Choosing Faith over Fear
Last week we started our series on Impact people of the old testament. In that message I gave you a challenge to be an impact person like Gideon, not an impacted person like his father. I understand, though, that doing this -- that rising up to this challenge -- is easier said than done. How can you become an impact person, even when things get tough? How can you impact other people when the world is telling you to “Be quiet, don’t make a fuss, be tolerant”?
The book of Judges is full of people who dealt with this exact problem. People who were called by God to impact the world around them, but quickly found out that God’s calling doesn’t come easily. I’m going to share the story of one such person, found in chapter 4.
Judges 4 starts off like most chapters in this book start: the nation of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so they were given over to a vicious tyrant from another land. We saw this when we discussed Gideon two weeks ago. Verses 2 and 3: “So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.”
Let’s put this into perspective for a moment. Harosheth Haggoyim was a fortress. It was clearly more than just a simple army encampment because Sisera had 900 chariots at his command! This was a major military installation. At the time, 900 chariots were a big deal. These chariots were reserved for oppressing Israel, which they successfully did for twenty years. To think of it in modern terms, a chariot is like a tank. The Canaanites had 900 tanks against the Israelites’ foot soldiers with a few rifles. They had no hope!
At this time the leader of Israel was a woman named Deborah. This was a very strange thing at the time -- in fact, Deborah is the only recorded female leader of Israel in the entire Bible! She was more than just a judge, she was also a prophetess -- she was one of the people specifically chosen by the Lord to be His spokesperson here on Earth.
Deborah was one of the few Judges of Israel who actually acted like we think of judges now. If two or more Israelites had a dispute, she would resolve it with the help of the Lord. It’s interesting, really -- after 20 years of tyrannical rule by a foreign power, the Israelites essentially found a mother figure to lead them. I can see it now, two grown men run up to Deborah and say, “Mommy, mommy, he stole my idol!” The other responds, “No, I didn’t! You’re just stupid!” And Deborah would have to figure out what really happened and make a fair judgement. Sounds like a mother to me!
You see my point.
One day Deborah gets a vision from the Lord that the Canaanites will be defeated and Israel will again be free! Verse 6: “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”
Wait, this is awesome! Barak was specifically chosen by God to free his people! How exciting! Barak should have been ready and willing to go -- after all, he’s been under the same oppression that the rest of his people have been, right? Unfortunately, Barak didn’t see it quite the same way.
Barak was afraid. Now, don’t get me wrong -- I would be afraid too if I was told to go to war against a much stronger enemy! But what Barak did next is very interesting. Verse 8: “Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”
Wait, what? The Lord commanded Barak to do something, and he’s trying to make a deal? Barak was so afraid and so weak in his faith that he refused to go unless “Mommy” went with him. He had completely forgotten that the Lord God of Israel, the same God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt, the very same God who created the universe, even, had specifically told him that he would “give [Sisera] into his hands”.
To her credit, Deborah said she would go with him. But we can see in Verse 9 that Barak will be punished for his lack of faith: “‘Certainly I will go with you,’ said Deborah. ‘But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.’”
I can imagine what Barak was thinking at this point. “My honor will go to a woman? Of course it will! Deborah’s coming along, right? She’s a woman! Since she’s the judge, she would likely get credit for the victory anyway! It’s alright, everyone will know that it was me who really killed Sisera.”
Oh, but the Lord has a sense of humor! But I’m getting ahead of myself…
They all travel to Mount Tabor to fight against Sisera and the Canaanite army. As expected, Sisera sends all 900 of his iron chariots to defend himself. At this point, I think that Barak just froze in fear! Deborah has to remind him why they came in verse 14: “Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?’ So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him.” The Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, but Sisera got down from his chariot and ran away on foot.
While Barak and his army of 10,000 men were busy killing the entire Canaanite army, Sisera was running away. Eventually he comes to a tent. He recognizes this tent as one belonging to Jael. He’s thankful, because Jael is the wife of Heber, an ally of the Canaanites! He’s convinced that he’s escaped certain death. Jael heard him approach and went out to meet him. Verse 18: “Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, ‘Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.’ so he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 ‘I’m thirsty,’ he said. ‘Please give me some water.’ She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.”
At this point, Sisera is feeling good. He found a friend in the middle of a battle, had a belly full of milk, and felt safe for the first time since the battle began. He asked Jael to stand in the doorway of the tent, and tell anyone who asks that her tent was empty. Sisera quickly went to sleep.
Jael wasted no time. She quietly picks up a tent peg and a hammer, tiptoes over to Sisera while he’s snoring unconsciously in her tent, and literally nails his head to the ground! She drove the tent peg through his temple until it was stuck! He obviously died after such an injury.
At this point, Barak runs into her tent -- looking for Sisera. What does he find but Sisera dead on the ground at the feet of a woman! God’s prophecy had come to pass. This whole time Barak thought that Deborah would be the woman honored for the defeat of Sisera, but it turned out to be another woman entirely!
Barak had a weakness -- he was afraid. We all have weaknesses, though. That’s nothing new! What made Barak different is that he realized he couldn’t do the task set before him on his own. He knew enough that he needed to rely on the presence of someone else.
Unfortunately for Barak, the “someone else” he relied on was not God, but a mortal, flawed, human. No one can make a Godly impact in their surroundings by themselves. Compare Gideon to Barak -- Gideon had his doubts, his moments of weakness. His first thought, though, was “God, help me”. Barak’s first thought was, “Deborah, be with me”.
Do you see the difference?
Barak’s punishment was for the Lord to withdraw his blessing -- lack of faith meant that Barak was not holding up his end of the bargain. The ultimate promise was still granted -- Sisera was killed and Israel was free. But Barak did not get the honor of actually doing the deed -- that went to Jael, an unknown woman of an unknown man who allied himself with the very same enemy Barak was sent to fight!
You are all at the age where you can no longer rely on the faith of your parents to get you to heaven. Barak relied on the faith of his “mommy”, Deborah, and he got punished for it! No, you all need to build your own faith, become the men and women that God has called you to be, today! When the Lord calls you, and you get afraid, trust in Him! He will never leave you nor forsake you. What good is fear? Psalm 27:
The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. 4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. 7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, "Seek hisface!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. 10Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
