Judges 4

Judges 4:1

D. Deborah and Barak (Chaps. 4, 5)

1. Their Story in Prose (Chap. 4)4:1-3 The next oppressor was Jabin, king of the Canaanite stronghold of Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera. With his boasted nine hundred chariots of war he held the Israelites under his domination for twenty years. 4:4-9 God did not raise up a man this time. He raised up a member of the “weaker sex,” a prophetess named Deborah. (It is not the norm for a woman to occupy such a place of spiritual authority, but this was a time of declension. She should not be used as an example of the woman’s role in the church today, since she is the exception and not the rule. Also, this was Israel, not the church.) Deborah commissioned Barak to go north and attack Sisera’s forces, but he refused to go unless she accompanied him. Because of his reluctance to lead he was told that the victory over Sisera would be given to a woman rather than to him. 4:10-16 Deborah took the initiative in calling Barak and ordering him to engage Sisera in battle, as the Lord had commanded. But Barak, not Deborah, is commended for his faith in Heb_11:32. Though somewhat hesitant at first, he obeyed the Lord by faith and delivered Israel. (According to the NIV, Hobab in verse 11 should be listed as the “brother-in-law of Moses,” not father-in-law, as in the NKJV.) Barak openly showed his force of 10,000 on the southern slopes of Mount Tabor. Sisera rose to the bait. He and his chariots crossed the dry Kishon riverbed at the ford just south of Harosheth. They raced southeast along the ancient highway toward Taanach. Israelites from the south, from Ephraim, entered the valley at Jenin (Jdg_5:14) and joined forces with Barak and his northern troops in the valley below Taanach, south of the Kishon. Deborah called for the attack (14).

Footmen against chariots! At the critical moment rain fell, turning the plain into mire, utterly confounding the chariots and horses (Jdg_5:4). The advantage was now fully with the infantry. . . . Barak pressed the attack. Sisera was separated from his men and fled. The leaderless troops, not used to fighting on foot, ran for their base.

The rains continued and the Kishon rose to a torrent. Those who were not slain by the Israelites in pursuit were swept away by the Kishon as they tried to cross the ford to Harosheth . . . [vv. 10-16; cf. Jdg_5:20, 21]. Daily Notes of the Scripture Union. 4:17-24 Seeking refuge in the tent of Jael, a Kenite, Sisera was given food and lodging. While he slept, Jael hammered a tent peg . . . into his temple. As Barak passed by in pursuit, Jael invited him in to see the corpse of his enemy. Thus was Deborah’s prophecy of verse 9 fulfilled. God used a mere honeybee (Deborah) to cast down human reason (Jabin), when it exalted itself against the knowledge of God. The judgment came upon the foe like lightning (Barak). Jael (climber) used a tent peg (the witness of her pilgrim life) to bring down the pretensions of the mighty. The hammer speaks of the Word (Jer_23:29).