Learning from Deborah and Barak

Intro

Story about my dad hitting his thumb with a hammer.

As we talked about a few weeks ago, the book of Judges tells about how God’s people kept going through the same cycle over and over again:

They rejected God, experienced tragedy and struggle, cried out, and God would rescue them by sending Judges.

Just like my dad though, they would go back to the same struggles and end up hurting themselves again.

That our chapter starts out today.

Judges 4:1 CSB

1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died.

Notice the word “Again”

It is used over and over in the book of Judges because the people of God continually fall into the same cycle of evil.

The word “evil” here isn’t like horror movie evil, it is really rebellion, following a path against God.

Like us, they loved the blessings of God, but were so easily drawn away from His ways when something else caught their eyes or it became hard to follow Him.

You know what I mean:

When you promise yourself and/or God that you won’t do something every again, only to find yourself heading down the same path just a few days later.

When you keep returning to the same destructive relationships over and over again, ignoring how it is hurting you and others.

Or when, in a desire to fit in, you give in to the pressure to do something you know doesn’t reflect your faith in Jesus.

We know what the author means by the word “AGAIN” don’t we.

How do we break out of AGAIN?

That is the question I want to answer tonight.

Because the people of God had really gotten themselves in quite a big predicament with this “AGAIN”

Judges 4:3 CSB

3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them twenty years.

They were pretty hopeless and helpless.

So God calls and raises up a strong and humble woman named Deborah.

It is interesting what happens in Chapter 4.

It seems to me that it really is a comparison between 2 people: Deborah who was the prophetess and judge, and Barak who was the military leader.

This is my conjecture (hypothesis), but I think Deborah was filling the position Barak was supposed to fill.

I want to make the case that Barak represents the reason why the people of Israel continually struggled to follow God and kept falling into the cycle of sin.

I want to make the case that we are represented in Barak and that we ought to aspire to be like Deborah.

Why we are caught in the Cycle

We actually meet Barak after Deborah and we learn really quickly one thing about him:

1) He was apathetic and lazy

Judges 4:6–7 CSB

6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites? 7 Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’ ”

Deborah had to call for Barak and have him come to where the fighting was happening.

She had to remind him of what God had said and what he was called by God to do.

Why wasn’t he there, where Deborah was and where the fighting was happening? Wasn’t he the general?

Why wasn’t he leading the military in the battle against this army who had oppressed them for 20 years?

Why did Deborah have to remind him what God had said?

Seeing Our struggle

The reason we continually fall into the cycle of sin and struggle is that we become apathetic and lazy in our walk with Jesus.

We go through the motions, say the right words, but we aren’t really in the battle and aren’t really following the word of God.

Often times, we are REALLY distracted by all kinds of things.

School, sports, friends, entertainment, relationships, and SO many more things.

It seems that Barak was off somewhere else, focusing on things of little importance and ignoring the things he should have been focusing on.

Deborah on the other hand, she was present and engaged.

Judges 4:4–5 CSB

4 Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to settle disputes.

If we are going to break the cycle, we must be present and engaged.

2) He was Passive and Cowardly

When Deborah reminds him of his job and God’s calling he says this:

Judges 4:8 CSB

8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

No offense ladies, but FOR REAL BRO!

He asked a woman to go with him to battle when it was CLEARLY HIS responsibility?!?

Seeing Our Struggle

The reason we struggle to break the cycle in our lives is that we are afraid of following because of what’s at stake.

Romans 1:16–17 CSB

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Are you ashamed of the Gospel? Are you ashamed of following Jesus.

You might say no here, but what about around certain groups of friends or while you are in certain environments?

Are you more concerned with being accepted by others or fitting in than you are what God calls you to?

Deborah wasn’t afraid, she was bold, confident, and courageous.

Judges 4:9 CSB

9 “I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Courage doesn’t mean we do stupid things or attention seeking things, but that we are not afraid to live out the good ways of Jesus even when others might laugh at us or reject us.

3) He was Indifferent and Aloof

Even after they win the battle, though not necessarily because of him, Barak, though listed, doesn’t seem to be the one singing in Chapter 5.

Judges 5:1 CSB

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang:

Deborah is the one who gives glory to God and praises Jael for her role in winning the battle.

Barak seems to be aloof

Does he see how amazing God is? How incredible this victory was?

Seeing Our Struggle

The final reason we struggle to break the cycle of that we are indifferent to the power of God and aloof to the blessings He gives us in our lives.

Praise is a cure for apathy and indifference.

Seeing and acknowledging all the ways God works in us and around us gives us the opportunity to praise Him and grow our hearts to desire to follow Him more closely.

Deborah understood this, she was humble, selfless, and gracious.

She didn’t take God’s power, presence, and gift for granted, but praised Him for how He provided for her and Israel.

We are prone to expect things from God rather than humble and thankful for how He provides for us.

We struggle to break the cycle of sin because we think we know the gospel and believe God will just keep on forgiving us.

But that isn’t how we are supposed to live.

Romans 6:1–2 CSB

1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

God calls us to humility, courage, boldness, and graciousness. That is how we will break the cycle.