|
Deborah and Barak ~ A Team United ~ Judges 4:1-5:31 Jennifer Lynn Joy © October 2005The Biblical text begins with an introduction describing the oppression of Israel under the Canaanite’s following the death of Ehud. The Lord God sold them into the hand of Jabin King of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of the army was General Sisera who had nine hundred iron chariots and he oppressed the families of Israel severely for twenty years (Judges 4:1-4). The Lord established, Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, a prophetess as judge over Israel at the time. Let’s take a moment to look more fully at the word – Deborah. To bring greater discernment and clarity to Scriptures, often the definition of a particular word in the original language will highlight an overlooked or unknown concept, idea, perspective or thought. Strong’s defines prophetess as one who “sings or speaks by inspiration in prediction or simple discourse, a poetess, an inspired woman” (75) and the word Deborah is from the Hebrew root word “to speak, to subdue – answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, talk, tell, think, use entreaties and utter” (29). It seems evident that her name was chosen prophetically, as it was a reflection of the call of God upon her life. Let’s read of the account in Judges 4:5-7: 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. Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Albinism from Kedeh-naphtali, and said to him, ‘Behold, the LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 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’ (NAS: Judges 4:5-7). Interestingly, Strong’s defines the Hebrew word ‘Barak’ in the following light, “to lighten, lightening, a flashing sword, bright, glittering” (24). The names Deborah and Barak speak prophetically of their calling and anointing by Yahweh for this season in history, as the LORD God continued to bring forth HIS purposes and will through His chosen ones. The key is that God is sovereign, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is absolutely nothing like the pagan gods. Even though the Israelites compare Him to the pagan gods, truly there is no comparison. Continuing our narrative in Judges 4:8-10: 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.’ And 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 the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.’ Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him (NAS: Judges 4:8-10). It seems like the kindness of the Holy Spirit to provide Deborah with the details of the victory in advance, so that she and Barak would be in unity from the beginning. Hervey notes the following important mandate: “They who undertake to advocate difficult tasks should be willing to share the responsibility of the execution of them” (Spence 43). The point being that often there are those who have great ideas, as long as someone else is willing to do the labor: go to the mission field, paint the inside of the church, host a fund raiser, provide a home for a family to stay with, feed the homeless or set up the sound system. It is great to inspire others as long as one is willing to participate in the labor – such as Deborah being willing to go into battle with Barak. Secondly, Hervey writes, “In the battle of life, a great variety of service is required for final success” (Spence 43). Deborah was not positioned to lead the army, but she was prepared to inspire it. Barak could not inspire but he could lead. This was not about their age, gender, marital relationship or knowledge. It was about complete obedience to the LORD and each giving his or her portion fully as service to the LORD God. There was work for the prophetess prayer warrior and work for the Leader of the Military Troops – in unity they were victorious. Continuing in our story – verses 14 through 16. And Deborah said to Barak, ‘Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold the LORD has gone out before you.’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harasheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left! (NAS: Judges 4:14-16). The victory was huge! Ryrie makes the following comments regarding the chariots: “According to 5:21, the LORD sent rain, which flooded the stream and valley, neutralizing the chariots. Amazingly, a similar thing happened when Napoleon defeated the Turks in the same place A.D. 1799” (371). The victory of the LORD GOD is the victory of the LORD GOD however and whenever He wants to bring it forth. All of the Glory belongs to Him! One of the keys in obedience to the LORD is to do the portion the LORD has given to you – nothing more, nothing less. Especially when the assignment is not the most glamorous and does not bring in all the accolades or any financial support. Barak’s portion was to destroy the army of the Canaanite’s. He could have easily been distracted by his own male ego and chased after Sisera, yet he stayed true to the course the Holy Spirit set before him, and a great victory resulted. He fully lived up to the meaning of his name – ‘a glittering, lightning sword’! Another familiar Scripture that reiterates this principle is First Corinthians 3:6-9. Paul was exhorting the church at Corinth regarding their unity, diversity of roles and the harvesting of souls - their victory in Christ JESUS! I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field, God’s building (NAS: I Corinthians 3:6-9). The principles of working together for the common goal of obedience unto the LORD GOD, experiencing victory through the power of God and honoring GOD in all things is an interwoven thread throughout Israel’s history. Let’s join Jael in verse 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. 