Judges 4:11-24
Deborah and Barak (part 2)
11 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.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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.
17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 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.’” 21 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. 22 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.
23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. 24 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.
Not to get too technical, but the study of God’s Word is more than intriguing, it is satisfying and sweeter than honey to the lips (Psalm 119:103). The Word of God is truly inspired by God, the Holy Spirit who now teaches and applies the words to our hearts, souls, and minds, as we read. In the Book of Judges, the human authors are unknown, but some have suggested that the book was written by priests during the early reign of King David, while he was ruling in Hebron of Judah. The Holy Spirit not only inspired these men but also gave them the wisdom and skills they needed to write the words of Scripture in their cultural context with heavenly meaning and purpose. Some have equated this inspiration of God and the equipping of the writers of His Word with special skills and abilities, as equivalent to the inspiration and equipping God gave Bezalel and Oholiab, the artisans who constructed the priestly garments and all the furnishings of the tabernacle. Exodus 31:1-6 says,
“The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you”
In regards to Scripture, our Confession of Faith says,
“We believe that the Holy Bible was breathed out, that is, inspired by God, written by men, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. It has God for its author, His glory for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.”
As an example of wisdom and skill in writing the Holy Scriptures, the authors, especially for historical narratives like the Story of Deborah and Barak, used a Hebrew rhetorical device, which was beneficial for reading and remembering. This is called Hebrew chiasm. This literary device is a repeating of events but in the opposite order. The event does not repeat itself until a structured climax or main event occurs. The chiasm was important to hearers in Old Testament times on two accounts. First, they needed to learn and remember the events of the story. In those olden days, the priest would read the Scriptures to the people and the people had to remember the events being told. Rhetorical, memory devices were crucial to their understanding. Second, the people needed to identify the main event or truth for the narrative. This is the climax of the story and it stood alone. After this, then the remaining events of the story began to repeat themselves going backward. For example, included below is the chiasmic structure (by Daniel Sonnenberg) for the story of Deborah and Barak in Judges 4:1-24. The climax of the story is the turning point, which is, the Lord bringing victory to Israel in Judges 4:14-15. This is important!
Today’s part 2 of the passage is superimposed onto this chiasmic structure. The purpose is to introduce the second main character who will get the glory for the battle’s victory, as prophecied by Deborah. This is the woman named Jael. Jael was the wife of a Kenite. In verse 4:9, Deborah told Barak that the Lord will subdue the Canaanites and win the battle, but he will not get the glory for the victory. Instead, the victory will go to a woman. The reason for this prophecy was that Barak was a weak, military man. He was willing to go to battle only if Deborah, the prophetess and judge, would go with him. He depended on Deborah, and not on God.
Verse 4:11 begins by explaining how a Kenite family ended up living in the northern city of Kadesh. Kadesh is the birthplace of Barak in the tribe of Naphtali in the region near Galilee. Heber, a Kenite (just like Jephunnah, the father of Caleb in Judah), moved his family away from the Kenites who were living in the southernmost part of Judah. Heber and his family moved to Kadesh in Naphtali. However, Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, is not mentioned until the end of the story when Deborah’s prophecy to win the victory was fulfilled in verses 4:18-22. Barak goes and gathers his troops and meets Sisera, the general of the Canaanite army near the Kishon River. After the Lord intervenes and drives the battalion of chariots of iron away, Sisera gets down off his chariot and runs away. He finds himself at the tent of Jael and Heber the Kenite. Sisera asked Jael to hide him and she does. But while he is sleeping under a blanket, she takes a tent peg and hammer to drive the tent peg into his temple, through and through, into the ground below. Surely this was an act of courage. Jael was heroic in her conquest at home in her tent, while the men were at the battle, fighting the Canaanites.
The application of this narrative is quite simple. We see the implication in the Hebrew chiasmic structure of this narrative. The main point directs us to the truth that God is the victor! However, we see in the narrative that God uses people who are wholeheartedly dependent on Him, especially when others are not. In today’s story, both Deborah and Jael, the wife of Heber, were used by God. The passage also teaches us that God’s people who are used for good, are those who are faithful and strong in His might. It’s important to this point that the main characters and protagonists of our story are women and not men. This perfectly illustrates what the passage is conveying: God gets the victory and uses people who are faithful and dependent on Him! For example, If strong, military men were victors, then one would not be impressed because that was to be expected. But the irony of having women as victors is even more meaningful. This truly illustrates that God uses people who are unexpectantly disfavored, but who are faithful and true. Therefore, the men (Barak and Sisera), who are weak, military men, are in contrast to the women (Deborah and Jael), who are faithful and strongly dependent upon God. God is praised because victory is His and He uses people of strong faith. You and I must be obedient to God’s word, as it says in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” We must be wholeheartedly devoted to Christ and His cause, for anything less is not honorable. This does allow us to grow in grace. Though we may not be perfect for serving at a given moment in time, yet, we must do our best. As we mature and grow in our knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, we must still, continue to do our best. Like the words of Christ, to those who are given more, much more will be required (Luke 12:48). Therefore, at all times, whatever you do, drink, eat, or say, give “your” [emphasis added] best to the Master (1 Corinthians 10:31)!
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Lord of Heaven and Earth, Redeemer of fallen mankind, I worship and praise You for Your works that are for our good and for Your glory. Thank You for Your protection on my life. Thank You for fighting my battle, for vengeance is the Lord’s. I confess that I do not live wholeheartedly in my devotion. Create with me, O Lord, a clean heart. Restore me, fill me, and use me for Your glory, praise, and honor. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!
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Give Your Best to the Master, by Howard B. Grose, in 1902
