“Some Trust in Chariots”
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Judges chapters 4 and 5 tell a story in two very distinct and different ways. Ch 4 gives a conventional historical account, while chapter 5 re-tells the story in poetic verse.
We are studying the “dark ages” of Hebrew history. After Ehud passed from the scene, Israel continued to do what was right in their own eyes. They reverted to an arbitrary morality, which led them back into idolatry. When there are no absolutes by which to govern society, people make up their own rules. Israel had God’s Law, but they chose to ignore it. In ch 5 Deborah observes, “When Israel chose new gods, war came to the city gates” (vs 8). This was no accident. By abandoning the Source of their strength, Israel became vulnerable to attack. God didn’t desert them—they left Him. Such is the case with many people today. Jabin formed an alliance of Canaanites to wage a prolonged, bloody conflict against Israel. His objective was to destroy Israel’s army and drive them out of the Promised Land.
To attack Israel, Jabin ordered his general Sisera to assemble a massive, “mother of all armies”, far superior to Israel’s military. Sisera’s armed forces were equipped with over 900 iron chariots, a fearsome fighting platform—He had his own Armored Cavalry Regiment! Israel was hopelessly out-positioned, intimidated, and woefully lacking in numbers and resources.
This desperate situation brought Israel to its senses. The people cried out to God, and their deliverance came in an unexpected way. The prophetess Deborah was chosen to lead Israel. Prophets delivered messages about the future and the will of God for the present. We might regard Deborah as a forerunner of Golda Meir. Only one other person in the Bible was both a prophet and political leader, the final judge of Israel, Samuel. Deborah humbly describes herself in chapter 5 as “a mother in Israel” (vs 7). Her name means “honeybee”—not an awe-inspiring name, but she was used by God to deliver a fatal sting to the armies of Sisera. Women in Bible times normally occupied a subordinate role, but on occasions they rose to prominence. Deborah takes the initiative by sending for Barak and installing him as her commanding general.
Barak is charged to lead an army of 10,000 soldiers garrisoned at Mount Tabor. Barak’s name means “lightning”, an appropriate name for a warrior. Deborah assures Barak in 3:7, “I will lure Sisera…and will give him into your hands.” But Barak is reluctant to act; he hesitates, in spite of the clear, divine directive. To assure God’s presence and blessing he insists that Deborah accompany the army into battle. This condition sharply diminishes his heroic standing.
In troubling times our faith can falter. We forget that when God calls us, He provides. Barak felt inadequate yet recognized that the Spirit of the Lord was with Deborah. He needed her faith in God’s unseen power. Sometimes we hesitate and waste time looking for tangible evidence that God’s going to help us before we face our difficulties. The Lord’s battles are always won through faith. God controls the outcome.
Deborah agrees to Barak’s condition, but issues a prophetic condition of her own, in verse 9. The honor will go to a woman, instead of Barak. Deborah is credited with Israel’s victory, and it is another woman, Jael, who slays the enemy general Sisera (4:17-21 & 5:24-27). Barak pays a price for his reluctance to do God’s will. He will be the victor, but will lose face.
In Barak’s defense, he gets some credit for recognizing his inadequacy and need for divine intervention. He’s listed in the book of Hebrews as a man of faith (11:32). When I was assigned as a Battalion Chaplain to the 2nd Infantry Divison in Korea, it was customary to have prayer at change-of-command ceremonies. One belligerent company commander in a profane manner informed me in front of others that he did not want any prayer at his ceremony. Imaging refusing a prayer for God’s assistance in meeting the challenges of command! Have we ever dismissed the resources of faith? Barak’s faith was weak, yet he at least realized his need of God’s favor.
Deborah was recognized as a leader in touch with God…although I can’t help but think that in the eyes of some, she was regarded as a “good-luck charm”. Often when I would get on a military plane or helicopter, some soldier would say: “We’re safe—the Chaplain’s with us!” My usual (tongue-in cheek) response was, “How do you know this isn’t the day the Lord wants to take me home?” Deborah’s presence made a positive impact on the morale of the outnumbered and under-equipped Israeli army. Deborah probably did not carry a sword (like Joan of Ark), but she was the guiding force of the battle. The people trusted her, because she spoke with courage and authority. Her willingness to accompany Barak into battle shows bravery in the presence of great danger. Thus properly motivated, Barak rose to the occasion.
Israel had a slim chance of defending against Canaanite weaponry, but the Jews did not trust in chariots. Judges 4:15 tells us that “the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army…and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled.” God intervened, overwhelming the charioteers. Chapter 5 explains how: the earth shook and the clouds poured down a torrent of water, and the river Kishon swept away those Canaanite soldiers not stuck in the mud. Not one verse of Deborah’s song talks of the efforts of the army—God is given full credit for defeating a technologically-superior force. After divine intervention on the battlefield, the Israeli army then promptly exploited the situation. Sisera’s soldiers, unable to maneuver, were slain by the swordsmen of Israel, and Sisera escaped, only to be brutally killed by a nomadic woman named Jael.
Sisera sought refuge from the wrong person! Jael was a member of a tribe with strong ties to Israel. The offering of hospitality in a nomad’s tent was traditionally a guarantee of protection. Plus, pursuers would unlikely look in a woman’s tent for a man, for this would be a breach of Middle Eastern etiquette. So Sisera was lulled into a false sense of security by Jael’s disarming and treacherous “generosity”.
Sisera’s death was strikingly savage and gruesome. There are similarities between Jael’s murder of Sisera and Ehud’s assassination of Eglon (ch 3). Jael drove a tent peg through the sleeping general’s head. Bedouin women were responsible for pitching the tents, so she would have been practiced at using a mallet. Had Jael remained neutral she could have been subject to charges of harboring a fugitive guilty of war crimes. Also being alone at the time, she was in no position to refuse an armed general. Although some Bible scholars are critical of Jael, Deborah gloatingly describes Jael in song as the “most blessed of women” (5:24), and adds, “So may all Your enemies perish, O Lord!” (5:31). Deborah’s song is reminiscent of the “imprecatory psalms”, which call on God to defend Israel and punish sin. Sisera was marked for death by God. Before resting, Sisera tells Jael to stand guard at the entrance of her tent and to lie should someone ask who’s inside. The someone who comes to the tent is Barak, in pursuit of Sisera, exhausted by the battle. He wanted the honor of capturing Sisera. He learns to his dismay that Sisera is dead, thanks to Jael and her nail! Deborah’s prophecy came true.
In her song, Deborah describes Sisera’s mother crassly gloating about her son’s army raping and pillaging the helpless Jews. But Sisera will no longer molest a single woman, because in humiliating fashion a woman ended his treachery. Jabin and Sisera likely laughed at the notion of a woman leading Israel. Deborah shows us what can be accomplished when we rely on God to fight our battles.
We’ve been delivered from an enemy fiercer than the Canaanites, so our song should be even more triumphant. Our sins, which oppressed us like a dreaded, powerful army, have been swept away--not by the ancient river Kishon, but by the streams which flowed from the side of Jesus. The head of our enemy is broken—not Sisera, but Satan. The seed of the woman has crushed the serpent’s head forever.
We face battles of illness, ethical decisions, trials and temptations, and in general the struggle to maintain our faith in an unbelieving world. We overwhelmingly conquer through Christ who loves us-—our battles belong to the Lord!