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. And 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 (NAS: Judges 4:17-19). To keep the picture in one’s mind of what a ‘bottle of milk’ looked liked, according to Freeman during this time in history it would have been “made of animal skin” (344). In the 18th verse, the word ‘rug’ is also exchanged for ‘mantle’, but not the type of mantle worn for prayer, or cloak for travel. It was a heavy piece of fabric used like a blanket or sitting cloth (Dake 270). One more notable historical custom is that women pitched the tents, so the tent peg and mallet was easily available (Ryrie 371). These are just a couple of examples regarding the customs and manners during this time in history. Additionally, Dake make’s note regarding the tent of Jael: He preferred the woman’s tent to that of Heber, because of secrecy and supposed safety there. According to Eastern custom, no man was permitted to intrude in a woman’s tent or the apartment’s of women: to do so meant the death penalty. Thus, Sisera was brought under the death penalty, and it was permitted of God to fulfill the prophecy of verse 9, Jael by the will of God. (270) This explains why Jael said to Sisera, “Do not be afraid!” in verse eighteen. Sisera made the choice trusting Jael, over the law of the land. And Jael, knowing the law of the land, knew that it was not a criminal act for her to take Sisera’s life, because he came into her tent, not into the tent of her husband, which was close by. It is hard to imagine her bravery and courage at such a traumatic time. It seems a bit ironical that the tent peg, which is used for enlarging a tent space, hence a territory, was used to destroy the enemy in the tent. As a personal application, often when the LORD GOD desires to enlarge our tent pegs, extend or expand our spiritual sphere of influence for HIS Glory, it requires the enemy be annihilated within our camp, hence, our personal territory. The habits, attitudes, fears, anxieties, insecurities and doubts must be brought to HIS temple and sacrificed on the altar… laid at the foot of the Cross of JESUS. It is essential to recognize that HIS work on the Cross of Calvary was completed, and that HE rose again. To move forward in our faithful relationship with JESUS CHRIST, we must exchange our ‘temple thoughts’ for HIS temple thoughts. The following Scripture is one of the many examples throughout the Bible that demonstrates the Holiness of God and the possession of HIS people. “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for HIS own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). It is imperative to enter HIS courts, HIS temple, HIS presence - the Holy of Holies, with clean hands and a pure heart through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ; and to enter HIS courts with praise (Psalm 100). It might be beneficial to realize that often what destroys the enemy is the same tool/weapon that enlarges our tent pegs: Weapons such as faith, love, salvation, peace, integrity, honesty, holiness, purity, courage, boldness, patience, kindness, long-suffering, humility, obedience and discernment (see Ephesians 6, Galatians 5:21-23 and I Chronicles 4:10). Deborah and Barak were not married but were united by the Holy Spirit in a military battle with the anointing and power of the Most High God. Each held a strategic leadership position within Israel and each had a vital function in attaining the victory. There was not time for jealously or gender discrimination. Deborah was given the tasks of prophesying, inspiring, encouraging and coming along side. Barak was given the tasks of honoring Deborah and taking out the army with thousands of volunteer soldiers. Jael was given the task of annihilating Sisera, in the privacy of her tent. This was GOD’s strategic military plan and the victory was dependent on each person completing his or her assignment, in obedience to HIS will and purpose. The Victory was celebrated with a Ballad. The following is the beginning and the end of the Song recorded in Judges 5. Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, ‘That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the Lord! Hear, O kings; give ear O rulers! I – to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the GOD of Israel’ (Judges 5:1-3). Thus let all Thine enemies perish O LORD; But let those who love HIM be like the rising of the sun in its might.’ And the land was undisturbed for forty years (Judges 5:31). In closing, the testimony of Deborah and Barak speak strongly about unity among the tribes and obedience to the LORD GOD. Those two acts: obedience and unity brought forth the destiny, blessings and purposes of GOD’s Covenant and gave place for the power of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY to be demonstrated. The result was GOD and HIS people celebrated the Victory. To have the same in our lives, we must do the same – walk in unity regarding God’s plan and walk in obedience to every thing HE has asked us to do, without hesitation. The result will be the same: GOD and HIS people will celebrate the Victory of HIS magnificent power demonstrated on earth. Works Cited Dake, Finis Jennings. Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, 1998. Freeman, James M. Manners & Customs of the Bible. New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1996. Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. The Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Translation. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute, 1978. Spence, H.D.M and Joseph S. Exell. The Pulpit Commentary, Volume 3, Deuteronomy, Joshua and Judges. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1950. Stedman, Ray. “Judges: The Panorama of Defeat.” Discovery Publishing. Blue Letter Bible. 01 Mar 1996. <http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/ray_stedman/adv/adv_jdg.html>. Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Permission is given to print the Teaching Notes for personal study or sharing with family, friends and/or prayer groups so long as the contents remain unaltered. Any other use of the articles or materials would require written permission. © 2001-2006 - All Rights Reserved.
|
