Judges 4B Last time we were intrduced t Debrah and Barak, a partnership frged t defeat Israel enemy Debrah is the judge while Barak is the natins key military leader When the Lrd was ready t free Israel frm their ppressr, He directed Debrah t call fr Barak Debrah tld Barak that the Lrd was prepared t free Israel by his hand Barak was t travel nrth and recruit an army f 10,000 Israelites t defeat the Canaanite king Barak cntemplated the difficulty f recruiting 10,000 men and defeating a pwerful and entrenched enemy, s he hesitated He insisted that Debrah accmpany him t ensure his success Debrah agreed but cuntered that Barak wuld nt see the final victry Instead, the victry will be wn by a wman Barak believed the Lrd was speaking thrugh Debrah, but he lacked cnfidence t bey that wrd His respnse reflected the state f leadership in the natin at this pint in Israel s histry Men were dubting, wmen were picking up the slack and the natin was suffering But this is als a natin in cvenant with the cvenant-keeping Gd S the Lrd brings Debrah and Barak int the battle Barak accmpanied by Debrah mve frm the hill cuntry f Ephraim t Kadesh, a twn in the center f Naphtali s territry There, nrth f Hazr, they plan the attack 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 2 f 12 Judg. 4:10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali tgether t Kedesh, and ten thusand men went up with him; Debrah als went up with him. Judg. 4:11 Nw Heber the Kenite had separated himself frm the Kenites, frm the sns f Hbab the father-in-law f Mses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the ak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. Judg. 4:12 Then they tld Sisera that Barak the sn f Abinam had gne up t Munt Tabr. Judg. 4:13 Sisera called tgether all his charits, nine hundred irn charits, and all the peple wh were with him, frm Harsheth-hagyim t the river Kishn. Judg. 4:14 Debrah said t Barak, Arise! Fr this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera int yur hands; behld, the LORD has gne ut befre yu. S Barak went dwn frm Munt Tabr with ten thusand men fllwing him. Barak assembles the 10,000 men frm the tw tribes at Kadesh Meanwhile, Samuel intrduces us t anther family living in the same area Heber the Kenite is living near Kadesh The Kenites were descended frm Hbab, the father-in-law f Mses The Kenites were nt Jewish They were the family Mses married int while in Midian But they were always supprtive f the Jews Remember in chapter 1 we learned that the Kenites fllwed Jshua and the Jews ut f the desert when they entered the Prmised Land Mst f the Kenites migrated suth int Judah But nw we learn that at least ne family, the family f Heber, separated himself frm the rest f his family by mving nrth He settled near Kadesh by the ak f Zaanannim His name means ally reflecting his duble agent life While he entered the land with the Jews, he s als made a gd living as an ally f the Canaanite king The wrd kenite means blacksmith, which was the primary trade f the Kenites 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 3 f 12 Irn had been intrduced int the land years earlier, and Heber seems t have been wrking t make the irn charits fr the king S here we have a man wh is nt a Jew and he s cnsrting with the enemy f Gd s peple He has a distant relatinship t Gd s peple But he s nt taking sides Meanwhile, the king s cmmander, Sisera, learns that Barak has amassed an army at Mt. Tabr, abut 25 miles suthwest Sisera s respnse is t mve his 900 charits t the valley f Kishn, at the base f Mt. Carmel Abut 14 miles further west f Mt. Tabr He s essentially flanking Barak by appraching frm the ppsite directin This is a very unexpected military mve Barak wuld have expected the cmmander t attack frm the nrtheast That way Sisera culd keep his frces between the enemy and the king s headquarters in Hazr But we remember what the Lrd tld Barak thrugh Debrah Back in v.7 the Lrd said He wuld draw Sisera and his many trps t the river Kishn The Hebrew wrd translated draw is the same wrd fr pull Literally, the Lrd pulled Sisera away frm his natural fighting place and tward the river When Barak sees Sisera take up a psitin in the Kishn river valley, it must have reinfrced Barak s faith tremendusly There was n military explanatin fr Sisera s mve, but there was a supernatural explanatin Gd was mving pieces n the chessbard