A. INTRODUCTION
1. Our study of this fascinating book moves this morning to the third epoch of that time in the history of ancient Israel known as the Period of the Judges. The third epoch lasted forty years, but most of the events recorded in our text passage occured on a single, tumultuous day. Two women -- one, a wise and faithful leader and the other, a fearless and treacherous avenger -- dominate the narrative, but there is a large, colourful cast of characters in this biblical drama.
a. J __ __ __ __
(1) King of H __ __ __ __, the powerful Canaanite city north of the Sea of Galilee
(2) A tyrant, he oppressed God's people for _____ years after the death of Ehud.
b. S __ __ __ __ __
(1) Jabin's enforcer, the general of the Canaanite armies under the king's rule.
(2) He was without military peer in the land, commanding a great army which included _____ iron c __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
c. D __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) Israel's only female j __ __ __ __, and the only one of the twelve of whom the Bible records as functioning in a truly judicial capacity.
(2) She was also a p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
d. B __ __ __ __
(1) A leader from the tribe of N __ __ __ __ __ __ __ who became Deborah's ally;
(2) His lack of confidence in his army's chances against the mighty army of Sisera stands in sharp contrast to Deborah's unswerving faith in the power of God.
e. H __ __ __ __
(1) A Kenite bedouin who was on friendly terms with Jabim;
(2) He and his wife did not see eye-to-eye politically.
f. J __ __ __
(1) Heber's w __ __ __;
(2) She knew how to handle a h __ __ __ __ __.
g. Y __ __ __ __ __ ( a.k.a. "Jehovah" )
(1) The one true G __ __;
(2) He was in charge of w __ __ __ and w __ __ __ __ __ __.
2. These two chapters of the Book of Judges each tell the same story of what constituted the first major threat to the security of the young nation of Israel.
a. Chapter 4 is an historical narrative.
b. Chapter 5 is an ode to triumph, widely regarded as one of the greatest epic poems in Hebrew literature.
(1) The poetic nature of chapter 5 is completely obscurred in the King James Version of the Bible. For fullest literary effect it should be read in one of the more recent translations like the RSV, the NASB, or even the NIV.
(2) The poem was probably set to festive music and was handed down from generation to generation. There are other examples of the Hebrew "song poem" in the Old Testament, including:
- Exodus 15:1-18 and 15:21;
- Deuteronomy 32:1-43;
- 2 Samuel 1:17-27; and
- Psalm 18 ( as well as other Psalms )
3. At the epicenter of our text, however, is a unique leader - Deborah ( whose name in Hebrew means "honeybee" ). That she was a prophetess is unusual, but not without precedent in God's Word.. Other women so called in the Bible include Miriam ( the sister of Moses ) in Exodus 15:20, Huldah in 2 Kings 22:14, Noadiah in Nehemiah 6:14, Anna in Luke 2:36, and the four daughters of Philip in Acts 21:9. Deborah is one of several women mentioned in the Bible who were in positions of leadership. But she is the only woman in all of Scripture who has a major, God-given leadership role over His people. Hebrew culture was completely patriarchal, so it is easy to assume that Deborah's rise to prominance was due in no small part to a want in Israel for godly, mature male leadership. As we will see, however, when God raises up a leader who is willing to be the faithful vessel through whom His power is exercised, neither experience, social standing, nor gender are of critical consequence.
ref: 1 Corinthians 1:25-31
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
2 Timothy 2:20-21
B. TEXT: Judges 4:1 - 5:31
1. 4:1 contains a phrase which is beginning to have a sadly familiar ring to it: And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord....
