Barak & Deborah – Judges 4 & 5 Again, Israel lapsed into apostasy and was handed over for judgment for twenty years. We see a downward spiral – spiritual, moral, and social. 1 This me the oppressor was Jabin, King of Canaan. He had a series of alliances with the rulers of the other major ci es in Canaan, but he ruled by an enforcer, Sisera, who commanded an army of 900 chariots of iron. This alliance united the enemies of Israel to the south and to the north. The Israelites are “cruelly oppressed” by the enemy for 20 years so “they cried out to the Lord for help”. God raised up a deliverer - Barak. Deborah was a prophetess judging/leading Israel. God spoke through her to summon and commission Barak. Judges 4:6 – 7
6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” What do you see in this prophecy? ______, ______, ______& ______. Plan Barak and his men were to assemble on Mount Tabor and the ba le would assumedly take place in the Jezreel plain. Sisera would approach from Harosheth Hagoyim in the west. What are the advantages to Mount Tabor? What are the disadvantages? Divine Support If Barak drew his men to Mount Tabor, God would draw Sisera and his forces to the ba le at the river Kishon. Then he would give Sisera into Barak’s hands. Judges 4:8
8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” Why do you think that Barak responded that way? How do you feel about it? Deborah agrees but tells Barak that the honour will go to a woman. The Outcome “Go! This is the day that the Lord delivers Sisera into your hands”. Barak and his men descend the mountain, engage the enemy and win. The enemy breaks rank and flees, being cut down as they retreat. Sisera abandons his chariot and escapes on foot. Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite Sisera escapes the Israelites, only to be killed by Jael. Sisera is shamed by his retreat and by his death, and Barak is shamed by losing out on the honour of execu ng the enemy who had cruelly oppressed his
1 Much of this material is drawn from chapters 8 – 11 in Barry Webb’s Judges & Ruth: God in Chaos, pp. 93 – 132. people. That was the beginning of the end of the Canaanite king, Jabin. The Israelites grew stronger and stronger un l they destroyed him. Ques on: Barak is flawed so why he is on the list of heroes of the faith in the book of Hebrews? He was called and commissioned by God. That is a great honour! He won a major victory that would bring 40 years of peace. He was a flawed servant of God but who isn’t? At the beginning, his was a “cau ous qualified faith”. Can you iden fy with that? But then when Deborah said “Go!” the second me, he went. The Israelites would have had to cross 12 miles of open terrain to meet the army of chariots. What would that take? Is it possible that Barak’s faith matured under tes ng? The Women in Chapters 4 & 5 Deborah Judge: She was obviously dealing with the most conten ous issues for Israel (Judges 4:4). She was a woman of character and authority and she operated beyond tribal allegiances. Prophet: In the OT, there are a few leaders who were also prophets (Moses). In the NT, prophecy is one of the five-fold ministry gi s (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers). It is to comfort, edify and exhort the church. (1 Corinthians 14:1- 4, 24 – 25, 1 Tim 1:18) Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite Deborah predicted that a woman would have the honor of dispatching Sisera. Jael is a killer, but she is iden fied in the song as “the most blessed of women” (v. 24). Historically the Kenites were allied with the tribe of Judah but Heber, Jael’s husband was not living with the rest of his people. He passed on intelligence about the Israelites to Sisera. Two theories about why Jael killed Sisera: 1. Late Bronze age realpoli ck - She saw the evolving poli cal situa on and switched allegiances. 2. She was honoring the ancestral allegiance between her tribe and the 10 tribes of Israel originally pledged by Moses and Jethro, his father in law (the forefather of the Kenites). Chapter 5 – The Song of Deborah Chapter 5 is a song - a hymn of deliverance - a natural response in gra tude. We find out so much more about the context of Israel’s victory on the banks of the Kishon. This is oral history. It dates to about the 1200 B.C and is an important part of the historical record of the Middle East. Social Condi ons It was so dangerous that people abandoned the highways to fur vely make their way around and “Village life ceased” (v.7). Not only were the Israelites oppressed but they lacked weaponry to defend themselves (v.8) while their enemy had superior military technology. More importantly, there is disunity and broken communi es. The sin is both public and private/poli cal and personal. The Israelites could not defend themselves from external threats while they were internally divided. We are Community The song celebrates the coopera