Judges 4 and 5 tell the story of a man named Barak. He was a military commander who lived during yet another time when Israel was being disciplined by God for doing evil. He allowed Israel to fall into the hands of King Jabin of Canaan. Jabin’s army was well-equipped to continue the oppression. They had 900 chariots, and I assume they had horses and weaponry to go with them. Judges 4:3 says they cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. Israel finally cried out to God for help. As God did several other times, He raised up a deliverer named Barak, only Barak didn’t act alone.
Deborah was a judge in Israel. She settled people’s disputes. We have Judge Judy. Israel had Judge Deborah. She was also a prophetess and verse 4 of Judges 4 says she was leading Israel at that time. Fancy that…A woman was leading in Old Testament times. She was the one who called for Barak to come to her. While wearing her prophetess hat, she told him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” Judges 4:6-7
He told Deborah he would go through with the military operation if she would go with him and if she wouldn’t go with him, he wasn’t going to go. Seriously. “Certainly, I will go with you,” she said, but then she went on to say, “but because of the way you are going about this, the honor for the victory won’t be yours. God’s going to deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” That prophesy didn’t seem to phase him. She had declared that Sisera was going down, and that was good enough for him.
So, Barak and Deborah set out. They met up with ten thousand Israelite soldiers. Sisera caught wind that Israel was organizing against him, and he got his 900 chariots fitted with iron. Deborah told Barak it was “Go time.” She said, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
We see in the text how God got involved and routed Israel’s enemy. So, Israel had their enemy on the run. All of Sisera’s army was killed, but Sisera was still on the loose. Sisera fled to the tent of a woman named Jael. She invited him in and reassured him that all would be will inside her house. She showed him wonderful hospitality. She strategically gave him milk to help him fall asleep quickly, and she covered him up with the blanket. Then, Jael quietly went to her tool chest and picked up a tent peg and a hammer while he slept, and she drove the peg through his temple into the ground. She had strength, courage, and a strong stomach!
Well, about that time, Barak happened by. He was still looking for Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and she said, “Come on in. I’ll show you the man you’re looking for.” I’m sure Barak had a weapon ready. I am sure he was prepared to take Sisera down, but low and behold, Jael had already taken care of that. Sisera had died at the hands of a woman, just as Deborah had prophesied.
Well, without his army, King Jabin was toast. Israel was free. How did this story about Barak which you could argue was overshadowed by the story of two brave and godly women earn Sisera a spot in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith?” Where did his faith show up in this story? I’m going to offer two ideas to you for your consideration. Here they are:
Barak exercised faith in God’s person, and he exercised faith in God’s plan.
God appointed Deborah as a judge in Israel. She sent for Barak to come to her, and his respect for her as a judge and a prophetess is seen in the reality that he took instruction from her. Under the authority of God, she called the shots.
What I want to suggest to you is that as we live out our calling, as we pursue our own assignments from the Lord, as we battle in this life, we need to be open to the reality that God will use people, even unlikely people like Deborah, to teach and lead us to God’s will for our lives. It wasn’t the norm for a man to be receiving instruction from a female, but Barak recognized God’s hand was on her life. He was willing to move out in faith in spite of what the culture might suggest.
Be open to being led in ways you might not expect. Be open to receiving correction from people God wants to use to give messages to you. If Barak had a problem with Deborah being a woman in leadership, he pushed past that because he recognized her authority was from God.
I’m not suggesting that we put faith in people versus faith in God. I’m simply saying that we can easily miss God’s voice just because it comes through an encounter with a person. Barak acknowledged the authority that God had set up in the person of Deborah. Obedience to what she communicated with him was the same as obedience to God. That’s the way he saw it.
A wise person makes use of and relies on those who walk with God. Barak could trust Deborah because he knew she trusted God. I don’t think that made Barak weak. I think it was actually an act of faith. I think that Barak’s request that Deborah go with him was a strength move. In light of his mention in Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith,” I can’t read it that way. He was commended for his faith, and I believe part of that faith was faith in the spiritual leadership that God had established.
Who has God placed in your life that can speak the wisdom of God when you need it? When you are faced with a battle, who do you go to for counsel? Who is covering you in prayer? Who knows the Word of God well enough that when you need strategy for next steps, you reach out to them? Is there anyone in your life that you recognize has been placed there by God to help lead you through life’s challenges? Do you possess the same humility Barak did? In a culture that didn’t even allow women to testify in court, he humbly sought and relied on the counsel of Deborah for his military victory. Barak was a leader who was willing to be led even as he led others!
Not only do people with an activated faith trust God’s people, but they also trust God’s plan. Most military commanders are going to want to spend time ahead of the battle, planning their strategy, charting the course, and instructing their soldiers. We don’t read about any of that in this story. Barak was relying on God for the plan and the timing of the Israeli advance on their enemy. He was relying on God to give them the victory.
There was no earthly chance for the Israelites to succeed against an army that was so vast, an army that had such advanced weaponry and resources. Barak didn’t look at what they were up against and decide there was no way they could win. He didn’t rely on his intellect to outsmart his enemy. He didn’t google, “Top Ten Ways to Outsmart and Army that is Bigger than Yours.” He trusted that God would be what was needed, that God would provide what was needed, that God would take care of the enemy. He only needed to move out in faith. He only needed to advance at God’s command. Can we do the same? Can we trust that everything we need God will supply?
Church, as we have been studying about all the men and women of faith listed in Hebrews 11, one thing has become crystal clear to me: Faith is a demonstration of trust in God. We either trust God and demonstrate that by our faith or we trust ourselves and demonstrate that by the way we make decisions or by the way we tuck our tail and run. Believer, a Child of God never has to live in fear of the enemy! A Child of God never has to retreat. God is never without a plan. God has never lost a battle, and He won’t start by losing yours!
All Deborah said to Barak was, “Go, now is the time.” She didn’t even instruct him about how to go. They didn’t decide to target a certain area where the enemy was hanging out. They didn’t plan a surprise, sneak attack. Barak’s army just advanced against the enemy.
Judges 4:15 says, At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
When an enemy is “routed” it means they have been forced to flee. They take off running. It is kind of a helter-skelter, disorderly, and chaotic scene. The enemy became suddenly afraid of a much lesser army. Why? I believe it was because as Barak advanced, his faith in action stirred the hand of God, and when Sisera’s army looked at what was coming for them, they recognized a Divine power and presence was accompanying Israel, and they knew they were toast!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
And while God is making your path straight, He will rout your enemy. God delivered Israel. God wants to deliver us. Will we trust Him?
