Judges 4-5

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A month ago we left off in chapter 3 of Judges

Ehud had defeated Eglon and judged Israel for 80 years

After Ehud dies Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord

Seeing the continual drift to disobedience makes one less and less confident of man but more and more impressed with the mercy and grace of God.

Though Israel kept forsaking Him, He kept working with them.

“The sedentary life is most subject to diseases: standing waters soon putrify. Trapp

It is hard and happy not to grow worse with liberty.”

God loved Israel too much to let them go their own way.

There may be times when we wish God would leave us alone; yet we are ultimately thankful for His continued dealing with us, even when it isn’t comfortable.

Even when God deals with one in this way, it still may take a good while until they turn their heart to Him in repentance. It took Israel twenty years of bondage before they cried out to the LORD

God can, and will, use anything to get our attention and keep us in line with His will.

Read Judges 4:1-7

I. Israel Strays Again vs. 1-3

vs. 1 Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord

For eighty years, the Jews had enjoyed rest because of the leadership of Ehud, the longest period of peace recorded in the Book of Judges.

But no sooner was this godly judge removed than the people lapsed back into idolatry, and God had to punish them

When Ehud removed the idols and commanded the people to worship only Jehovah, they obeyed him; but when that constraint was removed, the people obeyed their own desires.

The nation of Israel was like the man in Jesus’ parable who got rid of one demon, cleaned house, and then ended up with seven worse demons

Matthew 12:43–45 ESV

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

The empty heart is prey to every form of evil.

vs. 2 Sells them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan

Jabin is the key perso, for God raised him up to discipline the people of Israel.

His military commander was Sisera

He had 900 chariots of Iron

This means he was securely in control of his territory and had a large army

He oppressed Israel for 20 years

Canaan was made up of a number of city-states, each of which was ruled by a king

“Jabin” was the official title or name of the King of Hazor

He was also called “King of Canaan.” This title probably means that he was the head of a confederacy of kings.

As you read the narrative, however, you get the impression that Sisera, captain of Jabin’s army, was the real power in the land.

vs. 3 Israel cries out to the Lord

The people of Israel cried out to God, not to forgive their sins but to relieve their suffering.

Had they truly repented, God would have done much more than deliver them from physical slavery.

He would have liberated them from their spiritual bondage as well.

To ask God for comfort and not cleansing is only to sow seeds of selfishness that will eventually produce another bitter harvest.

Psalm 51:10 ESV

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

II. Deborah the judge vs. 4-7

vs. 4-5 Deborah as Judge

God had raised up a courageous woman named Deborah to be the judge in the land.

This was an act of grace, but it was also an act of humiliation for the Jews;

They lived in a male-dominated society that wanted only mature male leadership.

For God to give His people a woman judge was to treat them like little children, which is exactly what they were when it came to spiritual things

Deborah was both a judge and a prophetess.

Some consider it unexpected for God to raise up a woman as prophetess.

The Bible tells us of several other prophetesses:

Miriam (Exodus 15:20),

Huldah (2 Kings 22:14),

Anna (Luke 2:36)

Philip’s four daughters (Acts 21:8-9).

But the New Testament makes it clear that God grants the gift of prophecy unto women also, and they are to practice it appropriately

1 Corinthians 11:5 ESV

but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.

The head covering symbolizes that the woman is under the authority of a man and church leadership

Head coverings were worn by ALL women who weren’t prostitutes in Paul’s time

God called Deborah a prophetess and a judge, but she saw herself as a mother to her people

Judges 5:7 ESV

The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.

The wayward Jews were her children, and she welcomed them and counseled them

vs. 6-7 God’s Command to fight Sisera

God called Barak to lead Israel’s armies against Sisera

Barak was from Naphtali, one of the tribes that would send volunteers to the battlefield

God revealed to Deborah that Barak (“lightning”) was to assemble and lead the Israelite army and draw Sisera’s troops into a trap near Mount Tabor; and there the Lord would defeat them.

Deborah simply confirmed something that the LORD had already spoken to Barak.

God often brings confirmation when He speaks to us, especially if what we believe He wants us to do will affect other people.

Mount Tabor lies at the juncture of Zebulun, Naphtali, and Issachar, not far from the Kishon River.

If Barak would lead the Israelite army toward Mount Tabor, God would draw Sisera and his troops toward the Kishon River, where God would give Barak the victory.

When God wants to glorify Himself through His people, He always has a perfect plan for us to follow.

God chose the leader of His army, the place for the battle, and the plan for His army to follow.

God also guaranteed the victory. It was like the “good old days” of Joshua again!

III. Barak’s Cowardice vs. 8-10

vs. 8 Barak will not go without Deborah

Like Moses before him (Ex. 3–4), and Gideon (Jdg. 6) and Jeremiah (Jer. 1) after him, Barak hesitated when told what God wanted him to do.

We know that “God’s commandments are God’s enablements” and that we should obey His will in spite of circumstances, feelings, or consequences. But we don’t always do it!

“Barak preferred the inspiration of Deborah’s presence to the invisible but certain help of Almighty God…He is mentioned in Hebrews 11 as one of the heroes of faith; but his faith lay rather in Deborah’s influence with God than in his own.

Thus he missed the crown of that great day of victory.”

vs. 9 No glory for Barak

Was Barak’s response an evidence of unbelief or a mark of humility?

