped the hand of Deborah and Barak.  He fled to a friend's tent, that of Heber, and his wife Jael.  He was certain he had cheated fate!  As the couple assured him of protection, and provided food and rest to him, and stood at the door of the tent to divert any one pursuing him, he laid down to sleep, with a sense of false security.  That too would be part of the stars working against him.  Jael, after finding Sisera soundly asleep, drove a tent peg squarely into his temple.  (Women in Canaan were required to be skillful in setting up the tent and driving tent pegs, in that day, that too worked against Sisera!).

     The stars and planets were created by God.  The planets travel only within the orbits ordained by God.  Their movements are so precise and faithful that our scientists can calculate were Mars will be in the future, to land Pioneer II spacecraft upon it without there being any chance or mistakes, hitting their landing site like an arrow in a bull's eye.  That kind of God can be trusted to guide our steps, and lead us in a direction that constitutes our good and His glory.  But if you oppose Him, He has the power to sovereignly overrule the events of life to "fight against" you every step of the way.  Ask Sisera.  Ask Ahab.  Ask King Saul.  Ask the Pharoah of the Exodus.  But as Paul said, "if God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).