BARAK – THE RELUCTANT JUDGE – PART 1 (Judges 4:1-24)
INTRODUCTION:
So far, we have looked at three judges, we looked at Othniel, the model judge, at Ehud, the unlikely judge, at Shamgar, the unknown judge, and this morning we are going to meet a new judge, Barak, the reluctant judge. The history of Barak is recorded in chapters 4 and 5 of Judges. Both chapters tell of the same event, chapter 4 is told in prose and chapter 5 is told in poetry, it is a song that was written to commemorate the event. This morning we will begin going through chapter 4. We will not get through the whole chapter this morning. This chapter divides up easily as it goes from one character in the event to another and that is how I have divided it up. We will be looking at each character in the history of the judge Barak as we come to him in the passage. Barak is the fourth person we will look at this morning, there are three other people we must introduce first, when we get to Barak you will learn why I have called him the reluctant judge. After one short verse on Shamgar, the narrative of Barak’s judgeship will seem long, but his history is not the longest that we will look at in this book. Let’s pray and then read our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Judges 4:1-24. We will not get through all 24 verses this morning, but we need all 24 for the context. Please stand, if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Judges 4:1-24,
“Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. The sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, ‘Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, “Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.”’ Then Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’ She said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.’ Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. Deborah said to Barak, ‘Arise! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the Lord has gone out before you.’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. The Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left. Now Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, ‘Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.’ And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, ‘Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.’ So she opened a bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. He said to her, ‘Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, “Is there anyone here?” that you shall say, “No.”’ But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, ‘Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.’ And he entered with her, and behold Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.” (Judges 4:1–24, NASB95)[1]
JABIN (Judges 4:1-2a)
In verse one we read of two things, the death of Ehud and Israel again doing evil in the sight of the LORD. Ehud had secured for the people of Israel 80 years of rest, during that 80 years of rest God had raised up Shamgar to stop an invasion of Philistines from disturbing that rest. It seems during the lifetime of Ehud the sons of Israel followed the LORD but after his death they again returned to the idols of the Canaanites among whom they lived. Ehud had saved them on the east side of the nation, by the Jordan river, Shamgar had saved them from the Philistines in the southwest of the nation, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This morning we move north into the region that later became known as Galilee the region that borders the Sea of Galilee.
The LORD again disciplines His people for their apostasy, for their forsaking Him to worship and serve false gods. In verse two in a very deliberate act of the LORD, we read that He sold the sons of Israel into the hands of Jabin, king of Canaan. This king did not just threaten their well-being as the Philistines had who had been repelled by Shamgar, this king destroyed their well-being for 20 long years.
As his title suggests, “Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor” was a formidable enemy. Hazor was a fortified city in the territory of Naphtali, about ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee, close to what is now the Israel-Lebanon border. It was at one time the most powerful city in northern Canaan. The ruins of the city can still be seen today on the high ground overlooking Lake Hula which used to exist just north of the Sea of Galilee. The site is visible from miles away, and the remains of Hazor are the largest ancient ruins in Israel today. “Jabin” was most likely a royal title, much like Pharaoh for the kings of Egypt. Joshua had defeated another Jabin in Hazor about 100 years before this time. Since then, Hazor has recovered and been rebuilt, and from his stronghold Jabin dominated the whole of northern Canaan from the Jezreel Valley (future Armageddon) which is southwest of the Sea of Galilee to the upper reaches of the Jordan river in what is now the Lebanon mountain range.
Like his predecessor who was defeated by Joshua, the strength of Jabin was due in large part to his network of alliances which he had formed with other Canaanite rulers of other Canaanite cities in the area. He had grown in strength and power since the death of the former Jabin of Joshua’s day.
SISERA (Judges 4:2b-3)
Jabin’s true success in controlling the northern part of Israel was due to his military power which was commanded by his general Sisera and the 900 iron chariots that he had at his command. Sisera’s name is not Hebrew, but neither is it Canaanite which may mean that he was a mercenary leader that came from the same general area as the Philistines, from the area of the Adriatic Sea in the early iron age. He established himself in a place called Harosheth-hagoyim (Harosheth of the nations) just as the Philistines had established themselves in Ashkelon and other coastal cities in the south. The exact location of Harosheth-hagoyim is not known but since he was in command of 900 chariots it would make sense that it would be on level ground rather than in the hills where chariots are not effective vehicles in warfare. Because of where the battle described later in this chapter takes place suggests that it was located at the western end of the Jezreel valley, somewhere near Mt. Carmel. Jabin’s alliance with Sisera squeezed Israel’s northern tribes between the two, Jabin in the north and Sisera in the south. Sisera was someone who could not be ignored, he was a ruthless commander who seemed to be invincible. So, we read that after 20 years of being severely oppressed by this evil tyrant and his mercenary commander Israel cried out to the LORD for deliverance. Again, this cry to the LORD was not a cry of repentance, it was not a cry for God to forgive their sin, it was a cry for God to relieve their suffering. Had they truly repented God would have done so much more then deliver them from their physical slavery, He would have freed them from their spiritual bondage as well. But this was not the case, this cry was for God to relieve them from their suffering under this tyrant and his merciless commander.