a. Key word: "a __ __ __ __"
b. The word translated as "evil" is actually more pointed in the original text language: And the children of Israel again did the evil in the sight of the Lord. "The" evil is a specific reference to God's people succumbing yet again to the worship of the false and sensuous gods of the Canaanites: the B __ __ __ __ and the A __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
c. "A 'theology of history' emerges upon careful study of the pattern set down in each cycle of the judges. Not once but over and over again, the Israelites experienced: (a) rest, (b) idolatry, (c) oppression, and (d) deliverance -- in that order. Each time a different nation came in to punish Israel, and each time God raised up a new champion to bring victory." - Arthur Lewis: Judges and Ruth
3. As our text passage opens, we learn that:
a. E __ __ __, the great champion from the second epoch, has passed from the scene;
b. The oppressor this time was J __ __ __ __, "a king of Canaan who reigned in Hazor";
(1) Joshua 11:1-15 records a great victory won by the son of Nun over a "Jabin king of Hazor". Some scholars believe the Bible record to contain an historical mix-up, telling the same story in two different passages, attributing the same victory to two different leaders who lived during two different centuries. Other scholars sugggest that the great commercial city of Hazor ( perhaps forty times larger than Jericho ) was re-built by the Canaanites after being burned by Joshua, and that the "Jabin" of the third epoch of the judges had some "dynastic" connection to the "Jabin" of Joshua's era, not unlike the many "Edwards," "Henrys," and "Charleses" of the English monarchy.
(2) 4:3 indicates that Jabin "cruelly oppressed" the Israelites for _____ years, using as his "enforcer" Sisera, who had under his command "nine hundred iron chariots," the most advanced military hardware in the world at that time.
In the ancient world the first order of business for an occupying army was the complete disarmament of its conquered subjects. The fact that Shamgar's weapon against the 600 Philistines he killed was a common o __ g __ __ __ (3:31) and the reference in 5:8 that "not a s __ __ __ __ __ or s __ __ __ __ was seen" in the army of Israel suggests a serious lack of weaponry among the people of God at this time.
c. Israel was being led by a p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ named Deborah;
(1) Unlike the other judges, she actually "held court," settling disputes between citizens.
(2) She is a w __ __ __ and, as we will learn in 5:7, a m __ __ __ __ __.
(3) She possesses a strong f __ __ __ __ in Yahweh, Jehovah, God of Israel.
4. 4:6-10 describes a meeting between Deborah and B __ __ __ __ of the tribe of Naphtali.
a. In v.6 Deborah performs the primary function of anyone possessing the gift of prophecy: she "s __ __ __ __ __ f __ __ __ __" the word of God, informing Barak that he has been chosen by God to do battle with the mighty army of Sisera and declaring that the outcome of that conflict has already been decided. God has promised victory.
b. Deborah's strong faith is not shared by her more careful ally. Barak's less-than-enthusiastic response to a direct command from God has been discussed by Bible scholars for centuries.
(1) Was he a __ __ __ __ __? Did he not believe that God would bring the victory He promised through His judge?
(2) Was he desirous only to have alongside him the one whom God had set up as Israel's s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ leader? Perhaps he rightly believed that no victory could come apart from the power of God, and only wanted God's annointed prophetess at the battlefield.
(3) Did he, like so many of us, waver between the two extremes of strong f __ __ __ __ in God but only when accompanied by sufficient assurance that the "odds" really are in his favor?
- "Was Barak cowardly or just in need of support? We don't know Barak's character, but we see the character of a great leader in Deborah, who took charge as God directed. Deborah told Barak that God would be with him in battle, but that was not enough for Barak. He wanted Deborah to go with him. Barak's request shows that at heart he trusted in human strength more than God's promise. A person of real faith steps out at God's command, even if he or she must do so alone." - Study Notes on Judges 4:6-8: The Life Application Bible
- "There are many reasons why Barak may have said what he did, in verse 8: 'If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.' Some have thought it was because he lacked faith to trust God on his own, or because he was fearful. Probably it was because he knew the people would rally around him if Deborah was with him." - Gary Inrig: Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay
c. It is interesting to note that Deborah agreed immediately to accompany Barak, but made sure he understood that his lack of faith in the ability of God to equip him sufficiently to do His will would come at the cost of losing the h __ __ __ __ __ which would surely come to one who would accomplish what God had set before him. When she told him that honour would come instead to a woman, I am certain he thought she must have been referring to herself. As we will see, she was not. And, by the way, I personally like the notion that Barak was less than delighted at the prospect of being given the responsbility to go up against a clearly superior foe. It is important for me to stay aware that God does not use only the splendid and the gifted and the larger-than-life overachievers to do His will. It tells me that I, too -- flawed and weak and inconsistent and unsure of myself as I am -- can be used by God to do great things when He works in and through me. Give me more of the Baraks, the Simon Peters, the John Marks; they inspire me. Sure, they stumbled and copped out and dropped the ball on occasion, but when they at last trusted God He did mighty works through them to His own glory! Kindly note when next you read the "Heroes of the Faith" chapter in the Bible -- Hebrews 11 -- included in the list, right alongside of giants of the faith like Noah and Abraham and Moses and Joshua and David is the name of that careful, cautious and reluctant "don't wannabee," Barak!
