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“The Tale Of Deborah, Barak And
Jael” • 6.29.14 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We have witnessed the faithfulness of God in
His dealings with Israel during a time when their disobedience brought them
into constant trouble.
- The time of the Judges is a true dark period
in the history of the nation with a few scattered lights that rise to the
surface. Today, we get a chance to meet the only female Judge, Deborah.
- Her story is contained in these two chapters,
so we'll look at them together.
Text
• Judges 4:1-3 : "When Ehud
was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin
king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who
dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred
chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of
Israel." : 80 years have transpired from
Ehud's special delivery. It's been a great time of rest, but not willing to
leave well enough alone, the children of Israel again did evil.
- Jabin is the King's title, akin to an
Egyptian Pharoah or a Philistine Abimilech. It was only a century and change
ago when Joshua defeated a Jabin led coalition in Joshua 11.
- They are "sold" like slaves to
Jabin with Sisera, Jabin's military commander who dwelt in the North by the sea
of Merom, just southwest of the Sea of Galilee, a place of the Gentiles.
- Jabin's rule was enforced by 900 iron
chariots, and was characterized by 20 years of violent oppression over God's
children.
- Satan's plan for your life is to steal, kill
and destroy. For those considering sin, it is not a harmless occasion, but a
violent, hateful oppression! Don't be lured in!
• Judges
4:5-7 : "Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging
Israel at that time. And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah
and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to
her for judgment. Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from
Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, 'Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and
deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of
Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s
army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will
deliver him into your hand’?'" : Samuel
introduces us to this woman named Deborah, whose name means "swarm of
bees!"
- She's a prophetess. That is her gifting! In
the Old Testament, and to some extent, the New Testament, a prophet or
prophetess, would speak forth the word of God.
- They would do this predictively, with regard
to future dealings with God or prescriptively, in which an action is assigned
to a person. She exhibits both.
- Deborah is a prophetess and a wife,
specifically of a man named Lapidoth, whose name means "Torches."
Bees and Torches! She ministered and was a married woman!
- There is no conflict when the people of God
marry with a view to their gifting and service toward the Lord in mind first!
- When we meet her, she is already judging
Israel and the people of God were responding to her, as they came to her for
the word of the Lord.
- Her story intersects with Barak, a military
leader that God is calling to raise an army to combat Jabin's host of chariots.
God will speak through Deborah to confirm that to Barak.
•
Judges 4:8-10 : "And Barak said to her, 'If you will
go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!' So she said, 'I will surely go with
you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking,
for the Lord will
sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.' Then Deborah arose and went with Barak
to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and
Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men under his command, and
Deborah went up with him." : Barak
would only go if Deborah went. It's difficult to call him a coward, given the
circumstances and given the fact that he is mentioned in Hebrews 11:32, the hall of faith!
-
One commentator mentioned that Deborah's position in Israel had replaced the
Priesthood and the Ark of the Covenant, which would have gone to battle before Israel
in the past.
-
This would have been the highest compliment paid to Deborah, in that, Barak was
potentially saying that having her along assured him of God's presence.
-
If that is indeed the case, Deborah's statement is less a rebuke and more of a
prophetic word. She is letting him know that this campaign would be finished by
a woman. "What, no glory for me!"
-
Barak isn't concerned. He went to gather as many men as he could to fight for
the Lord's honor and for His land! The glory will be the Lord's!
•
Judges 4:11-16 : "Now Heber the Kenite, of the
children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the
Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, which is
beside Kedesh. And
they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount
Tabor. So Sisera gathered together all his
chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him,
from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon. Then
Deborah said to Barak, 'Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera
into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?' So Barak went down from Mount Tabor
with ten thousand men following him. And the Lord routed Sisera and all
his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and
Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as
Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword;
not a man was left." : The Kenites were informing
on the movements of the Israelites in the mount of Tabor to Sisera.
-
Hobab's family had been promised the goodness of God's land, but we keep finding
them switching sides, serving their own interests. It didn't matter as Hobab couldn't
help Sisera!
-
God was on Israel's side! When the time was right, Deborah gave the order.
"God is going before you!"
-
It's never a good thing to get out in front of the Lord or to "go up"
thinking that He will follow us! We are always to follow Him into battle! What
happened when they did?
-
They routed Sisera with all his chariots and pushed them back into the area of
the Gentiles until every man was taken! We'll get the pertinent details in
chapter 5 in a moment.
•
Judges 4:17-24 : "However, Sisera had fled away on
foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace
between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera,
and said to him, 'Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.' And when
he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket. Then he said to her, 'Please give me
a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.' So she opened a jug of milk, gave
him a drink, and covered him. And he said to
her, 'Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you,
and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’ Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer
in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it
went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet
him, and said to him, 'Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.' And when
he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.
So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in
the presence of the children of Israel. And
the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin
king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan." : Jael's family had been tied to Sisera in a treaty, but now, it
looks more advantageous to be on the side of Israel!
-
In these days, women were given the responsiblity of setting up the tents. She
brings Sisera in under the oaths of hospitality and waits upon him, offering a
curdled cheese milk to him.
-
She understands that the tide has turned and she has the chance to end this
conflict that is happening outside of her door.
-
Sisera is banking on her hospitality and even tells here not to tell of his
presence, a poignant picture of sin, which always seeks to stay hidden!
-
Once Sisera was asleep though, she did physically what we need to do
spiritually: Give him a permanent headache! Drive a stake through the head!