just as He prmised 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 4 f 12 This was Barak s cnfirmatin that Gd planned t d what He spke Nevertheless, when Sisera makes this mve, Barak seems t hesitate I say that because in v.14 we see Debrah cmmanding Barak t attack We knw Debrah was nt a military leader, s she was nt accustmed t determining the prper mment t attack She was simply respnding t the bvius sign Gd prvided The Lrd said lk fr Sisera t mve t Kishn, s nw that he s there, it s clearly time t act But Barak desn t seem t mve withut Debrah s insistence She repeats t Barak that the Lrd has delivered Sisera int his hands In fact, the Lrd has gne ut befre yu, she says, which means the Lrd is already at wrk t defeat the enemy Just get up and jin the Lrd in that wrk Nw we understand why Debrah agreed t d with Barak The Lrd is ging t win this battle, and all Barak needs t d is cme alng fr the ride There is very little Barak must d and even less he will cntribute t the victry At best, he s just there t witness Gd s wrk Nevertheless, it requires a wman t drag Barak int battle t save Israel Even when a clear sign is given and fulfilled, Barak didn t recgnize the mment t act Spiritual leadership isn t just acting brave in difficult mments It s being prepared spiritually t put that leadership int actin whenever necessary Husbands and fathers are called by Gd t serve as the spiritual leaders in their hmes 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 5 f 12 But t many men assume this calling means taking dramatic, life-r-death actins t prtect the family It s the kind f attitude that says, I wuld take a bullet fr my husband. But will yu pick up yur underwear r d the dishes when she asks? A man wn t be prepared t take the rle f leader as Gd intended unless they are thinking and preparing fr that rle everyday We can t expect t live selfish, self-centered lives fr years, ignring Gd s wrd and hesitating t fllw the Spirit And then assume in a mment f spiritual crisis, we ll step frward and save the day When yur teenagers rebel against authrity When yur marriage gets rcky When yur health fails These things put a stress n any family, but if yu re nt already practiced at leadership, where will yu turn? Barak and the ther men f Israel weren t practices at listening t the Lrd and beying, s when the wrd came t destry the king, Barak struggled t rise t the ccasin Gd in mercy sent a wman t save the day, and He s abut t send anther wman t finish the jb But first Barak must lead his men t dispatch the enemy s army Judg. 4:15 The LORD ruted Sisera and all his charits and all his army with the edge f the swrd befre Barak; and Sisera alighted frm his charit and fled away n ft. Judg. 4:16 But Barak pursued the charits and the army as far as Harsheth-hagyim, and all the army f Sisera fell by the edge f the swrd; nt even ne was left. Judg. 4:17 Nw Sisera fled away n ft t the tent f Jael the wife f Heber the Kenite, fr there was peace between Jabin the king f Hazr and the huse f Heber the Kenite. Just as Gd fretld, Israel ruts the enemy Ntice Samuel is careful t emphasize that the Lrd wn this battle 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 6 f 12 Barak was nt the cause f the utcme, thugh the Lrd used him and the men he assembled t prsecute the fight It was the Lrd s might that secured the victry Still, we shuld give credit where credit is due, and Barak deserves credit fr entering int battle Yes, Debrah had t encurage him, but then Barak did take his trps int battle against a much better equipped army What wuld cause a man t take such risk? T dare t attack an army that n paper was undefeatable? The answer is faith...barak has faith that the Lrd wuld keep His wrd He heard the prphecy f Debrah And when the sign appeared, he had cnfidence that the Lrd was at wrk In fact, Barak s faith is highlighted briefly in the Hall f Faith in Hebrews 11:32 It was Barak s lack f cnfidence in leading Gd s peple that caused his hesitatin And that s the danger when men fail t accept their Gd-given rle as spiritual leaders It s like a muscle yu have t exercise r else it atrphies S that even when the time cmes, it may need a kick start t spring int actin Thankfully, Barak had a wman t help him mve ahead And many husbands and fathers are blessed t have a wife t d the same thing...if nly they are listening and willing t act