Once the Israelites had assembled according to rank, Barak noted that the Canaanites had started crossing the river Kishon. Their great horses and iron chariots splashed through the water. Beyond, the sky darkened even more, and thunder continued to rumble.
Barak rode his horse along the front line, calling out, “Who do we fight for?”
“Israel!” the men shouted, their voices echoing against the mount behind them.
Barak spurred his horse faster, his scarlet cloak billowing behind him as he held up his sword. “Who do we fight against?”
“Our oppressors, the Canaanites!” the men roared.
The sound buzzed through Barak, and he turned his horse and rode in the other direction. A gust of wind momentarily stole his breath.
Thunder pealed overhead once again, and when it died, Deborah rode her horse to the front of the line and cried out, “Who is on our side?”
“The God of Israel!”
The sound of men’s voices faded with another peal of thunder. Deborah reined her horse in and turned to face the Canaanites, sitting like a queen upon her mount. Her back erect, her chin lifted, she commanded the attention and respect of all Israelites.
The Canaanites continued to advance, and Barak continued to ride his horse in front of the line while scanning for Sisera’s imposing form. Barak knew Deborah would not wait much longer. The Israelites had to strike first. The closer the Canaanites stayed to the river, the better since the Israelites would have the advantage of the mountain at their back.
The first raindrops fell, splattering Barak’s cheeks.
Deborah looked over at Barak and nodded.
“Archers ready!” Barak called, keeping his sword raised as he slowed his horse to a canter.
The front rows of men with swords and spears knelt on the damp earth, while the archers nocked their arrows. Deborah followed suit, readying her own bow and arrow as the chariots continued advancing; at least half of them had crossed the river by now.
Still, Barak didn’t see Sisera’s imposing form. Why was he not out in front of his army, leading them like the commander he was?
Then a chariot broke away from the main line of chariots that had crossed the river. But the soldier who stood upright while another drove the chariot was not Sisera. Who was coming with a message? Did the Canaanites want to negotiate? No . . . they never negotiated.
Barak rode up to Deborah at the same time Lapi joined her. The three of them stared at the approaching chariot.
“Is it Sisera?” Deborah asked.
“No,” Lapi said, taking out an arrow and nocking it against his bow. He aimed the arrow at the chariot. “Perhaps an assassin.”
“Wait,” Barak said as the chariot continued straight toward him. “It’s . . . Nathan.”
The rider was thin and wiry, and with the bow and arrow strapped across his bare, sunburnt torso, Barak knew without a doubt it was Nathan.
“He’s alive!” Deborah said, shock in her voice.
Barak sat mesmerized at the sight of Nathan barreling toward them. The man had bright welts across his chest and arms, one eye was blackened, and his head had been shaved. Nathan slowed the chariot, his gaze fixed on Barak as he neared. Then he came to a complete stop and unslung his bow. With deft quickness, Nathan nocked the arrow and pointed it straight at Barak’s heart.
Barak didn’t flinch.
Both Deborah and Lapi now had arrows aimed at Nathan. If the man released his arrow, he’d be killed before Barak was struck.
Nathan’s eyes were wide, his chest heaved, but his hands were ever steady.
“We thought you were dead,” a voice said behind Barak.
“Stay back, Gilad,” Barak said through clenched teeth, not taking his gaze from Nathan.
“I wished I would have died,” Nathan said in his gravelly voice. “Sisera tortured and threatened me for days, promising me a life of wealth if I would but give him the information he wanted. Fortunately, that all changed last night when he received word of the ten thousand Israelites who had gathered in Tabor.”
“Fortunately?” Barak asked.
The gleam in Nathan’s eyes made Barak realize Nathan was no traitor.
Lapi must have sensed the same thing, for he said, “It seems you brought the wind and rain with you.”
Nathan smiled as the rain pelted his face. “I do not think the Canaanites caused this weather.” He cut a glance to Deborah. “God’s wrath has arrived.”