DEBORAH (Judges 4:4-5)
Next, we are introduced to Deborah, we are told several things about her. First, she is introduced as a prophetess, second, we are told that she is the wife of Lappidoth, and third we learn that she is judging Israel. Let’s look at these three descriptions of Deborah. As a prophetess she serves as a spokesperson for God to the people. She speaks God’s Word to the people, the fact that she has this title attached to her makes her a spokesperson of God as Moses was a spokesperson of God. Whatever else we learn about Deborah in chapters 4 and 5 we must remember that she is first and foremost, if not exclusively, a prophet of God.
Next, we are told that this prophetess is a married woman, she is the wife of Lappidoth. This is the only mention of her husband, but from the description of where she judges it is assumed that she and her husband are from the tribe of Ephraim. This area is south of the area that at this time was controlled by Jabin.
Third, we are told that she is a judge in Israel. What does this mean? Does this mean that she is the deliverer that God raised up to save Israel from Jabin and Sisera? I do not believe so, she was part of the solution since she is the one who informs Barak of God’s command to him. Verse 5 explains that her judgeship is more judicial in nature and that she administers justice in Israel by giving God’s judgment in matters brought to her. She sat and held court under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel which would put her in the central part of Israel where she would be accessible to anyone in Israel. We are told the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment, she judged in the sense that Moses and the elders judged in the days of the wandering in the wilderness.
The fact that she was a woman in this role was an act of grace on God’s part, but in this male dominated society it was an act of humiliation for the Jews. Traditionally this was a role that would be given to a mature man, an elder. For God to give a woman to rule over his people was to treat them as little children, which is exactly what they were when it came to spiritual things. They came to her as a judge to hear God’s judgment from the lips of this prophetess.
BARAK (Judges 4:6-10)
We are introduced to the deliverer finally. Deborah receives a message from the LORD for Barak the son of Abinoam from the tribe of Naphtali. She sends a messenger to summon him from his hometown of Kedesh-naphtali. Kedesh-naphtali was a town just north of Hazor where Jabin the king of Canaan reigned, so this town would have been a part of his dominion. This town is identified as Kedesh-naphtali to distinguish it from other towns in Israel with the same name. Barak responds to Deborah’s summons and makes the trek to Ephraim to meet with her. Upon arriving she has a message from the LORD for Barak. Her message is, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ ” (Judges 4:6–7, NASB95)[2] Barak has received a direct order from the LORD, God has chosen him to lead the revolt against the severe oppression of Jabin and Sisera, Barak is chosen as God’s deliverer to save Israel. God has given him everything he needs, he is to take 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, so from his own tribe and the neighboring tribe who both were being oppressed by Jabin and Sisera. They were to march to Mount Tabor, just inside the border of Issachar at the head of the Jezreel valley and God has promised that He will draw out Sisera with his chariots and his many troops and will give them into Barak’s hand to defeat and destroy them in the valley near the Kishon river.
Barak has received his orders directly from God, and this is why I call him the reluctant judge, look at his response to God’s command. “Then Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’” (Judges 4:8, NASB95)[3] Is this how we are to respond to the commands of God? Where is this man’s faith, is it because of men like this that Deborah was a prophetess and judge in Israel? Were the men not willing to take the roles given to them by God and act on them. God had just clearly laid out the battle plan and promised to give Sisera and his army into Barak’s hand. That should have been enough, but Barak’s faith in God needs to grow and grow it does because the next time Deborah gives him a command from God Barak immediately acts on it.
Deborah responds to Barak’s qualification with words of comfort and words of rebuke, she tells him that she will surely go with him, but the honor that would have been his on this journey will be taken from him as the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman. I am sure that Barak believed that woman would be Deborah, the prophetess and judge of God. Then Deborah arose from her place at the palm tree of Deborah and went with Barak to Kedesh. Notice that in verse 9 this Kedesh is not called Kedesh-naphtali. It is possible that Deborah and Barak did not return to Barak’s hometown but to a town called Kedesh much nearer to Mt. Tabor and from there they gathered the 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun. From there it would have been a much shorter march to Mt. Tabor. The time for God to give the victory to Barak is almost here.
