SHIELD 240829 Judges 4-5

08/22/2024 ACCOUNTABILITY FOLLOW UP Judges 3: A: △: ▽: T:

08/22/24 Stephen E.: Judges 3:26 “Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the graven images and escaped to Seirah.” A: Ready to act… not waiting △: unknown ▽: termination trouble T: Cierra

08/15/24 John H.: Judges 2:2“and as for you, you shall cut no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not listened to My voice; what is this you have done?” A: Figure out what false gods are △: Do Bible Study and prayer ▽: Kids go down wrong path T: Kids boys/daughter

08/22/24 Lonnie L.: Judges 3:2 “however, God tested them in order that the generations of the sons of Israel would know war, by learning war, especially those who had not known it formerly).” A: Trying to take struggles to action △: This week a project ▽: Not developing T: Theo

08/22/24 Lyle L.: Judges 3:16–19“And Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak. Then he brought the tribute near to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. And it happened when he had finished bringing the tribute near, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back from the graven images which were at Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Keep silence.” And all who stood by him left him.” A: Continue in the faith through both good and bad times △: More involved in church - use spiritual gifts ▽: Straying from Christ T: Wife

08/22/24 Mark O.: Judges 3:23 “Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.” Judges 3:27“And it happened when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.” A: Dont celebrate before unbelievers… sound off before believers △: Be aware of who Im around ▽: Steal God’s glory T: Kids

08/22/24 Judges 3:21–22“Then Ehud sent forth his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.” A: Violently throw off bondage of sin △: Call a spade a spade ▽: Dont be complacent T: Children

08/15/24 Mike: Judges 3:1–2“Now these are the nations which Yahweh allowed to remain, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not known any of the wars of Canaan; however, God tested them in order that the generations of the sons of Israel would know war, by learning war, especially those who had not known it formerly).” A: Reach out to unbelievers △: Intermingle with unbelievers ▽: Then darkness will overtake T: Julie

07/25/24 Pastor Mac: James 5:9 | 9 Do not groan, brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. Action: Groan Grumbling | Change: Take every thought captive | Consequence: Inability to love others | Teach: Sons

7/11/2024 Christopher: James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Action: Draw nearer to God | Change: Wrestle with God | Consequence: Old me will return | Teach: Open ended

CONTEXT Judges 3

In Judges 3 we looked at 3 judges

Othniel vs Cushan-rishathaim in Mesopotamia to the far East around Iraq

Ehud vs Eglon in Moab on the Eastern Side of the Dead Sea

and briefly Shamgar vs the Philistines in the west on the Coast of Israel

TEXT ANALYSIS

I. Deborah Delivering the Divine Message

Judges 4:1–9 | 1 Then the sons of Israel again did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh. Now Ehud had died. 2 And Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh; for he had 900 iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 And she used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Then she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you 10,000 men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun? 7 ‘And I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’” 8 Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for Yahweh will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Takeaway: The priesthood no longer functions as the deliverer of the Lord’s judgments

II. Provoked to Pursue By The Prophetess

Judges 4:10–16 | 10 Then Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and 10,000 men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him. 11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. 12 Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera called together all his chariots, 900 iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day in which Yahweh has given Sisera into your hand; has not Yahweh gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And Yahweh threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his camp into confusion with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera came down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and all those in the camp as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the camp of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one remained.

Takeaway: The Lord was with Barak as demonstrated by the presence of Deborah

III. Deliverance At The Hands Of A Woman

Judges 4:17–24 | 17 Now Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and asks of you and says, ‘Is there a man here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’” 21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and placed a hammer in her hand and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. 22 Now behold, Barak was pursuing Sisera, and Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” And he entered with her, and behold, Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple. 23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. 24 And the hand of the sons of Israel went forth heavier and heavier against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had cut off Jabin the king of Canaan.

Takeaway: How the mighty have fallen | Finding a helpmate who will do what is right is rare, can it be cultivated?

IV. Singing the Song of Deliverance

Judges 5 | 1 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, 2 “When the leaders led in Israel, When the people volunteered, Bless Yahweh! 3 “Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! As for me, to Yahweh, I will sing; I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 4 “O Yahweh, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water. 5 “The mountains flowed at the presence of Yahweh, This Sinai, at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 6 “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the paths had ceased, So travelers went by roundabout paths. 7 “The peasantry ceased; they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel. 8 “God chose new leaders; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel. 9 “My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless Yahweh! 10 “You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road—muse aloud! 11 “At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates. 12 “Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam. 13 “Then survivors came down to the mighty ones; The people of Yahweh came down to me as warriors. 14 “From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of a scribe. 15 “And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There was great persistence of the heart. 16 “Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great probings of the heart. 17 “Gilead dwelt across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And dwelt by its landings. 18 “Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field. 19 “The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no gain of silver. 20 “The stars fought from heaven; From their courses they fought against Sisera. 21 “The river of Kishon swept them away, The ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength. 22 “Then the horses’ hoofs beat From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds. 23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of Yahweh, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants, Because they did not come to the help of Yahweh, To the help of Yahweh against the warriors.’ 24 “Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent. 25 “He asked for water, and she gave him milk; In a mighty bowl she brought him curds. 26 “She sent forth her hand for the tent peg, And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer. Then she beat Sisera; she smashed his head, And she crushed and pierced his temple. 27 “Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell violently devastated. 28 “Out of the window she looked and lamented, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?’ 29 “Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself, 30 ‘Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil? A maiden, two maidens for every mighty man; To Sisera a spoil of dyed work, A spoil of dyed work embroidered, Dyed work of double embroidery on the neck of the spoil?’ 31 “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Yahweh; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” And the land was quiet for forty years.

Takeaway: Is it not interesting that these poetic words don’t end like those of dwarves at the last stand against the orcs

"They have taken the Bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes... Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark... We cannot get out... They are coming."

What Does This Text Say About:

God: The Father, Son, Spirit | People: Believers/Unbelievers

My attitude or behavior - What is the Holy Spirit convicting me about

What is one change that I can make | What is a consequence of not making the change

Who can I teach?

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