Chapters 4 and 5 of Judges are a real bright spot in a book that is mostly bleak and depressing. Not only do we see a great victory but it also features some real role reversals. This time it’s not the guys who shine, but the gals. We have a woman, Deborah, who is both a judge and a prophetess. I don’t think any of the other judges had both roles until Samuel. So we’ve got Deborah who leads, judges, prophecies, and sings and writes her own music! And then we’ve got Jael. This is one tough woman. She fools an army general - someone the entire nation was afraid of - into lying under a blanket, drink warm milk, and fall asleep. Then she decides she needs to shore up the tent and the guy happens to be in the way of her tent peg and "pow!" the general is dead the battle won.
These two chapters also have a lot to teach us when God calls us to "step up the plate" in dealing a death blow to the flesh - just how far are you willing to go?
Verses 1 - 3
The continual lapsing of Israel back into idolatry could be seen as the difference between religious reformation and spiritual awakening. The former is a temporary, outward change in appearance. The latter is a permanent, inward change in character.
Israel is sort of like the man Jesus described in Matthew 12 who had the demon exorcised and his home swept and in order, but not filled with anything else, so more demons came. Israel keeps going from bad to worse to worse still. Israel asked for physical deliverance, but not spiritual deliverance.
Jabin was king of Hazor, a city Joshua had burned in chapter 11 but the Canaanites had rebuilt. Being King of Canaan probably means he was head of a confederacy of nations. When we let the flesh remain in our lives, it is amazing how it will organize itself to rebel against the desires of the Spirit.
Verses 4 - 7
Deborah means "bee." God raised her up as a prophetess and a judge. This was humiliating to a male-dominated society in Israel. She saw herself as a mother to wayward children (5:7) and Israel needed a bit of humiliation!
Verses 8 - 10
Barak ("lightning") was a reluctant hero. Why did he hesitate and what did it mean? Was he calling God into question? It doesn’t seem like it. Perhaps he just recognized Deborah’s role in hearing from God so he thought it good that she should go along.
Verses 11 - 23
Notes on the battle: Heber the Kenite is a distant relative of Moses (1:16). He might have been trying to live a neutral existence between these two warring peoples but when Israel starts to move in battle, he goes to Sisera and gets him to fall right into Israel’s trap.
The battle was likely fought during the dry season from June to September because Sisera would never have taken his 900 chariots in battle in the rainy season. God brought torrential rains (5:20) which made Sisera’s chariots ineffective like when Pharaoh sent his chariots into the Red Sea.
It’s also interesting because Sisera’s god, Baal, is the god of storms. So it might well have put them into a panic thinking that their own god had turned against them.
Jael figured out that Sisera had lost when he asked her to lie and say he wasn’t there. She risked becoming an enemy of the winning army so she does away with him.
God had promised in verse 9 that a woman would take Sisera’s life.
Women in that culture put up and took down the tents so she would have been used to wielding a hammer.
Jael is not an innocent heroine her. She lied, broke treaties, promises, and committed murder. She killed God’s enemy for her own benefit, but did God’s will anyway.
Verse 24
This is cool. Israel has had a hard time pressing the victory. Towards the end of the war for Canaan tribe after tribe did not dislodge the Canaanites. Here at least they follow up the victory over Sisera and his army and finally get rid of the King who was causing them all the trouble.
I think for us the lesson is to not give up when you succeed in beginning to drive out the flesh, but press into the source. You might stop yourself from giving into food, let’s say, but you don’t really seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to help you understand why you need food to feel good about yourself. Press in until that king is destroyed.
John 8:32 "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."
Chapter 4 gives the narrative version of the story. Chapter 5 gives us the poetic version.
Chapter 5
It’s kind of funny with these songs. I picture Barak and Deborah standing by the tent of Jael and spontaneously breaking out in song like some 1950’s musical. That’s not how it was, of course. They wrote the song and then sang it as a testimony to God’s deliverance.