We aren t tld hw Barak was able t defeat the 900 charits, but we find ut in chapter 5 (s I ll save the answer fr then) Fr nw, we understand that Barak s army destrys every single sldier in Sisera s army Withut an army, the king will be unable t defend his claim ver Canaan 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 7 f 12 But the victry is incmplete, because Sisera, the cmmander, escapes Withut Sisera s head, Barak can t declare the battle wn Sisera s escape leaves pen the pssibility he culd muster a new army and cunter attack in the weeks t cme If Sisera isn t killed, the regime s verthrw remains in dubt Sisera ends up seeking refuge in the hme f Heber, east f the battle He assumes that Heber will prtect him, since there was peace between Heber and the king Sisera appraches the tent f Jael, the wife f Heber This was a huge errr n Sisera s part Sisera cunted n Heber being a Canaanite sympathizer, but he didn t realize Heber s wife felt differently Judg. 4:18 Jael went ut t meet Sisera, and said t him, Turn aside, my master, turn aside t me! D nt be afraid. And he turned aside t her int the tent, and she cvered him with a rug. Judg. 4:19 He said t her, Please give me a little water t drink, fr I am thirsty. S she pened a bttle f milk and gave him a drink; then she cvered him. Judg. 4:20 He said t her, Stand in the drway f the tent, and it shall be if anyne cmes and inquires f yu, and says, Is there anyne here? that yu shall say, N. Judg. 4:21 But Jael, Heber s wife, tk a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly t him and drve the peg int his temple, and it went thrugh int the grund; fr he was sund asleep and exhausted. S he died. Judg. 4:22 And behld, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came ut t meet him and said t him, Cme, and I will shw yu the man whm yu are seeking. And he entered with her, and behld Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple. As Sisera apprached the tent and sees that it is the tent f Heber s wife, he must have hesitated t enter By custm it was highly inapprpriate fr him t enter the tent f anther man s wife But as he hesitates, Jael encurages him t cme in 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 8 f 12 In v.18 Jael says turn aside, my master which means t cme int my tent And she tells Sisera nt t be frightened by the break in custm Sisera must have cnsidered the request and realized it was a crafty plan Wh wuld think t lk fr him in the tent f Heber s wife? N ne wuld suspect t find him there S he enters t hide But Jael has an entirely different purpse in mind Quickly, he asks fr water since he was thirsty frm the battle And Jael respnds by giving him milk Milk was cnsidered a preferable drink t water, and s it made Sisera feel even mre welcmed It als had the effect f making him even mre drwsy, which was Jael s plan Finally, Sisera gives Jael rders t guard the entrance t the tent and t lie t any wh cme lking fr him This was a demanding request, since it put Jael s life at risk If she was caught lying, she wuld be killed t Then after making this request, Sisera lies dwn t sleep And Jael cvers his bdy with a rug, as if t hide him frm detectin Sisera was expecting Heber s family t grant refuge, but he didn t realize that Heber s wife, Jael, was n Canaanite ally Instead, she was still lyal t the Jewish peple, wh brught her family int this land under Mses and Jshua She knws the Canaanites are the enemies f Gd And she is prbably displease that her husband has chsen t prfit frm the king s army 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 9 f 12 S when Jael saw the cmmander f the Canaanite army cme int her camp in bvius fear fr his life, she knew smething was amiss She may nt have knwn the circumstances f his flight But she knew the cmmander was in need f her help And by her quick thinking, she gained the pprtunity she wanted t defeat the enemy After Sisera fell sleep, she returned t the tent with a mallet and a wden tent peg She crept silently up t Sisera And she psitined the tent peg abve his temple And then with all her might, she hammered the tent peg thrugh the rug and int his skull In fact, v.21 says she drve the peg with s much frce, it went thrugh his head and int the grund Sisera never knew was hit him He was s exhausted, he was dead tired He was ut befre his head hit the pillw And cnsider the imagery Sisera