5. In v.11 the writer of the book inserts a semmingly unrelated note into the narrative. We are told about a Kenite tribesman named H __ __ __ __, who, unlike his fellow Kenites, "pitched his tent" toward the land controlled by Jabin. This would indicate that he had become friendly with Jabin, probably to the point of establishing commercial relations with his kingdom. It is not until later in the chapter that we learn why this detail is important to the story.
6. The battle between the Israelis and the mighty army of Sisera is presented in a surprisingly brief account contained in v.12-16.
a. The 900 c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ were there.
b. The great promise of God is also there: Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?"
c. Barak, now committed fully to the campaign, leads his troops in what becomes a completely one-sided slaughter: "All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left."
d. Aside from the note in v.15 that "the Lord routed Sisera and his chariots and army..." no details are included of the way in which God accomplished this great victory. Fortunately, that information is included in 5:20-22:
From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! Then thundered the horses' hoofs -- galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
With the help of Hebrew scholars, we have learned that:
(a) The reference to the stars' "fighting" is a fairly common poetic phrasing of an ancient belief that the heavenly bodies were directly related to the coming of r __ __ __.
(b) The notion of the "River" Kishon sweeping an army away would have amused anyone with first-hand knowledge that for all but the rainy season ( December through March ) The Kishon was little more than a creek. No general as highly regarded as Sisera would use heavy iron chariots in a field of mud -- we can safely assume that the battle did not occur during the season of rain. It would appear, then, that God sent miraculous heavy rain to render the chariots a great liability to Sisera! His army panicked and fled!
(c) Nearly all scholars agree on this scenario, one that provides us again with evidence of God's delicious sense of humour. It was Baal who among the Canaanites was exalted as the "s __ __ __ __ god." But it was Yahweh, the One True God of Israel, who sent a torrential downpour during what was most certainly the "dry" season in the land to defeat the powerful army of the Canaanites.
6. V.17-24 tell the story of what happened to the Canaanite commander, Sisera, as he, too, fled from the swords of the now-victorious Israelites.
a. He ran in the direction of the encampment of Heber the Kenite ( remember him? ), certain to find a safe house. He actually came to the very tent of Heber, who was not "home." Heber's wife, J __ __ __, was home.
b. She must have been a kind sight for Sisera's sore eyes. It appears that he knew and recognized her. She ran out to meet him, brought him into the tent, gave him some tasty refreshment ( Goat's milt curds -- mmmmmm! My favourite! ), and hid him under some sort of covering. When Sisera begged her not to "give him away," she assured him that she would not. How could he not believe her? He must have "thanked Baal" for his lucky break!
c. What happens next stuns us. Sisera, frightened and battle weary, falls asleep. Jael calmly uses a h __ __ __ __ __ to drive a t __ __ __ p __ __ through his skull! So powerfully did she wield that hammer that the peg pierced both his temples and pinned him to the earthen floor of the tent! To this day among bedouin peoples, it is the women who have the responsibility to set up camp, including the putting up of the family tents. This woman knew her way around a hammer!
d. Finally, Barak himself shows up at the tent of Jael. He has been chasing his defeated foe, Sisera, and has apparently tracked him to the Kenite camp. Again, she goes out to greet her guest, and matter-of-factly informs him that the man he is looking for is, indeed, inside her tent. I can imagine Barak moving quickly through the door of the tent, his sword drawn, ready to slay the once-invincible general, only to find him quite dead, his head pinned to the ground in a most awkward and unconventional fashion. Barak would be denied the common honour of personally dispatching his battlefied opponent. That honour would go, just as Deborah had prophecied, to a woman.
7. The rout of Sisera's army broke the back of Jabin's authority, and v.23-24 declare that, over a period of unspecified time, the Israelites grew stronger and stronger until he was destroyed.
