DRAWING NEAR
Why do you think God rewards those who are courageous for Him? What examples of this have you seen in your life?
[Your Response]
THE CONTEXT
In a previous study, we saw how Joshua led the Israelites to a great victory over an alliance of kingdoms that had mobilized to fight against them (see Joshua 11). This enemy federation was led by Jabin, king of Hazor. The name Jabin was probably a title rather than a personal name, similar to the title Pharaoh in Egypt, as we now find another Jabin in Hazor, hundreds of years later. This Jabin, like his predecessor, raised an army to fight against God’s people.
The event took place during the time of the judges. Jabin had risen to power and had drawn together a coalition of smaller cities with a powerful army. This army was equipped with a huge force of chariots—iron chariots. Iron was a relatively new invention at this time, and it was vastly superior to the bronze it replaced. Iron was used not only for swords but also for armor, both for soldiers and for their chariots, which lent formidable strength to a cavalry unit. Israel did not have any iron weapons or armor, and certainly no iron-clad chariots. They were outnumbered and outclassed by the mighty army of Jabin.
Jabin’s military advantages gave him the ability to oppress the people of Israel, and he took full advantage of it for twenty years. We do not know the details of his oppression, but it probably involved huge tax burdens for the Israelites as well as oppressive laws restricting their freedoms. The Philistines, for example, made it illegal for Israel to work with iron so their weapons would remain inferior.
The northern tribes of Israel were being led at this time by a judge named Deborah, referred to as “a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7). She was a woman of wisdom and prudence, and the people of Israel came to her for judgment when settling civil disagreements. The fighting men of Israel were led by Barak, about whom little is known. Barak was probably a man of courage and fighting skill, as he had risen to a position of leadership, but in this study we will discover that even a seasoned fighter can succumb to the sin of fear.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
Read Judges 4:1–5:31, noting the key words and phrases indicated below.
GOD RAISES UP DEBORAH: Israel’s repeated disobedience leads the Lord to raise up an enemy for discipline. But soon He also raises up a judge to deliver them: Deborah.
4:1. EHUD: One of the so-called major judges of Israel (see Judges 3).
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AGAIN DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD: This is a constant refrain in the book of Judges. The Israelites would fall into wickedness; then the Lord would deliver them into suffering, usually at the hands of the Canaanite nations the people had failed to drive out; the people would then raise their voices in suffering to the Lord; the Lord would respond by raising up a judge to deliver them—and then the cycle would repeat.
2. HAZOR: Located just south of Dan. See the map in the Introduction.
THE COMMANDER OF HIS ARMY WAS SISERA: ThegeneralofJabin’sarmy.
4. DEBORAH . . . WAS JUDGING ISRAEL AT THAT TIME: Deborah was the only woman listed in the Old Testament as a judge in Israel. Indeed, female leadership among God’s people was exceedingly rare in Israel. In the New Testament, the principle the Lord has laid down for the church is that men are called to lead.
5. THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME UP TO HER FOR JUDGMENT: Not all of Israel’s judges are said to have “held court” to settle disputes and legal matters, although there were others who did so besides Deborah. Her role as arbiter suggests she had great wisdom. Her name means “bee,” and she probably had many beelike qualities: industry, diligence, and prudence, for example.
7. AGAINST YOU I WILL DEPLOY SISERA: This is an interesting picture of God’s sovereignty over human affairs. It suggests the Lord was going to act as the commander of the enemy’s army, deploying them as He saw fit. This is similar to the way the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh before the exodus: Pharaoh had already set his heart firmly against God and His people, so the Lord used his hardness of heart to accomplish His own purposes. In the same way, the Lord here was promising that He would turn Sisera’s aggression against himself, leading his army into Israel’s hands.
BARAK’S UNWILLING LEADERSHIP: The Lord commands Barak to lead His people to victory, but he is afraid to obey. He makes a counteroffer that deprives himself of blessing.
8. IF YOU WILL GO WITH ME, THEN I WILL GO: Barak’s response was not pleasing to the Lord, both because it was disobedient and because it demonstrated a lack of faith. The Lord had commanded him to lead the army into battle, and there was no room for negotiations. A military leader does not make bargains with his commanders; he simply obeys his orders.
BUT IF YOU WILL NOT GO WITH ME, I WILL NOT GO: Barak tried to make stipulations on obedience because he did not fully believe the Lord would keep His promise of victory. He needed some form of security to ensure that the Lord would keep His word, and this lack of faith demonstrated that he did not fully trust in the character of God.
9. THE LORD WILL SELL SISERA INTO THE HAND OF A WOMAN: This woman would turn out to be Jael, not Deborah. For Barak’s victory to be ascribed to a woman would have been a disgrace, for it was a man’s part to lead an army into battle.
