The Tangible Ingredients Deborah = bee, speaker, arranger Warm Milk (Tryptophan) 12” Tent Peg Malot Barak = lightning bolt, blessing Jael = mountain or billy goat 900 iron chariots The Non-Tangible Ingredient FAITH Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. - Hebrews 11:1-2 Deborah A wise leader of a nation Encourager of faith Only female Judge A Prophetess of God Exceptional Servant A Wife of Epidoth A writer of songs Subdued a kingdom 40 years of peace Judges 4 & 5 Barak Occupation: Warrior, army commander. Accomplishments: Defeated the Canaanite oppressor. United the tribes of Israel for greater strength, strategically commanding them with skill and daring. Strengths: Recognized Deborah's authority had been given to her by God, so he obeyed a woman, something rare in ancient times. A man of great courage and had faith that God would intervene on Israel's behalf. Weaknesses: Telling Deborah he would not lead unless she accompanied him, he put faith in her instead of God. Deborah told him this would no doubt cause Barak to lose credit for the victory to a woman, which came to pass. Here We Go Again! familiar and recurring theme And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. Mt. Tabor, sight of battle Also sight of the Transfiguration of Christ as told in the synoptic Gospels Ehud Barak Barack Obama Israeli US Commander in Chief Minister of Defense Flying over battle Sight between Barak & Deborah and Sisera 3,000 years earlier Modern day Baraks flying over same battle sight of Mt Tabor in Israeli military chopper. Only thing that has changed since man fell from grace is TECHNOLOGY! Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand? Barak said to her, If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him. -Judges 4:6-10 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. And Deborah said to Barak, Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left. But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid. So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. And he said to her, Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. And he said to her, stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, Is anyone here? say, no. But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died. And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking. So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple. So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. Who is the real Hero? Deborah? (Did she live up to her names: Bee, Arranger, Speaker?) Wise leader of a nation. Reacted swiftly, orderly in full obedience without hesitation. She called, encouraged, and accompanied Barak into battle. Examples who reacted without hesitation to God’s call: • Abraham offering his son Isaac without question • Virgin Mary - “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” Barak? (Did he live up to his names: Lightning Bolt, Blessed?) Hesitated, didn’t fully obey. Although didn’t immediately & completely trust in the Lord, and did not act according to the detail of the Lord’s command, he eventually acted out of faith to the Best of his ability. Cost him his reward and honor of enemy delivered into his hand. Example of those with great faith hesitated, didn’t follow detail, or faith momentarily shaken: • Moses not enter promised land • Zachariah mute until birth of son John Jael? (Did she live up to her name: Wild or Mountain Goat?) Courageous, competent, fulfilled Deborah’s prophesy: “Sisera will be delivered into the hands Of a woman” • Song of Deborah sings her praises: “most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women” The Faith Hall of Fame - Hebrews 11 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Deborah Encourages Barak Deuteronomy 28:1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 12:4 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 5-6 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. Because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and He punishes everyone he accepts as a son. A foreshadowing? 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not so nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.