"Here Comes the Judge - Deborah"

Here Comes The Judge – Deborah

Judges 5:6-7 (NKJV)

“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.
Here Deborah refers to herself as a spiritual mother of Israel.
Who is the hub of the family? Who provides the social lubrication? Who makes sure the birthdays aren’t forgotten? Or that Christmas is duly recognized? The wives and mothers…women.
Who’s left holding the baby, literally? When the man walks out, who is there for the kids? Who catches all the balls that have all been dropped? Who picks up the pieces after the disaster? Who sticky tapes the family together? Wives and mothers…women.
Who is the last line of defense? Who will throw themselves in front of their children when all other defenses fail? Mothers.
Today we are going to see a woman who God raises up as a mother for Israel. When the leaders fail to the lead, Deborah steps up, under God, to do what the leaders should have done.
Indeed, chapters 4 and 5 of Judges come to us with a unique feminine perspective. We see things through Deborah’s eyes, and then through Jael’s eyes.
So far we’ve seen Israel’s spiraling cycle of sin outlined, in Judges chapter 2. The cycle is this. The people follow God until Joshua dies. When Joshua dies, they turn to other gods. So, God sends other nations to punish Israel. Then, they cry out to God, so he sends a judge. And they follow God until that judge dies. But after the judge dies, they get worse than they were before. So, they are punished. So, they cry out, so God sends another judge, who saves them. And the cycle continues, on and on through Judges. That is the pattern. And so far, we’ve seen three judges.
Othniel, the Spirit-filled savior from the tribe of Judah. The archetypal Warrior-Judge who meets the enemy in battle. Then Ehud, the sinister minister, the left-handed assassin from Benjamin. Then Shamgar, the foreigner who saves with a pointy stick.
The Crisis: (Judges 4:1-3)
After Ehud died, Israel did evil in the eyes of God. Actually, they added to their evil. They got worse.
And so God delivered Israel into the hands of twin villains, Jabin, king of Canaan, and Sisera, his general. And these enemies had technological supremacy. They had 900 iron chariots. For 20 years, Jabin and Sisera violently oppressed Israel with their chariots. But God proved himself more powerful than chariots. So, chariots should be no problem with God on your side. But when God becomes your enemy, chariots are a problem. And God has become Israel’s enemy.
Deborah Has Arrived: (Judges 4:4-9)
At this time, God provided Israel with Deborah, the first and only female judge. And she is very good at multi-tasking. She had to… probably because of the lack of male leadership.
Deborah is first of all said to be a ‘woman’. This is her distinctiveness in the book of Judges. Ehud was left-handed. Barak was timid and weak. Samson had his fatal attraction. But Deborah is a woman, from the physically weaker sex.
Then Deborah is a prophetess. God gives her messages to pass on for Israel.
Then Deborah also is a wife. Her husband is Lappidoth. Whatever other jobs God gives her, her marriage cannot be ignored.
And finally, she was judging Israel at the time. Chapter 4 verse 5 makes it clear that of all the judges of Israel, Deborah is the only one described as actually judging between the people of Israel. Judges chapter 4 verse 5:
She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.

Deborah is pictured as settling the disputes for Israel. She is a judge in the way we understand it. It is not surprising that Deborah describes herself as a mother in Israel.
Now, in our political system, we have separation of powers. Judicial power is exercised by judges and courts. They decide between parties. Legislative power is exercised by Congress. They make laws. Military and police power is exercised by the executive government. They execute and enforce laws.
And it seems that Deborah wanted to simply be a judge. She was happy to settle the cases of her people. A Judge Judy in the hills of Ephraim. She didn’t want to execute and enforce the laws, just settle the disputes.
But there is some tough work that needs doing. And Deborah would much rather the soldiers do that work. Chapter 4 verse 6, Deborah calls in Barak of Naphtali. And as a prophetess, with the authority of God, she directs Barak to take 10,000 foot soldiers from Zebulun and Naphtali and leave the safety of the mountains. They are to march into a ravine with a dried-up river in the dry season. And of course, from a military perspective, the 10,000 foot soldiers are at a disadvantage, for the chariots are free to roll on the dry plain. But God through his prophetess promises Barak, ‘I will lure Sisera …and give him into your hands’.
God is setting Sisera a trap. Barak and his 10,000 are the bait. Sisera will be lured into the place where he thinks he has the military advantage. And then God, Israel’s secret weapon, will win the victory.

