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Scripture reading – Judges 4-5
A personal note from the author of A Heart of a Shepherd: Passages with difficult, unfamiliar, and hard-to-pronounce names may be taxing. Yet, I challenge you to persevere and allow the ancient names of men and places to serve as a reminder that God has preserved every word of His revelation for His purpose.
The names, though forgotten by man, are not forgotten by the LORD. The geographical locations may be undiscovered and buried under the sands of the ancient Middle East. Nonetheless, those were real places where historical events occurred. Agnostics and atheists have scoffed at historical events and places found only in the Scriptures. Still, archaeological excavations in the past two centuries have unearthed evidence that supports the Bible narrative as an accurate rendering of history. Forgotten by man but remembered by God.
Judges 4 – The Spiritual Cycle Continues: Sin, Servitude, Sorrow, and Salvation
With the death of Ehud [A-hud], the second judge of Israel (Judges 3:12-30), “the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 4:1). They continued the cycle of sin, servitude, sorrow, and salvation. Because Israel sinned against the LORD, He “sold them [children of Israel] into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor” (Judges 4:2). For twenty years, Israel suffered under the military rule of Sisera, captain of Jabin’s army, who commanded nine hundred chariots, not including foot soldiers (Judges 4:2-3).
When the LORD heard Israel’s cry,
He moved on the heart of “Deborah, a prophetess…[who] judged Israel at that time” (Judges 4:4). She “sent and called Barak…and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?” (Judges 4:6).
Deborah then prophesied that God had commanded Barak to muster ten thousand soldiers and promised to draw Sisera and his chariots “to the river Kishon,” where Barak would defeat them (Judges 4:6-7). Barak, however, was a reluctant leader. He would not rally Israel’s men of war without Deborah’s promise to go with him (Judges 4:8). Deborah agreed to Barak’s terms, but she warned he was sacrificing his honor, “for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman” (Judges 4:9).
Time and space prevent a thorough commentary on the battle between Barak’s ten thousand men who came out of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali (Judges 4:10) against Sisera’s army of nine hundred chariots (Judges 4:13). The LORD was with Israel, and Sisera’s army was thoroughly defeated (Judges 4:14-16). When he realized the battle was lost, Sisera fled the battlefield on foot and sought shelter in the “tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace [a covenant or treaty of peace] between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite [the Kenites were a nomadic people]” (Judges 4:17).
“Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle” (Judges 4:18).
The events that followed were graphic and fulfilled Deborah’s warning that “the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman” (Judges 4:9). Realizing Sisera and his army were defeated, Jael took advantage of his fatigue, and while he slept, she took a hammer, and drove a tent stake through his temple, killing him (Judges 4:19-21).
Barak, who pursued Sisera, came to Jael’s tent and learned his enemy was dead (Judges 4:22). On that day, “God subdued…the king of Canaan…and the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed…until they had destroyed Jabin, the king of Canaan” (Judges 4:23-24).
Judges 5 – A Song of Victory
Israel’s victory over Jabin, and the defeat of his captain Sisera, were celebrated in a song that praised the LORD for avenging Israel and memorialized how He had heard and answered the cry of His people (Judges 5:1-3).
Deborah’s song recalled Israel’s distresses (Judges 5:8-11) and recorded how the nation had turned from the LORD to idols. Without God’s blessings, Israel’s enemies had humiliated the people and disarmed them (Judges 5:8) so that they could not draw water from a well without fearing archers (5:11). At that time, there was no justice found at the gates of the city where judges held court.
Closing thoughts:
The balance of the song recalled how the LORD stirred Deborah to call upon Barak to rally the men of Israel (Judges 5:12-13). Some tribes responded to the call to arms (Judges 5:14-15a, 18). However, the disgraceful failure of other tribes was memorialized, for they had failed to go to war with their brethren (Judges 5:15b-17, 23).
The song concluded with a testament of praise to Jael and how she drove a stake through the temples of Sisera (Judges 5:24-26a) and “smote off his head” (Judges 5:26b). The LORD blessed Israel during Deborah’s rule as a judge, “and the land had rest forty years” (Judges 5:31).
Believer, we have observed a spiritual cycle in Israel: Sin leads to Servitude (slavery) and bears the bitter fruit of Sorrow until God’s people call upon the LORD for Salvation. That cycle will be seen in individuals, families, churches, schools, organizations, and nations.
Warning: When people and nations embrace moral depravity, they will become the servant of their enemy.
Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith
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