8. As was stated earlier, Judges 5:1-31 is a re-telling of the same heroic story in the form of an epic poem. Among some of the highlights:
a. We are provided a glimpse of what life was like among the Israelites under the oppression of Jabin and Sisera:
(1) the roads were a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
(2) village life all but c __ __ __ __ __;
(3) the children of Israel were without w __ __ __ __ __ __ and without an a __ __ __.
b. Great praise is reserved for Deborah and Jael; great glory is given to Yahweh. Barak is acknowledged, but is definitely remanded to the "second tier" of heroes.
c. The tribes who responded to Barak's call to arms are commended. Among them:
(1) Z __ __ __ __ __ __ and N __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (v.18 )
(2) E __ __ __ __ __ __ and B __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( v.14 )
(3) I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( v.15 )
(4) the half-tribe of M __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( "Makir" whose land was on the east side of the Jordan River ) ( v.14 )
d. The tribes who did not throw in with Barak are rebuked:
(1) R __ __ __ __ __ ( v.15-16 )
(2) D __ __ and A __ __ __ __ and "G __ __ __ __ __" ( a regional name for the Transjordanian tribes ) ( v.17 )
(3) the half-tribe of M __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( "Mezor" whose land was on the west side of the Jordan River ( v.23 )
e. The land had rest for _____ years.
C. APPLICATION
1. In the story of Deborah and Barak we see some the most important characteristics of Christian
l __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
a. Seeing a n __ __ __, a Christian leader is c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to act upon it.
(1) moved with c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to minister
(2) boldly stepping out in f __ __ __ __ to do the will of God
(3) always moves beyond c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ evaluation of the situation (quite unlike the tribe of R __ __ __ __ __ in our text passage )
b. A Christian leader knows that strong faith is excuse for neither poor planning nor a realistic assessment of the situation; he or she must be critically realistic.
(1) Help is e __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
(2) Help is m __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
(3) Help is s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ through encouragement.
(4) A g __ __ __ is prayerfully set, and a p __ __ __ is prayerfully developed and faithfully set into motion.
c. A Christian leader knows that it is God who must l __ __ __.
"Only by faith could Deborah have carried out her plans and reached her goal. Her faith shone through her challenge to Barak, in verses 6-7, and motivated him in verse 14, 'Arise! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the Lord has gone out before you." Then, she reveals very clearly the quality of her faith in her song, in Judges 5.
The most important characteristic of a Christian leader, in whatever area of life, is a dynamic, bold faith in God. I may have all the leadership principles down pat; I may be a management expert; I may be an organizer with a systems flow chart that General Motors would envy. But if I do not trust God, if I do not live in a personal fellowship with the Lord Jesus, I will be a failure as an elder or a teacher or a parent or a disciple maker or in whatever area I serve as a leader. What the people I lead need more than anything else is not a great system or a great organization, but a person who knows his God." - Gary Inrig: Op. cit.
2. There is a great truth contained in Judges 5:2. We might paraphrase it to read:
"When godly leaders l __ __ __
And godly people volunteer to s __ __ __ __,
God will b __ __ __ __."
And, as was stated before, godly leadership is most definitely not limited to a particular gender, race, or nationality. And remember, God draws leadership from some of the least-likely people!
D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E
1. What's the difference between authority and leadership?
2. Read the following passages: Ephesians 5:22-25 and 1 Corinthians 11:3-9. In the question of "headship," is the key issue leadership or authority? Explain your answer.
3. That Deborah exercised leadership in the account recorded in Judges 4 is not in question. But what about Jael? All indications point to her political ( religious? ) sentiments stood opposed to those of her husband, Heber. Did she act in defiance of his authority? Before answering, read the account of Abigail as recorded in 1 Samuel 25:2-42. She, too, seemed to have acted in defiance of her husband's authority. How should we assess the actions of these two women?
4. List some ways in which wise leadership of a secular business or organization can also be applied to leadership in a local church. Then list some ways in which wise leadership in a local church must differ from leadership in a secular business or organization.
SHARED CHARACTERISTICS
DIFFERENCES
5. Getting back to Jael, is it possible for us to view her as a genuine heroine? ________ Why, or why not?
6. As many of you know, our church is looking for a Youth Leader. List some leadership skills and characteristics which you feel are important in such a position of responsibility.
7. Read Judges 5:15-16. Why didn't the tribe of Reuben respond to the call to arms against Sisera?