-
When Barak came looking for Sisera, as Deborah had prophesied, God had already
delivered him into the hands of a woman!
-
This event catalyzed Israel, as from this day forward, they began to increase
in strength, eventually being strong enough to depose the King of Canaan.
• Judges
5:1,2 : "Then Deborah and Barak
the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: 'When
leaders lead in Israel,
when the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the Lord!" : This victory was worthy of
a song, celebrating of what God could do through united hearts!
- Leaders were leading, willingly offering
themselves sacrificially! Romans 12:1,2
commands us to present our bodies as a reasonable sacrifice for what He has
done for us!
- When we do, the result is victory in our
lives, shared with those in the body of Christ!
• Judges
5:3-9 : "Hear, O kings! Give ear,
O princes!
I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. 'Lord, when You went out from
Seir, when You marched from the field of Edom,
the earth trembled and the heavens poured, the clouds also poured water; the mountains gushed before the Lord, this Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel. 'In the days
of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael,
the highways were deserted, and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, arose
a mother in Israel. They chose new gods;
Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in
Israel. My heart is with the rulers of Israel
who offered themselves willingly with the people.
Bless the Lord!'" : Deborah begins her song looking back upon the powerful display
of God when Israel was at Sinai. The physical manifestations were overwhelming
and wonderful.
- Yet, in the days of Shamgar, He withheld His
power due to Israel's disobedience. People didn't travel freely, commerce was
shut up and people snuck around the byways!
- Notice that Deborah reports that the army
that Barak gathered was without shield or spear.
- God had called Barak to raise an army against
900 chariots, with a group of people who had no weaponry!? These are perfect
conditions for God's power display!
- When God raised Deborah up, God's power was
again present with the people who were unified under His Lordship.
• Judges
5:10-18 : "Speak, you who ride on
white donkeys, who sit in judges’ attire, and who walk
along the road. Far from the noise of the
archers, among the watering places, there they
shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts for
His villagers in Israel; Then the people of
the Lord shall
go down to the gates. 'Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam!' Then
the survivors came down, the people against the nobles; The Lord came down for me against the mighty. From Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples, from Machir rulers came down, and from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As Issachar, so was Barak sent into the valley under his command; Among the divisions
of Reuben there were great resolves of heart.
Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, to hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.
Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, and why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the
seashore, and stayed by his inlets. Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the
point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights
of the battlefield." : The elders and the judges
who sat away from the dangers of the war would have a story to tell of God's
righteous acts for Israel.
- Deborah first recounts and celebrates those
tribes who volunteered. Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, Isaachar and Manasseh East
(Machir) reported for duty.
- Isaachar led the charge into the valley with
Barak and the Lord came down against the mighty! God worked miraculosly through
His people's cooperation.
- Deborah does not stop there, as she also
records which tribes did not appear!
- The tribes that did not appear chose to do
otherwise and that's recorded in the Bible! Reuben thought long and hard about
joining in, but did not! They had great resolutions!
- There are many like this in the body of
Christ. They hear over and over again about needs and they know that God is
calling and, "One day!" they think and it never comes.
- Dan stayed out of it, remaining as remote as
possible to the struggle. Asher stayed out as well, while Zebulun and Naphtali
risked all they had! So goes the body of Christ! Half in and half out!
- Every church seems to live by the energy and
gifting of a great group of people on behalf of a group that seems to be
content without it! Don't be like Dan and Asher! Be involved!
• Judges
5:19-31 : "The kings came and
fought,
then the kings of Canaan fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoils of silver. They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera. The torrent of Kishon swept them away, that ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength! Then the horses’ hooves pounded, the galloping, galloping of his steeds. ‘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.’ Most
blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber
the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in
tents. He asked for water, she gave milk;
She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. She stretched her hand to the tent peg, her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head, she split and struck through his temple. At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, there he fell dead. 'The mother of Sisera looked through the window, and cried out through the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’ Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself, ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil: To every man a girl or two; For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments, plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength.' So the land had rest
for forty years." : We've seen an account of
their condition, an account of the participants and now, an account of the
battle itself.
- God could say that Barak would win because He
was going to stack the odds! The Canaanites took no spoils, experienced no
victory because heaven fought against them!
- There is not a weapon that is formed against
the believer that can prosper when they are walking under the protection of the
Lord Almighty!
- "Oh, but the chariots!?" Chariots
are great on dry, even ground. The flooding of the Kishon river due to heavy
rains that day equalized the playing field!
- Can you imagine the Canaanites' horror? Their
god Baal was the one who supposedly controlled the weather! What did they think
when the rains began to fall and the river flooded?
- The people of Meroz had a chance to help the
cause of the Lord, but did not. A curse was left upon them and the Lord routed
the enemy anyway!
- Deborah's song ends with a tribute to Jael
and her breach of etiquette, but her right action in the sight of the Lord. Too
many fall back on what is culturally assumed. God's way is above that!
- Deborah pictures Sisera's mother looking out
for Sisera's return and imagines her reasoning about his pillaging and raping
that he was accustomed to performing. "Oh, he's just raping women!"
- LIttle would she know that the terror of her
son, an enemy of God, had come to an end! Let all of God's enemies perish!
That's the cry of a righteous person!
- We are to love all and pray for their
redemption, pray that they will turn their hearts. Those who are determined to
fight against the Lord however, have one destination!
- The righteous also have one destination: To
rise in full strength to bless other, indeed all of creation! After Deborah,
God's people enjoyed 40 years of rest!
Conclusion
- Let's pray.
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