10. ZEBULUN AND NAPHTALI: Two tribes of Israel.
11. THE FATHER-IN-LAW OF MOSES: The Kenites were distantly related to the Israelites and had a strong tradition of cooperation and peace with God’s people. It was no accident that this man and his family were living near Jabin, for the Lord intended to use them to accomplish His purposes.
13. CHARIOTS OF IRON: This was the dawn of the so-called Iron Age, when iron was a relatively new invention. It was so superior to bronze for weaponry that the Philistines would not allow the Israelites to make it. The armies of Israel, in fact, were generally underequipped in all respects, including their weapons and armor. The prospect of facing a chariot of iron would have been comparable to facing a modern-day tank.
17. SISERA HAD FLED AWAY: The army of Israel had routed Sisera’s forces, but their leader had escaped. This would have been an inconclusive victory at best if Sisera had survived, since he might then have raised another army and attacked Israel again. If Barak had not balked at the Lord’s command, God would have delivered Sisera into his hand during the battle. But he did not obey completely, so the Lord reserved Sisera for the hand of a woman.
JAEL GAINS THE VICTORY: Barak has refused to lead the army of Israel, so the Lord gives the victory to an unknown woman.
THERE WAS PEACE BETWEEN JABIN . . . AND THE HOUSE OF HEBER: The Kenites were noted metalworkers, and it is possible that Heber had made peace with Jabin in order to work on his iron chariots.
18. JAEL WENT OUT TO MEET SISERA: It is probable that Jael was concerned about the outcome of the battle that day, since she had divided loyalties. Her family was at peace with Jabin, yet her clan was at peace with Israel. In this fatal encounter, Jael showed where her true allegiance lay.
INTO THE TENT: It was a severe breach of etiquette for a man other than her husband to enter a woman’s tent. Sisera was probably desperate at this moment, willing to hide himself under the protective skirts of a woman in order to save himself. This attitude was similar to Barak’s in that Barak was afraid to go into battle without Deborah by his side.
19. SHE OPENED A JUG OF MILK: Sisera requested water, but Jael gave him milk. Milk is not a good thirst quencher on a hot day, especially after a man has undergone the physical exertions of battle and flight. It is possible that Jael wanted to make Sisera sleepy so that she could carry out her own plan.
21. TOOK A TENT PEG AND . . . A HAMMER: The hammer and tent pegs were used to keep the tents secure. It was a woman’s role to set up and take down the tents, so Jael would have been familiar with their use.
DROVE THE PEG INTO HIS TEMPLE: Ordinarily, the laws of hospitality would have required a guest be protected and cared for while in a person’s tent. But Jael’s loyalties lay with the people of Israel, and she understood she would be helping God’s enemies if she harbored Sisera. She was faced with a difficult decision, but she did not hesitate to obey the Lord’s command to destroy Sisera and his forces. Once again, she provided a stark contrast to Barak.
THE SONG OF DEBORAH: Deborah and Barak sing of Israel’s victory and of the Lord’s great faithfulness to His people.
5:1. DEBORAH AND BARAK . . . SANG ON THAT DAY: There has been some conjecture over the authorship of this memorable poem, but it seems most likely that it was written by Deborah. The verb sang is in the feminine singular, implying that Barak was joining Deborah in a song that she had written.
2. WHEN LEADERS LEAD IN ISRAEL: This concept is important in understanding the period of the judges. There were numerous times when God’s chosen leaders were hesitant to take the lead, as we will see again in Gideon’s life. Barak refused to take the full responsibility to which the Lord had called him, and as a result, he lost much of the reward that might have been his.
WHEN THE PEOPLE WILLINGLY OFFER THEMSELVES: Notice there are two parts to receiving the Lord’s full blessing here: the leaders must lead, and the people must willingly follow. The people of Israel frequently rejected the authority of those whom the Lord placed over them, such as Moses, and at such times He sent discipline on them. God’s people would be richly blessed if the leaders would lead (according to God’s instructions) and the people would follow.
7. UNTIL I, DEBORAH, AROSE: Compare Judges 4:6–9. The Lord had called Barak to lead the people out of bondage to their enemies, but his refusal meant the credit for the victory would go to a woman. Jael received most of the recognition by defeating Sisera, but here we see that Deborah ultimately was credited with the spiritual leadership in Israel.
9. THE RULERS OF ISRAEL WHO OFFERED THEMSELVES WILLINGLY: Deborah again underscored the importance of leaders who are willing to sacrifice themselves in service to God’s people. Note the repetition of the idea of willingness, both in leading and in following. The Lord calls His people to obey with willing hearts rather than grudging spirits.
11. THEY SHALL RECOUNT THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE LORD: The victory over Israel’s enemies ultimately belonged to the Lord rather than to the deeds of men. God demonstrated His faithfulness by bringing about a great victory over Sisera’s army, despite the fact that some of His people did not willingly do what they were told.
