At the Hands of A Woman

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As it is still Women’s History Month, we’re going to talk about another great woman of the Bible. Turn with me to the Old Testament book of Judges.

Judges 4:4-10, 21NLT - 4 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. 6 One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. 7 And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” 8 Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” 9 “Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.

21 But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died.

As I researched this message going back to the first chapter of Judges, there was a lot happening.

Joshua, the one who took leadership after Moses, the one who challenged the Children of Israel saying, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” and they all agreed they would serve the Lord.

They all agreed, but when Joshua died after leading them into the land God had promised them, they failed to do what they had been instructed to do, they failed to keep their promise.

They were to completely drive out the inhabitants of the land; But they didn’t and

• some of them ended up living among them,

• some of them enslaved the inhabitants,

• while some of them were enslaved by the inhabitants.

• They intermingled and intermarried and began to worship false gods.

In a word, it was a mess.

When you don’t follow God’s instructions completely, when you fail to complete a task as instructed, you end up with a mess. Have you ever been cleaning and stopped before you had completed the job? It looked worse than it did before you started.

When God gives you a task you must complete the task as He has instructed or you will end up with a big mess.

The Children of Israel had developed a pattern of turning away from the God of their ancestors and following the false gods of the people of the land. They would be oppressed, cry out to God for help and He would deliver them. During this time, the people he used to lead them and get them back in line, were called judges.

As people did then and still do, the judge would die, the people would fall right back into a backslidden condition, become oppressed, cry out to God and he would send another judge to rescue them.

At the time of this message, the Israelites had been ruthlessly oppressed for 20 years by a Canaanite King named Jabin. The commander of Jabin’s army was Sisera.

Now the people have once again called out to God to rescue them and the judge and leader God sends is Deborah. God called a woman.

The title of today’s message is, “At the Hands of a Woman.”

Deborah was a prophetess. She received messages directly from God and relayed what thus sayeth the Lord to His people. She was also a judge. Deborah was the only woman in their history to be both prophet and judge, there were only two others who had this honor, Moses and Samuel. And she was the only woman of the twelve judges of the Children of Israel.

Her office was outside under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, which was a central spot north of Jerusalem. This is where the people would come to arbitrate their conflicts.

But the biggest conflict going on at the time was that of the oppression they were suffering at the hands of the Canaanites. God has once again heard the cries of his people and help is on the way.

Deborah sends for Barak, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali to deliver a message from the Lord.

The message was, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.”

That was a pretty clear message. She clearly told him who the message was from. There were many gods being worshipped in the area at this time. So there would be no mistaking who this was speaking, Deborah made certain he knew this message was from “the Lord, the God of Israel”.

• She told him what he was to do.

Call out 10,000 warriors. God had given a specific number and it would be enough.

• She told him who to call.

From the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. He had given men who would not be afraid to go out and fight.

• She gave him more information on what was going to happen.

God said he would call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army. Now Jabin was a mean, scary dude. The text said he was ruthless. He had 900 iron chariots and a huge army at his disposal.

You have to keep in mind, at this time the weapons were swords, bows and arrows, and spears. These were not very effective against iron chariots.

But 900 iron chariots against 10,000 men sent by God, I’ll take those odds.

• She gave him the where.

They were to meet at the Kishon River.

• And finally she gave him the outcome.

There I will give you victory over him.

Now how easy would it be for you to go, if you were given this much information and guaranteed victory?

Yet, Barak’s reply was, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” To put things in perspective, Barak was a general, while Deborah was the commander-in-chief.

He had been guaranteed the victory, but still wanted more assurance and Deborah agreed to go, but there was a caveat to her going.

When generals went to war and were victorious in battle they received great honor and accolades, but in this battle, because Barak insisted, in fact said he would only go if Deborah went with him there would still be victory, but she had this message for him. “Very well, I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.”

God will use those who are willing to go, who are willing to be obedient, who are willing to serve. God does not choose according to gender, age, or title. Will you trust God? Do you have the faith to believe he will do what he said he would do?

Nevertheless, Deborah, being a leader who would not send someone where she herself was not willing to go, went with Barak to Kadesh. He called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali and gathered 10,000 warriors who went with him to fight.

Barak was obedient. He did what God told him to do, the way he told him to do it. At the appointed time, Deborah said to him, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” Deborah reassured Barak once again, that the Lord was with him.

Even when you know you’ve done what God told you to do, the way he told you to do it, when he told you to do it… it feels good to have that confirmation sometimes, and Deborah gave him that confirmation.

So when Deborah, Barak and his 10,000 warriors arrived for the battle, God had already started the fight. He had thrown Sisera with all his iron chariots and his warriors into a panic.

If you’ve never been in a battle, I can tell you, you cannot win when there’s panic. Panic causes confusion. Confusion causes fear and fear causes death in battle; that was indeed the case in this battle.

The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 that God is not the author of confusion. He’s saying that in the context of order in the church. I tell you that because in this instance, God was the author of confusion for Sisera’s army.

It was God who put them in a panic. He put them in a panic so it would be easier for Barak and his warriors to have victory in the battle and victory is what they achieved.

They took out every one of Sisera’s warriors, not one was left alive. In a war you can kill every warrior on the battlefield, but if the general still lives, unless they surrender, the battle is not over, because they as a leader can raise up another army to fight another day. You must take the head of the snake to kill it.

But like a rat abandoning a sinking ship, when Sisera sees what’s happening he deserts his post and his people and runs to what he thought would be a safe place.