The fact that Deborah agreed to accompany Barak suggests that his request wasn’t out of God’s will, although in granting it, God took the honor from the men and gave it to the women

Barak enlisted 10,000 men from his own tribe of Naphtali and the neighboring tribe of Zebulun (Jdg. 4:6, 10; 5:14, 18).

Later, volunteers from the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh west (v. 14), and Issachar (v. 15), joined these men, and the army grew to 40,000 men (v. 8).

It’s possible that the original 10,000 soldiers initiated the campaign that lured Sisera into the trap, and then the other 30,000 joined them for the actual battle and “mopping up” operation.

When you consider that weapons were scarce in Israel (5:8; 1 Sam. 13:19–22) and that there was no effective standing army, what Deborah and Barak did was indeed an act of faith.

But God had promised to give them victory, and they were depending on His promise

IV. Sisera Falls vs. 11-23

vs. 11 Heber, relative of Moses

Heber was a descendant of Moses’ father-in-law

He had separated from his tribe and settled near Kedesh

He was not loyal to Israel even though there were family ties

It is suggested that he is the one who tells Sisera of the army of Israel

He was friendly with Jabin and lived near the battle

It seems strange that Heber the Kenite would separate himself from his people, who worshiped Jehovah, and be friendly with idolatrous tyrants like Jabin and Sisera

The Kenites seem to be attached to the tribe of Judah (1:16); but the men of Judah weren’t among the volunteers in Barak’s army.

Remember that all of this was used in God’s plan

He called out Israel and worked thru the players to accomplish His plan

vs. 12-16 Sisera calls out chariots

The Canaanites depended on their 900 iron chariots to give them the advantage they needed as they met the Jewish army

What they didn’t know was that the Lord would send a fierce rainstorm that would make the Kishon River overflow and turn the battlefield into a sea of mud

Judges 5:20–22 ESV

From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. The torrent Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might! “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.

The water and mud would severely impede the mobility of the Canaanite chariots and horses, and this situation would make it easy for the Israelite soldiers to attack and slaughter the enemy.

One thing that helped to confuse and frighten the Canaanites was the sudden appearance of torrential rain during the traditional dry season.

Since Sisera wouldn’t have taken his chariots to the fields if he had suspected any kind of bad weather, we can safely assume that this battle was fought during the June-to-September dry season.

When you remember that the Canaanite god Baal was the god of storms, you can see how the sudden change of weather could have affected the superstitious Canaanites.

Had their own god Baal turned against them? Was the God of Israel stronger than Baal? If so, then the battle was already lost, and the wisest thing the soldiers could do was flee

The trap worked, and the enemy army was wiped out.

Along with the storm from the heavens and the flood from the swollen river, God sent confusion in the minds of the enemy troops.

The word translated “routed” (4:15, NKJV) means “confused, thrown into panic.”

This is what God had done to Pharaoh’s charioteers in the Red Sea (Ex. 14:24) and would later do to the Philistines in Samuel’s day

vs. 17 Sisera flees to Heber

Because the chariots had been rendered ineffective because of the mud Sisera had to flee on foot

He flees to a friendly neighbor, the Kenites

The wife of Heber, Jael, was there

She comes out to meet Sisera

God promised that a woman would defeat Sisera (Judges 4:9).

We would logically assume that this would be Deborah, but God had something else in mind.

He instead used the wife of a Kenite to accomplish Sisera’s end.

vs. 18-19 Jael assists Sisera

She instructs Sisera to turn aside into her tent

She proceeds to cover him with a rug to hide him from the Israelites

Because there was peace between the people of Sisera and the people of Jael, he had reason to believe he could trust Jael’s invitation.

In addition, “Any pursuer would hardly think to look in a woman’s tent for any man, let alone a weary fugitive, for this would be a breach of etiquette.”

vs. 20 Jael kills Sisera

The gory detail of this matter supports the idea that this was an eye-witness account.

Jael knew how to handle a tent-peg because it was customarily the job of women to set up the tents.

She struck the peg so hard that it went down into the ground.

tJael broke a fundamental principle of hospitality and many in the ancient world would think her a treacherous woman.

She broke her promise to Sisera and killed a man that her own husband had made peace with.

Yet God used even her treachery to accomplish His purpose.

Surely, Sisera deserved to die; he fought against God’s people on behalf of a leader who had harshly oppressed the people of Israel (Judges 4:3).

The lesson for us is important – God can make even the evil of man serve His purpose: Surely the wrath of man shall praise You

Psalm 76:10 ESV

Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.

Yet, that never diminishes the personal responsibility of the one doing the evil.

V. A Song of Celebration vs. 1-31

When they wanted to celebrate special occasions, the Jewish people often expressed themselves in song; so the writer shifts from narrative prose to jubilant poetry.

Future generations might forget what the history book said, but they were not likely to forget a festive song.

This song is commonly attributed only to Deborah; Barak’s role in the composition and perhaps performance of the song is often overlooked.

The personal pronouns in Judges 5:7, 9, and 13 indicate that this was Deborah’s victory song; but just as Barak joined her in the battle, so he joined her in the victory celebration.

This song is well within the tradition of other Jewish songs of deliverance and celebration, such as Miriam’s song (Exodus 15:20-21) and the songs celebrating David’s victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 18:7).

“Deborah was a poetess as well as a prophetess.”