“Where is Sisera?” Barak asked.
“Disguised among the ranks,” Nathan said. “He promised me freedom if I but put an arrow through your heart, Barak.”
Barak nodded. “You will be forfeiting your life if you do.”
Nathan glanced at the surrounding archers. “I suppose Sisera knew this would happen, and the freedom he promised me was freedom in death. But no matter what torturous acts he put me through, he could never win over my heart or mind.” Keeping his arrow still directed at Barak, Nathan continued. “If you will have me, I would like to shoot the first arrow at the Canaanites.”
Barak wiped the rain from his face and nodded. “You have already defied death once, and it would be my pleasure to give you that honor.”
Nathan grinned as he lowered his bow and took up the reins of the horse and chariot, then wheeled around until he was facing the Canaanites. The Canaanite army had fully crossed the river, and they were now assembled in a huge line of chariots, dozens deep, standing in the mud. Barak estimated nearly one thousand chariots in all were facing the Israelite foot soldiers.
“Archers ready!” Barak called out, holding up his sword again in the driving rain.
As soon as Nathan sent his arrow sailing into the air, directly toward the first line of Canaanites, Barak lowered his sword, giving his signal. Hundreds of arrows flew through the air, many of them striking the Canaanites’ armor and chariots.
The Canaanite chariots started forward in one motion, men yelling, horses plunging into the mud, and arrows taking to the air.
Nathan braced himself in his chariot and sent arrow after arrow toward the Canaanites. Deborah and Lapi stayed on their horses, joining in with the archers.
Barak held his position as men started to fall ahead of him and behind. He still couldn’t see Sisera, but Barak would find him. The thunder boomed overhead, and it acted like a signal for the heavens to completely open and drench the soldiers.
Barak had never witnessed such a heavy rain in all his days, and when he gave the signal for the foot soldiers to advance with their spears and swords, it was difficult to make out the faces of the men a few feet in front of him. He pressed forward with the foot soldiers as the deluge continued, flooding the Kishon river. The overfilled river built into a fierce rapid, and horses slipped, and chariots turned over.
Canaanites scrambled from their chariots only to be caught underfoot by the rushing water or knocked to the ground by a floating chariot. But the Canaanites continued to advance, pushing back the Israelite army.
“Find higher ground!” Barak shouted, and his command was repeated throughout the army. The Israelites scrambled for the higher ground of the mount, and the archers on the mount shot at the Canaanites.
Barak maneuvered his horse out of the chaos and watched as nature decimated the Canaanite army with a finality he could never have dreamed up. More than half the chariots had been swept away. The Israelites were making the greatest headway as they fought valiantly, cutting down their enemy.
Barak wiped rain from his face and searched for Sisera among the Canaanites, who continued to join in the main part of the battle. Wave after wave of the Canaanites came forward, and those who escaped the flooding were faced with vengeful Israelites, who seemed to possess unending strength.
Two Canaanites on foot charged toward Barak, their swords raised. Barak fought back until one of the Canaanites suddenly collapsed, an arrow in his back. A few paces away, Nathan advanced on the second Canaanite. He took aim and let an arrow do the rest of the work Barak had started.
Nathan turned to face another foe as another peal of thunder sounded. Not too far from Barak, a chariot careened out of control as its horse slipped in the mud. Barak turned to defend himself against the rider, who’d jumped out, sword in hand.
Barak froze. The warrior was none other than Sisera. His clothing was soaked through, and he wore no helmet. His shorn head sported a gash on one side that was bleeding. The rain made quick work of washing the blood away, but Sisera paid no attention to his wound. He’d seen Barak.
If Barak hadn’t been numb from the cold rain already, he would have felt the impact of the hatred more deeply. Rage mixed with desperation filled Sisera’s glare.
The man didn’t move, just gripped his sword as he stared at Barak. Thunder rumbled again, and lightning streaked the sky.
