Judges 4 and 5 tell the story of a man named Barak. He is next in the mentions of people with great faith in Hebrews 11. 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
His response was somewhat surprising. 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. Barak, the Israelite army commander, said he would go into battle if Deborah, the judge and prophetess, would also go. She wasn’t a fighter. She probably wasn’t going to carry heavy equipment. There is no evidence that she had nursing skills to be able to care for the wounded. Why would he have needed her to go into battle with him? I’ll address that in a minute.
Well, her response was quick and resolute. “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.
Deborah told Barak to go, and he led the army out against Sisera’s army. When Barak looked at the size of the enemy and how well-equipped the enemy was for battle, he could have decided to abort the mission, but at the command to go, he led the charge.
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. Remember, Rahab helped the Israelite spies before the fall of Jericho, and that was a good thing for Israel and a good thing for Rahab. Jael, however, wasn’t going to hide Sisera. His visit to her house wouldn’t end well for him.
Oh, she invited him in. She reassured him that all would be will inside her house. She showed him wonderful hospitality. She gave him a blanket. He asked for water. She gave him a drink, but it wasn’t water. It was milk. She strategically gave him milk to help him fall asleep quickly, and she covered him up with the blanket. She literally tucked him in, y’all.
He told her that if anyone came to the door looking for someone, she was to tell them, no one was there but her. But that woman 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. I guess you could say she “put the hammer down” on him. 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.
Let’s talk first about his faith in God’s person. The story we have just read took place in a time when men held the power and had the authority. The authors of Scripture didn’t invent patriarchy. It was simply the social construct at the time. Men were the landowners. Generally speaking, men created the laws and enforced the laws. Men dominated the political scene and were the leaders in religious life. Men had the final say in matters that pertained to family life, and yet, God was working, even back then, to change culture, to reverse the curse, to enable both men and women to exercise their God-given authority.
We see it in the person of Deborah. God appointed her. He set her up 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 this morning 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, Church, 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.
We live in a culture now where people in general resist being led and instructed. People want to construct their own version of the truth and want to be the architects of their own lives. Many now resist what they call “organized religion” because they don’t want other people telling them how to live. They don’t have the understanding that God communicates truth to people so that they can communicate truth to others. They don’t have a respect for biblical authority.
Barak was the one the one called to fight, but Deborah was the person who had been given the knowledge about how the victory would come. You may have mature spiritual warfare skills, friends, but someone else may know the plan for the battle. Both Deborah and Barak were needed in this situation. This wasn’t a situation where one person dominated over another, but it was a situation where Deborah and Barak were both called of God and gifted by God to be partners to bring Sisera’s army down. So, Barak said he would go, but only if Deborah went with him.
I believe Barak recognize Deborah as a spiritual authority in Israel. He knew she heard from God. She had a reputation for her wisdom and problem-solving. I believe he wanted her to go with him into battle because he planned to rely on her for information regarding strategy and timing. He knew she was someone who walked with God and heard from him. He was going to use her as a resource. I don’t think he was scared of the battle, but I think he believed God would give her Divine information that he would need to obtain the victory.
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. Typically, when this passage of Scripture is taught, it is suggested that Barak was weak, that he wouldn’t step up, that he was hesitant to obey. In light of his mention in Hebrews 11, 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!
I know Deborah then said to Barak that because of the way he was going about obtaining the victory, by requiring her to go with him, that the honor of the victory would be given to a woman instead of to him, but he was Ok with that! Allow me to draw this conclusion: People with an activated faith don’t care who gets the earthly glory when victory is achieved. Barak wasn’t in the military for badges and medals. This wasn’t about bragging rights for Barak. This was about seeing God’s people delivered no matter who got the credit for it when it happened. Does anyone else see faith and humility working together in this story?
Jael was going to be the one to go down in history as a legend. That didn’t deter Barak from moving out in faith. He was moving in faith according to God’s purposes and not his own.
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? It is a promise in Scripture. Tell your neighbor, “The Word is true, and you can trust it!”
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!
We know Sisera got out of his chariot to run. Does that strike anyone as odd? If you were trying to escape, don’t you think a chariot would be faster than your feet? You could also be somewhat protected inside the chariot. Why did Sisera get out and try to make a run for it? Wasn’t that making him more vulnerable?
A careful reading of Judges 5 tells us what God did to create panic for the enemies of Israel. In Judges 5 which is the “Song of Deborah” where she is recounting the victory that was won, verse 4 says, “…the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water.” God’s power was demonstrated and experienced. Verse 21 of chapter 5 says, “The river Kishon swept them away.” This was the place of the battle. This was the name of the river where Sisera and Barak were to meet up. The reason Sisera had to make a run for it was because God caused a torrential rain, one that flooded the river, and those iron chariots literally got stuck in the mud. That which was an asset to Sisera became a liability. God turned things around on the enemy, making their strength a point of weakness. I love our God!
This is how the Israelite people knew God. This is how we can know God. He is the One who is in charge. He is the one who routs our enemy! Listen to Psalm 20: 1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.[b] 4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. 6 Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
No enemy, no matter how large or in charge they appear will be any match for our God. We don’t put our faith in our skill, our intellect or anything we can acquire to try to protect ourselves, but our faith is in the name of the Lord our God, and He will deliver us.
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? Someone here today doesn’t see any way that your situation will work out. What you are facing is much bigger than you are. God says it is time to “Go!” It is time to advance. It is time to march in faith. If you will faith your way forward, God will rout your enemy.
Maybe today you need to ask God to show you who He has placed in your life that you can seek wisdom and counsel from. Maybe someone has already been speaking the Word of God over you, but you have resisted receiving it and resisted being shaped by it and resisted submitting to it. Allowing God to use other people to speak into your life doesn’t put you in a position of weakness but moves you to a place of strength.
I’m guessing Barak was a person of physical strength, but even the strongest person, even the smartest person quickly comes to the end of themselves. People of faith are the ones who know that God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble, and they put all of the weight of their faith on Him!
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