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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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DEBORAH AND BARAK’S
CONQUEST Judges 4:6-24, 7/24/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert
I. THIRD PERIOD (40YRS): DEBORAH AND BARAK AGAINST
CANAANITES (4:1-5:31) (4:1) A. Deborah, Prophetess and Judge
(Jdg 4:1-5) B. The Lord Calls Barak (Jdg 4:6-10) 1. [Jdg 4:6] - Though Deborah was a
prophetess and Judge, the Lord commanded Barak to lead the Israeli army.
Barak was to march to Mt Tabor, a smooth coned shaped mountain, with ten
thousand men. The men were to come from Naphtali and Zebulun. 2. [Jdg 4:7] - Barak would do his part but
it would be the Lord who would sovereignly “draw out” (mashak - to draw,
lure, or drag, Ge 37:28; Ex 19:13)
Sisera. As a result, the entire army and chariots would be defeated by
Israel. The battle would take place in the low-lying area north of the Kishon
River. It would appear to be advantageous for chariot travel, since it was
not the rainy season. 3. [Jdg 4:8] - Barak’s refusal to go without
Deborah revealed why a woman was leading Israel. Evidently, that period was
characteristic of men unwilling to take the leadership. 4. [Jdg 4:9-10] - Deborah agreed to go along
in battle but it would have its consequences. The honor of killing their
arch-enemy Sisera would go to a woman, not a man. Barak and Deborah went to
Kedesh where they would meet up with ten thousand men of Naphtali and
Zebulun. C. Barak Conquers Sisera’s Army (Jdg 4:11-16) 1. [Jdg 4:11] - An inference cannot be drawn
from the fact alone that Heber the Kenite moved away from the other relatives
of Moses. It does not necessarily suggest that Heber forsook the Lord by
removing himself from the sons of Hoab (Moses’ father-in-law). He moved away
as far as “the oak in Zaanannim, which
was near Kedesh.” Apparently this was a great tree
that was used for a landmark (Jos 19:33). 2. [Jdg 4:12] - However, we find that
Heber’s allegiance was with Sisera rather than his relatives. Heber informed
Sisera of the movement of Israel’s army. Perhaps He wanted to keep a
lucrative business going. He may have been a blacksmith who worked on chariot
wheels since “Kenite” means “smith.” Whether that was the case or not, he was
willing to sell out the children of Israel and their God. 3. [Jdg 4:13] - At this news, Sisera
summoned his army with all its chariots to prepare for battle. They moved to
and crossed the Kishon river 4. [Jdg 4:14] - At the advance of Sisera’s
army, it was Deborah who told Barak to “arise” and mount an attack. With the
confidence given by Deborah that “the Lord had given Sisera into their
hands,” Barak and his army came down from Mt Tabor to fight. 5. [Jdg 4:15] - It was the Lord who “routed”
(hamam - commotion and confusion) or caused Sisera’s army to flee in
panic at Barak’s attack (“edge of the sword”). Such confusion was similar to
the confusion of Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea (cf. Ex 14:24). With such
divine and human calamity, Sisera, Jabin’s commander, left his chariot and fled
away on foot. An insight from Deborah’s song suggests that despite Baal, the
Canaanite storm-god, God caused a torrential thunderstorm, bogging down the
chariots (Jdg 5:20-21). 6. [Jdg 4:16] - Emboldened by victory with
the Lord’s intervention, Barak pursued the chariots as far as Harosheth-hagoyim. With the “edge of Israel’s
sword,” not one Canaanite soldier remained alive. D. Heber’s wife Jael Slays Sisera (Jdg
4:17-22) 1. [Jdg 4:17] - Alluding Barak’s army,
Sisera fled eastward. Perhaps due to fatigue and a peaceful reliance, Sisera
went to Heber’s tent instead of Hazor, where king Jabin was. Jael, Heber’s
wife, who apparently did not share her husband’s compromising allegiance, met
him. 2. [Jdg 4:18] - Jael invited Sisera into the
tent assuring him not to fear. She offered the customary eastern hospitality
of safety and a covering. However, it would have been more according to
custom if Sisera first approached Jael’s husband. 3. [Jdg 4:19-20] - Sisera made two requests
which probably alerted Jael of Sisera’s circumstance. First he asked for
water being exhausted and thirsty. Jael quite possibly was aware of the
battle through her husband’s knowledge of Israel’s position on Mt Tabor. She
also was probably aware of Heber’s compromising plan to be Sisera’s
informant. Furthermore, why was the commander of an army of chariots on foot,
exhausted, and thirsty? She gave milk for nourishment and once again covered
him. At Sisera’s second request, Jael was asked to stand guard at the door of
the tent. If anyone one approached and inquired if Sisera was in the tent,
she was asked to lie and say, “no.” From these requests she could deduce that
if anyone was searching for Sisera, it would have to be a victorious soldier
from Israel’s army. 4. [Jdg 4:21] - Not sharing her husband’s
lack of faith in the Lord, she enlisted in Israel’s army for covert
operations. When Sisera had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Jael took a
tent-peg and hammer and drove it through his temple into the ground. 5. [Jdg 4:22] - Sometime later, Barak came
looking for Sisera to finish him off. Jael invited (“Come” - same command
as Deborah, Jdg 4:6) Barak into the tent and he saw that the honor of
slaying Sisera had gone to the hands of a woman. E. The Lord Delivers Israel from the Dominion
of Jabin (Jdg 4:23-24) 1. [Jdg 4:23] - It was ultimately the Lord
who “subdued” and delivered Israel’s enemy in that battle. Nevertheless, the
Lord required Israel’s faith and obedience. 2. [Jdg 4:24] - Israel’s bold faith in the
Lord was renewed and they continued to “press heavier” (halak - here, walk
emphatically and undeterred) after Jabin until he was destroyed. II. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. Even when in leadership, Deborah exhibited
godly behavior. She was unmoved in her faith in the Lord and she attempted to
stir men to take their leadership responsibilities. In the same way,
Christian women are to encourage their husbands into leadership. Rather than
badgering or taking leadership into their own hands, they are to be strong in
their faith that God will work in their husbands’ hearts (1Pe 3:1). They can
lovingly and submissively appeal to their husband through the admonitions of
Scripture (Ac 18:26). There is also something to be said about the “effective
prayer of a righteous” woman (cf. Jm 5:16). B. Barak’s mistake was not boldly pursuing
the leadership in which God commanded. To defer such responsibility to anyone
else (man or woman) was to put Israel in spiritual peril. In the same way,
Christian men, must not cower but go forward with strong faith and obedience
to God’s commands. Spiritual leadership is the husband’s position, but
unfortunately not always his practice (Ep 5:25; 6:4; Col 3:19; 1Pe 3:7). Men
must “press heavier and heavier” after practicing God’s high calling of
spiritual leadership (Ep 5:26; 1Ti 2:8). If not, he will put his family in
spiritual peril. Wouldn’t it be sad if when we get to heaven, we find that
many rewards are burned up simply because men handed their spiritual leadership
over to women. |
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