A series on the
Judges of Israel
– Deborah from the tribe of Ephraim
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 4-5
[The book of
Judges is a roller coaster ride. It’s about the history of Israel following
their entry into the Promised Land. Unfortunately, Israel went through cycles
of rejecting God and then repenting. Each time, the Lord saved them by raising
up a leader who was called a judge. In this series, we will be looking at some
of these judges to learn about God’s character as well as our own.]
Each player starts out with the same number of
playing pieces (their army) which they strategically place on the board. From
there, you try to capture other territories from your opponents. The goal is to
conquer and eliminate all the other players. But in order to win, you have to take
risks!
In the opening verses of Judges 4, we see Israel's cycle repeating itself. Israel turned from the Lord; the Lord gave them over to Jabin, a Canaanite king who oppressed them for twenty years; Israel cried out to the Lord for help; the Lord sent a judge to deliver them.
Deborah was not only the Lord’s judge who led
Israel, but also a prophet who settled the disputes of the people. One day,
possibly after the people asked her what could be done about Sisera, she sent for
Barak with this word from the Lord.
6b “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.’” NIV
Even though the Lord promised to give Barak victory
over Sisera, he wouldn’t do it unless Deborah came with him. He wouldn’t take
the risk. Deborah complied with his demand, but prophesied that a woman would
defeat Sisera, not Barak.
In the meantime, a spy informed Sisera of Barak’s
plans to take his army to Mount Tabor. With this information, Sisera gathered
his 900 iron chariots and all his warriors at the Kishon River. With the
Jezreel Valley spreading out between the two armies, the stage was set for an
epic battle.
Chariots were the tanks of the ancient world. So even
though Barak had ten thousand fighting men, the Israelites were outmanned. Despite
this, upon Deborah’s command, Barak and his army charged Sisera and his
chariots, soundly defeating them. How did the Israelites overcome their
superior weaponry?
God had provided a downpour that caused the Kishon
River to overflow its banks making Sisera’s chariots useless in the mud. And when
Sisera fled the battlefield and tried hiding in the tent of Jael, the wife of
the spy, she killed him by hammering a tent peg through his temple.
We may not be in a fight against flesh and blood where
we’re overpowered by their weaponry. But we do fight with an even more
dangerous enemy. Paul described it as “mighty
powers in this dark world”. And Peter gave this warning.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. NIV
Like the game of Risk, the battles we face in life
also have great risks, but the rewards are much greater. It’s not for world
domination, but for eternal life.
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