Judges 4:1-10
Deborah and Barak (part 1)
4 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. 2 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. 3 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.
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 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. 6 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, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 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’?” 8 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.” 9 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. 10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
And the cycle continues! When a called man of God, who rules and judges the people, dies. Then the people fall back into idolatry and do greater evil in the eyes of the Lord than what they did before. The Lord sees the evil and sends an enemy to suppress the Israelites as a means of chastisement. When the Israelites had enough, then they would cry out to ‘Yahweh’ God. God hears them and sends another judge to free and lead them to victory. The nation will enjoy peace all the days of the judge’s life,
After Ehud dies, the people went back into sin and did evil in the sight of God (verse 4:1). Matthew Henry comments by saying, “They alienated themselves from God as if he were none of theirs; and then God alienated them as none of his. Those that threw themselves out of God’s service threw themselves out of his protection.” The people had no divine protection, but the Lord’s hand of discipline was upon them. It seems since they sinned more than they did before, then their punishment would be more severe than it was before. And it appears so. The Lord raised up Jabin king of Canaan had 900 chariots of iron and cruelly suppressed the Israelites severely for 20 years. But then, the Israelites cried out to the Lord again. As faithful as God is to His promises, He heard their cry and raised up a new judge.
Israel’s new judge was a woman named Deborah, who was a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth. Ligonier Ministries says this in regards to Deborah the judge of Israel, “She did not exercise any military leadership in the conflict, and her judging seems to have focused mainly on giving revelation to God’s people, who came to her “for judgment” (v. 5).” It is important to note that the priest from the tribe of Levi had the call and occupation to judge and teach the people the word of God. Yet, because of the dark days during this time, the priests were not obedient and they forfeited their responsibilities to God. Additionally, we see that Deborah was from the tribe of Ephraim, which does seem interesting. Centuries later when David’s kingdom was divided, the ten tribes of Israel in the north were ruled by their kings in Shilo, or in Samaria in the land of the Ephraimites. Whereas, the tribe of Judah was ruled by their kings from the lineage of king David in the south. This gives us more information and shows us that the first three judges of Israel were from tribes that were in competition for the Jewish throne (Judah, Benjamine, and Ephraim of the house of Joseph).
As mentioned, Deborah was not a military force or political leader. She called Barak of Naphtali to meet with her. At this meeting, Deborah told Barak that the God of Israel has commanded him to go and get an army of 10,000 from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Barak and the troops were to go to the Kishon River and meet Sisera, the general of the Canaanite army. Deborah told Barak that God was going to give Sisera and his armies into his hands, even though they have chariots of iron. Barak acquiesced in accepting God’s orders from Deborah. Barak told Deborah that he will go, but only if she is willing to go with him. This definitely shows the weakness of Barak. Instead of depending on the presence of God to be with him, Barak wanted Deborah to be at his side. How sad when military leaders of God’s chosen people refrain from their duties in walking by faith. As a result of this decision, Deborah told Barak that she will go with him and there will be a victory for Israel, but he will not receive any of the glory. The victory will come from the hand of a woman, and not from him.
In application, we see examples of those with no faith, one with great faith, and another with little faith. This seems to be representative of what we see in our lives today. So many people have no faith in Jesus Christ at all. It is very much like what was prophecies about the Messiah in Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Thus it is with people today. Recent polling reveals that in the United States, 70% identify as being Christian, and 25% identify as Evangelical Protestant. And then we wonder about the condition of the church today. Are all Evangelical Protest church members actually saved, or are they nominal Christians with an identity, but no faith? This suggests that the gospel message of Jesus Christ must be taught in the church in every sermon and on every occasion. Parents must be taught to raise their children in fear and admonition in the Lord our God. We also see Deborah with great faith as displayed by her wisdom, obedience, and reverence for the Lord her God and for her love for her people. Deborah is not a self-proclaimed servant of God, but one identified by the Holy Spirit as a prophetess. Where the Levites should be judging and teaching the Scriptures to people, Deborah with great faith does what is needed for the witness of God and for the livelihood of her people. In lieu of great sin in Israel, the message of God shines the brightest against the backdrop of the darkness that blankets the countryside. Faith if God prevails. We also who have faith in Jesus Christ, must not sit idly, but profess boldly the message that all people must hear; the message about Christ and him crucified, buried, resurrected, and now ascended to be with the Father making intercession for us. Great is the one who believes and has not seen, as Jesus said to Thomas after His resurrection in John 20:24-29. And finally, we see a man of little faith, the man Barak. When Barak was told by the prophetess Deborah to go, get an army from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, and fight the armies of the Canaanites, for God has given them into your hand, instead of believing wholeheartedly that God will do what He said, Barak halfheartedly said he would go only if Deborah would go with him. Instead of depending on the presence of God to be with him, he depended on the presence of a woman of God. We need to take heed and be careful to follow Christ and not some charismatic, popular leader. Yes, the Apostle Paul did say for us to imitate him as he imitated the Lord. But the focus was on imitating Christ. In the dark ages of medieval Christianity before Martin Luther came onto the stage, a man of God named Thomas a Kempis ( c. 1418–1427). wrote a classic book called, The Imitation of Christ. He hoped the church would devote itself to imitating Christ and not man. We also need to take away all things that hinder us and keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, the author, and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 2:2).
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Most loving and merciful God, my Lord Jesus Christ, I worship and praise You for saving me and giving me the free gift of faith. I pray that my faith in You never wavers, but in all things, I walk by faith in Christ to glorify and give honor and praise to You! Help me, Lord, in my unbelief. Give me wisdom to know better and grace to act by faith. May others see Christ in me. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!
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All to Jesus I Surrender, by Judson W. DeVenter in 1896,