17. GILEAD STAYED BEYOND THE JORDAN: Some of the tribes of Israel had failed to come to the aid of their brethren in this battle. Their absence was noticed, despite the fact that the Lord brought a great victory without them.
18. WHO JEOPARDIZED THEIR LIVES TO THE POINT OF DEATH: Conversely, those who fought at their own peril were remembered and honored for their faithfulness to God’s people. Those who faithfully participate in the Lord’s work will be blessed, while those who shirk their responsibilities will deprive themselves of reward.
20. THEY FOUGHT FROM THE HEAVENS: Deborah recognized that the victory came from the Lord, not from Israel’s military might.
28. THE MOTHER OF SISERA: It is interesting that the principal characters mentioned in Deborah’s song are women—on both sides of the conflict. Note that the song rarely mentions any deeds on the part of Barak.
UNLEASHING THE TEXT
1) In what ways did Sisera’s army have the advantage over the army of Israel? How would you have felt if you were in Israel’s army? In Sisera’s army?
[Your Response]
2) How might the outcome of the battle have been different if Barak had fully obeyed God’s command?
[Your Response]
3) In your opinion, was Jael justified in what she did to Sisera? Why or why not?
[Your Response]
4) Why did God deliver Sisera into the hands of Jael? What was wrong with Barak’s request to have Deborah join him in leadership?
[Your Response]
EXPLORING THE MEANING
Be strong and courageous. We have considered this principle in a previous study, but it is worth reiterating here. The Lord commanded Barak to lead His people into battle, and He even promised that the Israelites would see a great victory. The Lord had made such promises many times before and had never failed to keep them. Yet Barak was hesitant to obey.
We are not told what motivated his hesitancy. Perhaps he felt unqualified to lead the army or thought that Deborah had a better “connection” with the mind of God than he did. Or maybe he was just afraid. Whatever his motivation, fear was the foundation. He was afraid he would fail—or, more accurately, he was afraid that God would fail and that His promises would not come to pass.
While at times fear can motivate a person to take action in a dangerous situation, in the long run it cripples rather than energizes. Fear is based on a lack of trust in God’s character and a core belief that He will not keep His promises. Courage is just the opposite—it motivates a Christian to move forward in faith, despite the appearance of circumstances. Courage is based on faith in God’s character and a firm belief that He is always faithful. Courage brings freedom and victory, while fear brings bondage and failure.
God calls men to take the lead in the church and home. The Lord called Barak to lead His army into battle, and his hesitancy caused him to lose credit for the great victory that followed. The credit went instead to a woman, which was considered a great disgrace in the social milieu of the ancient Middle East.
Our culture today would not consider it a disgrace for a woman to receive the accolades for such a victory, and we are accustomed to women in all spheres of leadership. It is easy for God’s people to assume that the world’s ideas of “egalitarianism” apply to the church as well—in fact, the world condemns those who suggest there are some roles to which women are not called. Yet that is the case in God’s definition for the church and home: men are called to take the lead, and women are called to submit to their leadership.
The flip side to this is just as important to understand: if men want women to follow, they must be willing to take the lead. If Barak thought it was a disgrace to lose the credit to a woman, then he should have been willing to take the lead in the first place. When men refuse to stand up and lead in the church or home, they must expect that women will fill the void.
Christians are to obey God’s commands, not to negotiate for a “better deal.” Barak was the leader of Israel’s military, and as such he was probably accustomed to having his commands obeyed without argument. After all, a good soldier never talks back to a commanding officer; he carries out commands without comment. It was all the more startling, therefore, when Barak countermanded the direct orders of his Commanding Officer—God Himself.
Picture a general commanding a soldier to move into battle only to have the soldier respond, “I will go into battle as long as you come with me; if you won’t come with me, then I won’t go.” That soldier’s career would be short. Yet how much more audacious is it when a believer tries to find ways around simple obedience to God’s Word! We do this when we obey only partway, or tell ourselves that we will begin to obey tomorrow, or when we ignore the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
The Lord wants His people to obey His Word, and to obey eagerly—not by compulsion. We cannot experience the Lord’s full blessing in our lives unless we willingly obey His commands. As Deborah sang, “When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the LORD!” (Judges 5:2).
REFLECTING ON THE TEXT
5) What evidence of God’s sovereign leadership do you see in the battle against Sisera? How did the Lord arrange events for Israel’s victory?
[Your Response]
6) Why do you think Barak hesitated to lead the army into battle? Why did he demand that Deborah go with him?
[Your Response]
7) What examples of courage do you find in these passages? What examples of fear do you find? What resulted from each?
[Your Response]
8) Are you a willing leader? A willing follower? Are there some areas in which God has to coerce you into obedience?
[Your Response]
PERSONAL RESPONSE
9) Are you facing life’s challenges with courage or with fear? How can you increase your courage in the coming days and weeks?
[Your Response]
10) Are you presently trying to negotiate with God? In what areas of your life is He calling you to increased obedience?
[Your Response]