To answer their cry, God brought Deborah as an instrument of deliverance. He used her extraordinarily. We cannot forget Jael. The twin came from different walks of life, but they were both used by God. We will focus our attention on Deborah, who was reliable and courageous. God needs reliable and courageous people for him to get hold of and use them.
The special ministry of Deborah: Judges 4:4-24
v. 4-5.
- Her Position – The Bible is clear. Deborah was both a “prophetess” and a “judge.”
Her name means “Bee,” and she was as busy as a bee! Matthew Henry says that her very name suggests the bee’s work: industrious, sharp perception (discernment), great usefulness, sweetness to her friends, and sharpness to her enemies.
The word “prophetess” suggests that she received direct revelation from the Lord and shared that word with His people. Deborah is not the only “prophetess” mentioned in the Bible. Others include Miriam, Ex. 15:20; Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14; Anna, Luke 2:36; and the four daughters of Philip, Acts 21:9.
Deborah was the leader of the nation during those dark days. They came to her with their problems, and she rendered judgment. The word “judge” lets us know that she settled disputes among the people of Israel and not sets quarrels among the people. v. 5.
v. 6-7
- Her Prophecy – Deborah receives a word from the Lord, and she calls Barak to take 10,000 soldiers and go to war with the enemy. The Lord promises to defeat Sisera, the Canaanite general. God promises a great victory if they trust Him. And go to war.
v. 8-9
- Her Problem – Deborah has a word from the Lord. She shares that word with Barak, and she finds that Barak seems to be afraid to follow that word. He is willing to go to battle, but only if Deborah will go with him. She agrees to go but tells him that the honor goes to Deborah since he depended on a woman.
v. 10-24
- Her Partner – Barak and Israel, go to war with Sisera and the Canaanites. Barak gets 10,000 from his tribe of Naphtali and the neighboring tribe of Zebulon, Judges 4:6, 10; 5:14, 18. Later, the ranks swelled to 40,000, 5:8, with volunteers from Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Issachar, 5:5:14-15. Some of the tribes refused to come, 5:15-17, but those who did saw God give them a great victory. Because Israel had no weapon, 5:8, and no standing army, what Barak and Deborah did was a great act of faith. They trusted God, and He gave them a great victory!
Verse 15 tells us that God “discomfited” Sisera and his armies. Judges 5:21 tells us what happened. As they fought, God allowed the Kishon River to overflow its banks, the iron chariots of Sisera became stuck in the mud, and the soldiers were swept away by the currents. All the soldiers of Sisera got slain 4:15.
Seeing that his army got defeated, Sisera fled the battlefield on foot. He went to the tent of a man named Heber, who was of the Kenites. The Kenites were a people group who aligned themselves with Israel. However, they had turned on the rest of the tribe and took sides with Sisera and his army.
So, Sisera flees to the tent of Heber, thinking that he will find refuge there. Heber’s wife, Jael, greets Sisera and invites him into her tent. She helps him hide from his pursuers, v. 18. Sisera asks Jael for a drink of water. She brings him a drink of milk instead. The offer of milk served two purposes. First, it eased the mind of Sisera. He got convinced that he had entered the tent of a friend and that he was safe. He asks Jael to lie for him, v. 20. Second, the milk would have helped him fall asleep. He was already tired from the battle, and when he drank the milk and laid down in the darkness, it wasn’t long until sleep overtook him. While he slept, Jael takes one of the tent nails and drives it through Sisera’s head, killing him, v. 21. Jeal was a wise woman. She decided to take side with God’s people.
Thank God for the women! They are not second-class saints. Women fulfill a vital role in God’s kingdom work. They are the ones who have the kind of compassion that drives the outreach ministries of the church. They are the ones who bring the gifts of grace, love, and mercy to the table.
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