Barak fully expected Sisera to charge him. This was the commander’s chance, but Sisera took a step back, then another.
“Sisera!” Barak called out.
A chariot barreled past Sisera, nearly hitting him, but he didn’t even flinch. The river behind him was only getting larger, flowing faster, and more chariots were swept away, man and beast screaming in the process.
Barak slid off his horse and sent the beast back to camp. The mud was too slick, and he feared he’d lose his horse too. He slogged through the thick mud, making his way toward Sisera. “Our day of reckoning has arrived, Sisera! Stand and fight me like a man.”
“What evil have you brought upon us all, Barak?” Sisera’s voice faltered, and a fear showed naked upon his face. He continued to move backward as if he wanted to evade Barak.
“You have brought God’s displeasure upon your own head,” Barak said. Energy surged through him, and he leapt toward Sisera, sword at the ready.
But Sisera turned. And ran.
Barak stared at the commander’s form as he half ran, half staggered through the mud and rain, pushing his way past fighting men. Sisera ran east, away from the main battle.
“You would leave your men to fight?” Barak shouted. “Like the coward you are.”
Sisera ran as if being chased by a rabid predator, and as Barak gave chase and skirted around fighting men and others who’d lost their lives, he heard a deep rumbling, greater than any thunder had been so far. He turned to see a wall of water moving along the path of the river, catching both men and horses in its power and swiping them off their feet.
Barak stared in horror and wonder as the water swallowed up chariots and men alike. The Canaanites tried to outrun the water, but many of them were caught up or tripped and fell upon their own swords. It was like watching a giant hand sweeping ants from the face of the earth.
Barak couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe as the chaos unfolded in front of him. Most of the Israelites had a head start on their enemies and headed for the mount. The flooding extended toward the Israelite camp, and those who reached the mount were able to get away from the rushing water.
The wall of water continued east, leaving only destruction in its wake. What had once been the river Kishon was now a lake. Upturned chariots, dead animals, and their owners floated in the water.
Barak looked for Sisera, but the commander was gone. Had he been swept away by the water too?
The thunder faded, and remarkably, the day brightened. The clouds shifted, revealing the sun. Groups of Canaanites who’d survived were making their way back to the other side of the river, and Barak scanned for Gilad, Deborah, Lapi, Nathan, and the others. He spotted Deborah and her green mantle headdress near the mount. It looked like Lapi wasn’t far from her.
Barak strode in the direction of Deborah, passing many bodies along the way. He kept his gaze averted, knowing that what he’d already seen would stay in his nightmares for a long time. When he reached Deborah, she said, “We saw you pursuing Sisera. Where did he go?”
“East,” Barak said. “I don’t know if he has a hideout he’s going to or what.”
“The plains of Zaanaim are east,” Deborah said.
“He will likely take refuge among the desert dwellers,” Barak said. “I hope no one will shelter him.”
“Abner has your horse, and I will gather the other commanders,” Deborah said. “We cannot delay.”
“No,” Barak agreed. “Where is Gilad?”
“On the mount with the archers,” Deborah said. “He’s safe.”
Barak’s thoughts spun as he debated whether he should track Sisera down or follow the retreating Canaanite army.
“Leave Sisera to his escape for now,” Deborah said. “First, we need to finish this battle.”
It was like Deborah had read his thoughts. “You’re right.”
Abner rode up, leading Barak’s horse. He was glad the horse was unharmed. Barak mounted, and soon, most of the commanders arrived, along with Nathan. “The Canaanites are fleeing—but we can’t let that many get away,” Barak said. “They’ll re-form an army, and we’ll return to our oppressed lives.”
“I heard Sisera escaped,” Chaim spoke up.
“He won’t get far,” Barak said. “I’ll make sure of that. But we need to stop the others first before they can regain their strength.” He looked over at Deborah. “God has helped us get this far.”
The commanders all nodded.
“Gather your able men, and let’s finish this war,” Barak said.