Judges 4- told as history/Judges- celebrated in song

1. Sin leads to cruel oppression (vs. 1-3)

a) The downward cycle continued for God’s people. They did evil in the eye of the Lord (5:8 choose new gods), so the Lord sold (2:14, 3:8) them into the hand of an oppressor.

b) Jabin/Hazor ruled from a place Joshua conquered & burned (Joshua 11). Sisera, his army  commander, cruelly subdued from a place in Zebulun SE of Mount Carmel (in the planes where iron  chariots dominated).

c) Israel cried out to the Lord for help.

2. Imperfect cooperation (vs. 4-10)

a) God used Deborah, a prophetess & judge giving spiritual guidance to the nation from a place 50 miles south in the hill country of Ephraim.

b) The Lord used her to command Barak, from Kedesh/Naphtali (near Hazor) to gather 10,000 troops
from Naphtali & Zebulun (most oppressed) to draw out Sisera with his iron chariots by the Kishon River. He promised to give Sisera into Barak’s hand (vs. 7, 2).

c) Barak expressed a conditional cooperation if Deborah went with him vs. 8). She agreed but  informedthe glory/honor of killing Sisera would be given to a woman (one would think Deborah) rather than Barak. One wonders where are the men of faith/courage.

d) He called together 10,000 from these two tribes (5:18). The song indicates other leaders stepped forward (vs. 2,9), including ones from Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (Manasseh), Issachar (vs. 13-14b). However, Israel was not united: Reuben after much heart searching did not come to support the  cause, nor did Gilead, Dan, or Asher (vs. 15b-17). A curse was pronounced on Meroz (apparently nearby) who “did not come to the help of the Lord.” (vs. 23)

e) God’s people are stronger/weaker depending on how united they are & fight together.

3. An ally turns (vs. 11)

a) Heber, a Kenite, who had family connections with Moses and were allies of Israel, separated and moved far north to align with the Canaanite King Jabin (vs. 17).

4. Victory out of defeat (vs. 12-16)

a) When Sisera heard Barak gathered his army on Mount Tabor, he brought out his 900 chariots & troops on the plane by the Kishon River.

b) Deborah calle Barak to action declaring, “this is the day…the Lord has given Sisera into your hands… the Lord has gone before you.” Barak led his troops down the mountain towards the plane.

c) The Lord routed (confused- give attention to create panic, Ex. 14:24) Sisera with his chariots & army. 5:20 indicates the Lord sent a powerful storm that flooded the land by the Kishon so that the chariots were useless. The enemy army was wiped out.

5. The enemy is humbled (vs. 17-22)

a) Sisera fled north on foot towards Hazor. Jael welcomed him respectfully and kindly: “my lord”, giving him milk when he asked for water, and covering him with a rug/thick blanket. He charged her to stand by the tent door and tell any searching Israelites he was not there. Then he fell asleep.

b) The action slows down as it describes how she took a tent peg & hammer (she assembled many tents) and drove it through Sisera’s head into the ground killing him instantly. She used what was at hand to kill the wicked leader who had oppressed Israel with his mighty iron chariots. Dying at the hands of a woman was a disgrace to such a leader.

c) When Barak came to the tent, she showed him Sisera’s dead body. She got the honor for killing Israel & God’s enemy rather than Barak (Hebrew 11:32 still exercised faith).

6. God frees His people (vs. 23-24)

a) With Sisera & his iron chariots removed, Israel was able to gradually destroy Jabin. God got the credit for “subduing/humbling/brought down into subjection” through some unlikely instruments.