But sadly, Barak doesn’t seem to trust either Deborah’s word or God’s promise. Verse 8:
Barak said to her, ‘If you go with me, I will go, but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go’.
‘I will only go if you hold my hand’. Or, ‘I will only go if you come as my insurance’. Maybe Barak thinks, ‘If Deborah goes with me, then she believes what she is telling me.
Or maybe he is even thinking, ‘Deborah can be my human shield against God’. ‘That way God will have to keep his word’.
There is wisdom in Barak’s request. But it is worldly wisdom. It is not the wisdom of faith.
Nevertheless, Deborah accepts Barak’s condition. She is prepared to walk onto the battlefield with Barak. She believes in her own press and story. But there is a cost to Barak for his insurance policy, his worldly prudence. Verse 9:
‘Very well’, Deborah said, ‘I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honour will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman’.
It is as if God is saying, ‘You want a woman as insurance? Well, then a woman will get the battlefield glory, not you. And the coming generations will sing songs about her, not about you.
This is a rebuke to Barak. Barak was meant to be a leader. And leaders are meant to lead. But sadly, it looks like Barak prefers to hide behind Deborah’s skirt.
The Trap Is Sprung: (Judges 4:13-16)
God sets the trap. And sure enough, the bait is too tempting for Sisera. Sisera hears of the movement of Deborah and Barak’s troops. He mustered his 900 chariots, together with all his foot soldiers stationed with him. And Sisera goes to the dried-up river valley, thinking that the battle is his for the taking, just as it has been for the last 20 years.
But this time, things are different, very different. Verse 14:
Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone out ahead of you.’
The God of Israel has gone before to make Deborah, Barak and the soldiers win the battle for certain.
And it is the same with us. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ goes ahead of us, and the sovereign God prepares the hearts of those he has chosen to receive the gospel. The victory belongs to God, who opens the heart, who makes blind eyes see and who prepares the ground for the gospel seed. And when we engage in our battle, by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, we discover that, in some, God has already gone ahead, preparing hearts to receive the good news of Jesus. So verse 15:
At Barak’s advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
So much for the technological advantage of chariots. With God on your side, the chariots are death traps.
And with that same God, now known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, if God go before us, the world, the flesh and the devil will flee before us. And the gospel as our secret weapon, the news that Jesus is King of the universe, and his death and resurrection proclaims him Lord will carry all before us.
And after God goes before the Israelites, all that remains of Sisera’s soldiers and chariots, is one man. Only one remains – Sisera himself, on the run.
Jael The Assassin: (Judges 4:17-22)
Sisera might have escaped the battlefield. He might have escaped Barak. But Sisera hasn’t escaped from God.
Now Sisera is on foot. And he flees to where he thinks he will receive a friendly welcome. He goes to the tents of Heber. Because he knows he has friends there. And that is Sisera’s fatal mistake.
The Kenite’s are Moses’ in-laws. Whether it is because Jael is more loyal to Israel than she is to Sisera, or simply because she is a survivor and can feel the winds of change blowing, Jael uses the opportunity to kill Sisera, the cruel enemy of God’s people.
The story is of a dreadful murder of an exhausted man in his sleep. But the book of Judges leaves no sympathy for Sisera. Just as so many Americans rejoiced when they heard Osama Bin Laden was killed, so the Israelites rejoiced when their oppressor and enemy of 20 years was dead.
Just as God lured Sisera into the plain, so Jael lured Sisera into her tent. Jael calls him Lord and bids him not to fear. He asked for a little water, and she gave him a milk shake and yogurt. She tucks him in with a lovely warm blanket. And then, when he is fast asleep, she impales him through the head with a large iron tent peg.
Just as the seed of the woman will strike the serpents head, so the woman here strikes the head of the enemy of God’s people. And that was the beginning of the end of Jabin’s rule.
Barak should have beaten Sisera in battle. But because of his hesitant obedience, the great victories God gave him remain overshadowed by Jael’s achievements. It is Jael’s cunning and treachery that is celebrated, not Barak’s valiant deeds.
What can we take away from this story?
The first is a word for our women. Here is a heroine for you to emulate. Deborah. We can see the skill, determination and success of a godly woman. Deborah gave leadership and wisdom when others were failing. She carried her people with her. They came to her for judgment; such was the reputation of her discernment.
I think this passage also is a warning to men. It’s an implicit warning for men to be men and lead your family. Notice how the men in the story are the weak characters. Barak will only go into battle protected by Deborah. Sisera foolishly put his faith in a friendly female.
There is a better way for men to act.
Men are made leaders and protectors. They are meant to be the initiators. But we live in a time of a crisis in male leadership. Men don’t know what it is to be a man anymore. If you subscribe to the stereotype that it’s manly to behave badly, to swear, to leer, to be brash and rude, to make conquests and move on, then you’re sadly mistaken.
Deborah wanted Barak and the leaders of Israel to take the lead and willingly offer themselves for service. But they only did so in a measured way. They wanted to sure up their position before they offered their service. That’s not taking responsibility for defense.
Gentlemen, we need to offer distinctively male leadership. It is leadership that takes the initiative in seeking to serve God’s people, and particularly our women and children. It fights when necessary. It does so to protect women, children and our people.
There is something that feels not quite right when we don’t make our women feel safe… physically, financially, spiritually and emotionally. Isn’t there something of value in men doing the tough jobs and protecting women?
Men, we do have a model man, a captain who we can copy. Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:6-11
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Here is our model man. And unlike Barak, he gets the glory – all of it. But whether men will stand up and do what they should, or whether they’ll leave it to their women to do, Deborah shows us one thing. God will save his people his way. And if the men don’t go and play their part, the women will, much to the men’s shame.