HEBER (Judges 4:11)
We will look at one more person this morning before ending. Verse 11 seems out of place, we are introduced to a man named Heber who does not seem to have any bearing on the events taking place, at best his introduction is parenthetical. We are told that Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, his kinsmen, the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses. We must stop and examine this first, who are the Kenites? They are related to Moses by marriage. If you remember Moses was given a wife from Jethro or Reuel a prince of Midian. When Moses fled from Egypt because the Pharaoh had learned that he had killed an Egyptian, he fled to the land of Midian. Once he arrived, he sat down by a well and Jethro’s daughters came to draw water and to water their father’s flocks, but the other shepherds drove them away. Moses stood up for them against the other shepherds and drew water and watered the flocks. For this kindness Jethro brought Moses into his home and gave him one of his daughters as a wife. In Numbers 10:29-32 we learn that Hobab who is mentioned here in Judges was a son of Jethro’s so a bother to the wife of Moses. So why is he called Moses’ father-in-law in Judges instead of his brother-in-law? The reason is a clerical error as the Hebrew word used here translated father-in-law can be used to refer to any in-law relative. Hobab is the brother-in-law of Moses. Heber had separated from the rest of the Kenites who had gone south and settled in the territory given to Judah. He had pitched his tent far away from the rest of his clan, he settled by the oak of Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. This oak is mentioned in Joshua 19:33 as a boundary marker on the southern edge of the tribe of Naphtali’s allotment near the Kedesh where Barak mustered his troops. Heber would have seen the troops gathering and we learn later that Heber has a peace treaty with Jabin the king of Canaan so it has been speculated that Heber may have been the one who alerted Sisera to what was happening. We will learn more about Heber’s family next week.
CONCLUSION:
This morning we have looked at the key players of this event in the period of the judges. We have looked at the antagonists, Jabin and Sisera. We have seen the protagonists, Deborah and Barak. We have met a man who seems to be out of place named Heber, but we will see next week how he plays into this event. With all these different people and the roles that they play in this particular time in the history of Israel it is important to not forget that there is One who ties them all together, One who is directly involved in the events that are taking place here. It is important to remember that this One also is as intimately involved in our lives as He was in the lives of those we have been looking at today. The One I am speaking about, of course, is the LORD, He is the One directing these events and He is not heedless or unaware of what is taking place. The LORD is the One who deliberately sold Israel into the hands of Jabin to be disciplined for their apostasy. That discipline came in the form of Jabin’s general, Sisera who with his 900 iron chariots and troops severely oppressed Israel for 20 years. This was all orchestrated by God for Israel’s discipline, that they might see His deliverance and turn back to Him. Deborah also was raised up at this time by God as a prophetess to give the people of Israel God’s judgment and to speak the words of the LORD. It is also important to remember that as a prophetess which means she has divine insight that her actions are not her own but directed by God and to remember that Barak is not her recruit but God’s. The reason for his being chosen lies with God, not with Deborah, she is just the LORD’s agent and mouthpiece. The promises made to Barak were not promises given to him by Deborah, they were promises directly from God. The LORD had chosen Barak to be the deliverer, the savior of Israel and God would provide him with everything he needed to deliver God’s people from the hand of Jabin. The LORD would be the One to draw Sisera and his chariots and troops out onto the battlefield of God’s choosing and hand them over to Barak, this victory over Jabin’s forces would not be something that Barak would achieve but would be something given to him by God, which was God’s promise to Barak.
As I said earlier, God is as intimately involved in our lives as in the lives of those in these events that we have looked at this morning. God made promises to mankind in the Old Testament that He would send a Deliverer, a Savior into the world. He kept that promise to us when He sent His only Son into the world. His son took on human flesh and became like us in every way except for sin, He went willingly to the cross and died as our perfect substitute, paying the penalty for our sin and suffering God’s wrath against sin on our behalf. At His death, our salvation was secured, and when He rose from the dead on the third day our salvation was confirmed, He conquered that day forever sin, Satan, and death. Then you were born and at some point, God brought into your life a person or several people who shared Christ with you. God chose them to be a witness to you and they heeded His choosing, and you were brought into God’s Kingdom through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As you live out the rest of your life indwelt by God’s Spirit, He is conforming you to the image of His Son. He is making you ready for eternity in His presence, this is called sanctification. God uses the choices and the circumstances we go through to sanctify us. About 50 years ago my mom was chosen to share the Gospel with me and she heeded God’s choosing and through her witness I put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, my sins were forgiven, I was indwelt by the Holy Spirit and God began His work of sanctifying me preparing me for eternity. I have a long way to go yet but I know that when He calls me home to spend eternity with Him, I will be ready. I share this with you because God has chosen me to be His mouthpiece and I have accepted His choosing. God will choose you to be His mouthpiece to someone in your life, do not pass up the opportunity to speak for Him.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.