CSSA 1-2-14 - DEBORAH AND BARAK

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39. DEBORAH AND BARAK

"There arose another generation after them, which knew not Yahweh"

Aim

To show that the problems that faced the children of Israel in the times of the Judges are no different from those we face today.

Synopsis

Although Israel were continually unfaithful and disobedient, God was merciful and forgiving. When they were in trouble and turned to Him, He saved them from their enemies.

Judges 2, 4 and 5

THE TIME WHEN "EVERY MAN DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES"

The history of Israel in the time of the Judges is summed up in the last verse of the Book of Judges: "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes". When men take no notice of the Word of God and go their own way, they end up bringing trouble upon themselves. So it was with Israel.

All the days of Joshua, and all the days of the leaders who had been appointed by Joshua, Israel served Yahweh. But the next generation who had not seen His miracles, forsook the God of their fathers and worshipped Baal and Ashtaroth, the gods of the heathen nations round about them (Judges 2:7-13). This was exactly what Joshua had warned them about (see Josh. 23:12-13).

It made God very angry. Instead of the peace and happiness He had promised Israel if they obeyed Him, they suffered at the hands of the heathen nations because God no longer fought for them.

THE CAUSE OF ISRAEL'S SUFFERING: Judges 2

How soon they forgot their promise in front of Joshua: "Yahweh our God will we serve and His voice will we obey": (Josh. 24:24). They quickly learned the ways of the wicked people of the land and soon were no better than they.

When Israel departed from God's way, God departed from them. They found that "they could not any longer stand before their enemies" (v.14). Their enemies grew stronger and Israel grew weaker, because they did not have faith in God any longer. The Canaanites treated them cruelly and then they remembered their God and cried unto Him to save them. He was merciful and gave them judges (leaders) by whom He delivered them. During the lifetime of the judge, Israel served God and were delivered from their enemies, but when the judge died they quickly slipped back into their evil ways. This happened many times and because of their forsaking Him, God said He would not any more drive out the nations before them, so that He might prove (or test) Israel to see if they would keep His way (vv. 18-22).

All through the book of Judges we see this pattern: Israel sinned against God, and this brought suffering upon them. When they repented and turned to God, He provided a deliverer to save them from their enemies.

Sin brought SUFFERING
Seeking God brought SALVATION.

DEBORAH THE PROPHETESS: Judges 4:1-9

Israel had enjoyed a long period of peace under Ehud, one of their judges, but when he died the people forgot all that Yahweh had done for them and soon returned to their evil ways. This time God punished them by allowing the King of Canaan to overcome them. The Canaanites had a clever captain, named Sisera, but what frightened them most were his nine hundred chariots of iron. Sisera "mightily oppressed the children of Israel" for twenty years and in their distress Israel turned to Yahweh. He heard their cry and sent them help - this time through a woman.

Deborah, the prophetess, lived at a place between Bethel and Ramah. Through her the Word of God came to Israel. She was a faithful woman, who tried to guide the people in right ways and the children of Israel came to her for judgment.

It was revealed to Deborah that Barak was to lead the Israelites to victory over Sisera. So she called Barak and told him what God wanted him to do. He was to go towards Mt Tabor with 10,000 Israelites, and Sisera and his army would be delivered into his hand. Barak said, "If thou wilt go with me I will go, but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go". Deborah agreed to go but told Barak that he would not be the one to have the honour of the victory, for God would "sell Sisera into the hand of a woman" (v9).

HOW SISERA WAS DEFEATED: Judges 4:10-24; 5:20-22

Deborah and Barak sent out a message to all the tribes of Israel to come and join an army to fight against Sisera. Altogether 10,000 men gathered under the leadership of Barak and marched towards Mt Tabor to meet Sisera's army. But Sisera was warned of their approach by a man named Heber and hastily assembled his huge army with all their 900 chariots of iron.

Deborah told Barak to lead his men down from the mountain, saying, "Up; for this is the day in which Yahweh hath delivered Sisera into thine hand" (v14). This appeared to be just the wrong thing to do, for on the flat country below the mountain, Sisera could drive his chariots against the Israelites, who were all on foot. He would be sure of Victory. But Deborah was right, for God was in control. He was fighting for Israel. He sent a great storm that caused the river Kishon to come down in a flash flood and the horses and chariots became bogged in the overflowing mud. So the men of Israel were able to defeat the Canaanites until there was "not a man left" (v16).

One man however, managed to escape - Sisera, the captain of the defeated army. He left his chariot and fled away on foot.

He was tired and wanted to hide from Barak. So he went and found Heber's wife, Jael, and asked if he could shelter in her tent. She invited him in and gave him milk to drink. Then he lay down and she covered him with a blanket. He asked her to stand guard at the door of the tent and let no one know that he was there. Then he fell asleep, for he was tired out.

Although her husband was friendly with Sisera, Jael sympathised with the Israelites, who had been terribly ill-treated by the Canaanites. Using a tent peg and a hammer, she crept up to Sisera while he slept soundly and dealt him a terrible blow in the head, which killed him. So this enemy of Israel was removed and the glory of his defeat was taken from Barak and given to a woman, as Deborah had prophesied (v9).

DEBORAH'S SONG OF VICTORY: Judges 5

The defeat of the Canaanites caused great joy in Israel and the victory was celebrated in the words of a song by Deborah and Barak, praising Yahweh who had fought for them and delivered them from their oppressors.

After this, "the land had rest forty years" (v31)

LESSON FOR US

During the period of the Judges, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes". When men followed God's way, all went well, but wickedness and trouble resulted when Israel forgot God and went their own way. The people in the world today "do that which is right in their own eyes" and this is the cause of the wickedness and violence everywhere. We must stand aside from this and seek God's guidance, for we know from the Bible that "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer.10:23). As we learn from the record of Judges: Sin brings suffering but seeking God brings salvation.