is a mighty warrir, but he s wrapped up in a rug like an infant Sleeping n a tummy f milk And wh s calling the shts? A wman Once again, this scene paints the men f the land as dependent n the wmen fr supprt Sisera was t weak t defend himself He needed a wman t make him cmfrtable, prtect him, feed him and lie fr him I ve knwn t many husbands that fit that descriptin 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 10 f 12 It s always t a man s shame when he can t fulfill his rle as leader, and Sisera is just the latest example Hw did Jael expect t get away with this assault? And are we t cngratulate her? I assume Jael never had t say anything A man in her tent wuld naturally be assumed t have wrng intentins She was simply defending herself And as far as judging her behavir, remember that the Canaanites and Jews were at war Had Barak fund Sisera, he wuld have killed him just as Barak killed the rest f his army Jael was simply acting as anther cmbatant She was allied with the natin f Israel, s she acted in their defense Gd had cmmanded that all the Canaanites be wiped ut frm the very beginning, s this wman was willing t d Gd s will When Barak arrived lking fr Sisera, Jael curageusly cmes frward t reveal the man t Barak And then the Lrd s secnd prphecy cncerning Barak is fulfilled Barak was tld he wuld secure a great military victry But because he was hesitant t claim that victry withut Debrah s leadership, he wn t get credit fr winning Instead, it will g t a wman, Jael This was exactly as the Lrd declared, and it was t Barak s shame Even as we remember his part and even see him mentined in the bk f Hebrews, his victry was diminished by his weakness It s nt enugh that we fllw the Lrd in the end Yes, fllwing the Lrd is always better than nt fllwing Him 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 11 f 12 But let s nt be t quick t cngratulate urselves fr eventually falling in line We need t understand that true bedience says, Send me Lrd, I will g. True faith desn t depend n a sign, even when the Lrd is willing t grant us ne And true bedience means assuming the rle the Lrd has appinted fr us in ur family, ur church and in ur wrld If yu are a father r husband, then assume the spiritual leadership rle in yur family Dn t let yur wife drag yu int bedience And dn t be satisfied that she knws the Bible r that she ges t church r that she vlunteers Dn t abdicate yur respnsibility t teach the kids the wrd f Gd And if yu aren t feeling qualified t d it, then yu had better get serius abut yur wn study because time is running ut - And yur kids aren t getting any yunger If yu re a wife r mther, then dn t let yur husband s spiritual laziness becme excuse t slw dwn in yur wn walk In the end, each persn will give accunt t the Lrd and face judgment fr ur life f service S yu must press n, with r withut him But dn t let him ff the hk either Encurage him, challenge him and mdel bedience fr him And pray fr the Lrd t bring him alng Finally, if yu are a cuple where bth husband and wife are walking with the Lrd, the husband leading and the wife clse at his side, then praise the Lrd He will accmplish great things in and thrugh yu But be prepared fr the enemy t d all he can t tear yu dwn 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.
Judges 4B 12 f 12 And everyne...remember that the Lrd wins the victries in ur lives Judg. 4:23 S Gd subdued n that day Jabin the king f Canaan befre the sns f Israel. Judg. 4:24 The hand f the sns f Israel pressed heavier and heavier upn Jabin the king f Canaan, until they had destryed Jabin the king f Canaan. Ntice in v.23, the Lrd wn the victry Nt Debrah, nt Barak, nr Jael The Lrd made the events cme t pass as He determined And it was in keeping with His purpses t chastise the peple f Gd And then t redeem them in due time But als ntice in v.24 that He accmplished these things thrugh the hands f bedient servants By the hand f the sns f Israel, the Lrd brught Jabin t his end Always remember the Lrd s svereignty in all events f ur lives But als remember that He accmplishes His purpse by the hand f His bedient servants Obey, and becme useful t Him s that yu will receive a reward Shrink back, and watch Him accmplish great things thrugh thers 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal (www.versebyverseministry.rg) May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.