on between the leadership and the people who volunteer to fight. Can you relate to this? The world is hos le. The enemy seems overwhelmingly powerful. The ba le is ahead and unavoidable. They were outnumbered and odds were not in their favour, but they took up the mandate given to them. It always will be thus for the church un l the return of Christ. We show up, we get our orders, we stand with our leaders, and we execute with excellence. We leave the outcome with God. “The Lord is a Warrior” (Ex 15:3) “Lord, when you went out from Seir …” How do you feel about God as a warrior? The ba le is spiritual warfare. This world and the forces behind it are hos le to the gospel and far beyond our ability to defeat. Only God can overcome the darkness. But the Ba le is already won. The One who won it, is with us to face anything else un l the end of the age. (Col 2:13, 14; Ma 28:16-20) God is the Lord of Nature So how did the Lord vanquish the forces of Sisera? The reference to the heavens and stars figh ng against the Canaanites would have indicated storms. The Kishon is described as a torrent in the ESV. The wadis and streams would have flooded and turned the ground to mud. What happened to the chariots? In the me of the Judges, the Canaanites called Baal the lord of rain and dew and associated him with the powers of weather. But they are defeated by weaker forces led by a man named Barak or “Lightening” and their God. This is a powerful demonstra on of God’s sovereignty that he would move the heavens to save the Israelites. Can you think of other mes in the OT and the NT when God used the elements to prove his presence and power? The God of Israel The Lord [Yahweh} of Israel (verse 3), the One of Sinai (verse 5). Why do you think Deborah and Barak refer to God this way? The language is that of the Covenant and a callback both to the Exodus and the making of the covenant between God and Israel on Mount Sinai, and the song of praise sung by Moses and Miriam. God remains commi ed to the Covenant and to His people. The people need that callback because by breaking the covenant, they had ended up in this awful predicament. On the Sidelines In chapter 4, we learned that men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun fought and in Chapter 5, men from Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (a clan of Manasseh) and Issachar also volunteered. What words are used to describe the defending forces in Chapter 5? (Verses 2, 13 & 15). Verses 13 – 17 and 23 calls out those tribes who did not come to Israel’s aid. The clans of Reuben considered it but stayed home. Gilead, Dan and Asher did not a end either. Meroz was probably a town that could have offered support but did not. The Angel of the Lord singles the people of Meroz and curses them bi erly (verse 23). According to the text, who did those tribes and communi es really betray? What is the takeaway for us? Song as Response Ques on: Do you remember other mes in Israel’s history when their leaders sang? Colossians 3:16 exhorts us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gra tude in our hearts to God regardless of circumstance. 1. It is the natural outcome of gra tude for salva on. 2. The central purpose points to God. God is the primary audience of worship. “When the people willingly offer themselves – praise the Lord!” (verse 2) 3. It is a song of thanksgiving for God’s willing servants – leaders and volunteers. 4. It acknowledges that humans are fallible and weak. 5. It acknowledges a full expression of human emo ons, but not overly sen mental or mawkish. 6. Keeping the song of Barak and Deborah in mind 22 centuries later, we realize how much more we should praise God today for our salva on in Christ! Sisera’s Mother This gives us even more context about the mindset in Canaan during the mes of the Judges. 1. She lives in security and wealth - not judging under a tree like Deborah or living in a tent like Jael. 2. She is no friend of other woman. How does she describe the women that she imagines her son and his army conquering? “Girls (NIV) and wombs (ESV)”. 3. She appreciates her son’s warmongering and pillaging for her personal gain. Living outside of the covenant warps the people of God and those outside of the covenant too. Two Tribes The mes of the Judges sees the world split in to two groups – like two big tribes. 1. The people outside of the Covenant - “your enemies” (verse 31). 2. Those within the Covenant of God - “those who love you” (verse 31) but who fail God me and me again. We have the hope of the gospel; a Saviour who died for us and forgives us. We can be a part of either tribe depending on how we respond to Jesus and his offer of salva on. God is s ll faithful and wants to deliver us, our friends, our family, and even our enemies out of sin. He is the God who loved us while we were His enemies.
Then the land had peace for 40 years. (Judges 5:31).