You have to be careful where and who you run to for help. Those you think are your friends, just may be your foe.

Jael, a Kenite woman, invites Sisera into her tent, assuring him it was a safe place.

You have to be careful, ask God for a spirit of discernment about who to trust.

Sisera was tired, he was scared, and he was thirsty, so he asked for some water, but she gave him milk instead.

What was the significance of that? How many have ever given or heard of parents giving their children warm milk to help them sleep? It has been proven that warm milk contains a chemical called tryptophan which relaxes the body, helping you to sleep.

Now, do you remember that because Barak insisted Deborah go with him, she told him he would receive no honor in this venture?

• Even though he followed the instructions he was given.

• Even though he and his warriors fought a great battle, killing every one of Sisera’s warriors…

He would not get the honor for the venture, the Lord’s victory over Sisera would be at the hands of a woman.

In a message by the late Dr. Myles Monroe, he talks about women being multipliers. And I quote,

“A female is designed by God to receive. And whatever she receives, she incubates, multiplies it and gives it back to the male. She was built to do that. So whatever you give a woman, she’ll receive it, multiply it, and give it back to you. Whatever you give a woman, she’ll never give you back… what you gave her, she’ll multiply it first she’s designed that way.

If you give a woman a sperm, you’ll never get a sperm back, she’ll multiply it and give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll multiply it and give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. If you give her frustration, she’ll multiply it…” end quote

The woman who would be given the credit for the victory was not Deborah, God gave Jael, Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army. What was her multiplication formula?

Jael was very reassuring…

• She invited Sisera into her tent.

• She made him feel safe.

• She covered him with a blanket.

• She gave him milk to quench his thirst and relax him.

• What she didn’t do was agree to lie when he told her if asked if there was anyone in her tent to say no.

• And when he fell asleep from exhaustion she went in with a hammer and tent peg and drove it through his temple and into the ground. She nailed him to the ground and killed him.

Barak came looking for Sisera and Jael went out to meet him to bring him to her tent and show him who he was looking for. From that day forward the Children of Israel got stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.

God gave Jael, Sisera and she gave Barak the victory over their oppressors. What has you oppressed today? Is it a person, is it a situation, is it sin?

I’m here to let you know this morning, whatever your circumstance, God has given you the victory over it. Whatever your problem, whatever your addiction, God has gone before you and put your enemy in a panic.

Those who would dare to come against you are no longer your problem, even if the one who is trying to come against you is you. How many know you are sometimes your own worst enemy?

No one knows what you’ve done, like you. Oh others have seen you, others will remind you, but there is no one who will run the reel of your mistakes and missteps like Satan will on the screen that is your mind.

God is saying change the channel. Change it to the one where David says sometimes you have to encourage yourself.

Sometimes you have to tell yourself

• I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

• I am chosen by You, my Father.

• I am holy and without blame.

• I am Your child according to the good pleasure of Your will.

• I am accepted in the Beloved.

• I am redeemed through the blood of Jesus.

• I am a person of wisdom and prudence.

• I am an heir.

• I am saved by Your grace.

• I am seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

• I am your workmanship.

• I am a new creation.

• I am strengthened with might by Your spirit.

• I allow Christ to dwell in my heart by faith.

• I am rooted and grounded in love.

• I speak the truth in love.

• I am renewed in the spirit of my mind.

• I am filled with the Spirit.

• I am more than a conqueror.

• I am an overcomer.

• I am healed

• I am free.

• I am salt.

• I am light.

• I am consecrated.

• I am sanctified.

• I am victorious.

• I am a child of the almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of Lords

Sometimes you have to remember Jesus came to give his life just for you.

On this Palm Sunday, when Jesus began his final journey to the cross, his whole reason for coming. He began that journey on a lowly donkey, not the white stallion of a warrior and the expected Savior.

Jesus knew his mission and he knew the method by which it would be carried out…yet he came anyway.

• He knew he’d be betrayed with a kiss—yet he came anyway.

• He knew the pain he would suffer—yet he came anyway.

• He knew the shame of the cross—yet he came anyway.

• He knew they’d lie—yet he came anyway.

• He knew they’d beat him all night long—yet he came anyway.

• He knew they’d make him carry his own cross when he was too weak to do it—yet he came anyway.

• He knew they’d drive nails through his hands—yet he came anyway.

• He knew they’d drive nails through his feet—yet he came anyway.

• He knew they’d pierce him in his side—yet he came anyway.

• He knew everything that would happen—yet he came anyway.

He came because he knew we needed a Savior. But he also knew that when they lifted up on that cross… something miraculous was going to happen.

Jesus said, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

• They thought they were making a spectacle of him—but it was all part of the plan.

• They thought they were killing the promise—but it was all part of the plan.

• They thought they were dashing the hopes of the Jews—but it was all part of the plan.

When the enemy comes against you, just remember God has a plan for your life. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.”

Remember “… that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

On this Palm Sunday which is the beginning of Holy Week, remember God has a plan and a purpose for your life and it begins with you turning your life over to him. His plan is perfect and so much better than anything you may desire or think.

All you have to do is ask him. All it takes is a prayer

God I confess I’m a sinner, please forgive me. Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and you are God. I believe you came and died for my sins. I ask you now to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. In your name I pray. Amen

If you prayed that prayer for the first time, congratulations and welcome to the family of Christ. Please contact us and let us know so we can pray with and for you.