Verses 1 - 5
I like verse 2. It shouldn’t be that this is a wonder - that people actually take a leadership role and "offer themselves willingly" to the cause. It blesses me as a pastor when people really step up and offer themselves to the work of God. It’s refreshing and encouraging.
In verses 4 and 5 Deborah compares the victory over Jabin to when God came down at Mt Sinai. Clouds covered the mountain and lightning streaked the sky- no doubt there was much rain too. It’s the rain part that she uses to describe how God brought about the miracle of this battle here.
Verses 6 - 8
During this Canaanite oppression no one could freely travel on the roads. It affected the agrarian economy as well. It’s also thought that the people were disarmed. Imagine the frustration and fear. Even though Shamgar killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad, it didn’t solve the real problem. It was a bandaid on a broken arm.
God put Israel into this situation because of their sin, but He puts us in a similar situation in order for us to completely depend on Him. If they had trusted in and served Yahweh their fear would have turned to joy.
Jesus said "Fear not, it is I, do not be afraid." (Matt 14:27).
Verses 9 - 11
After the battle all is different. Israel now has rest and people can come and go as they please.
Verses 12 - 18
Machir usually refers to Eastern Manasseh. Essentially this recounts those tribes that answered the call to fight, and those that sat on their hands. Rueben, Gad, Manasseh (Gilead referred to the transJordan tribes), Dan and Asher did nothing.
Verses 19 - 23
The armies clashed at Megiddo - this time there was no plunder for Canaan. Here’s where we see the torrential rains that turned the Kishon River into a flood and turned the "tide" of the battle. Meroz comes under pretty harsh criticism as it was right in the midst of the oppressed area yet refused to fight.
Verses 24 - 27
Very impacting poetry here.
Verses 28 - 31
So here Deborah shifts to the home front of Sisera. Often the victorious armies would carry off women and garments were a special prize. Today there would be no rewards for the evil.
Lessons
1. When it’s God’s work, we are expendable. It would have been pretty embarrassing for Barak to have two women be the hero of this story. But I love it - God will tweak anything we hold on to in order to accomplish His will. When destroying the flesh we need to destroy one of the flesh’s most potent properties: our pride.
"Pride goeth before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Pride was what brought Lucifer down. Pride takes our focus from the work and puts it on us: how are people responding to us, how is our position being affected, how am I feeling about myself in light of the work I am doing, etc.
So how should we view what we do for God? Paul the Apostle has some words of wisdom from: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5:
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. ESV
Like Joshua, we should be known as a "servant of Yahweh"
The key to success is faithfulness - did you hear God and do what He said? It doesn’t matter how big or small.
So don’t compare yourselves to others - to be praised or condemned. We’re to wait until Jesus returns to let us know how we did - whether it was from selfish ambition or faithfulness.
2. Do a complete job
I notice several things here - Israel’s want of a band aid to a serious injury, Barak’s reluctance to go forth, some of the tribe’s refusal to join the fight - and then the end where they really keep going until Jabin is destroyed.
The lesson is to really be willing to be scanned and cleaned in a very deep way. We often times just want escape from our current trial. Instead jump right in with both feet to the cleansing power of the Spirit, seeking a deep and lasting healing of the disease, not just the symptoms.
James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ESV
I like this: "let steadfastness have its full effect." The Message says "don’t try to get out of anything prematurely."
We like to take just one pill and be healed. But when the prescription says take it until finished we grow impatient. Taking a "trial" pill is difficult enough. But allowing it to go on until finished, and focus on what God is doing in us and our circumstances through the pain really does that full healing.
The difference between a surface rescue and a deep healing depends on how much you want it. We can run into trouble and ask for God to rescue us, or we can seek to find the deep thing He is trying to touch and heal. It might not be sin, it might just be where He is trying to instill more of His character in us and the only way is for us to experience difficulty. Desire that deep healing. He’ll give it!
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