We are reminded that after the death of Ehud Israel turned to evil and as a result The LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, King of Canaan who reigned from Hazor. This was part of the inheritance given to Naphtali (Joshua 19:36) and was a fortified city. Evidently the tribe of Naphtali had still not driven out the occupants of this city as they were instructed as there was still a King ruling there. Jabin also had a large cruel army which oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. (v3). The commander of the king’s army was Sisera who we shall encounter later.
The problem, every time, is their failure to obey God’s command to have nothing to do with the occupants of Canaan and to drive them out. God’s promise was that the land was theirs so long as they obeyed, but they failed to do so and hence the promise remained elusive. But not only so, they fell into the ways of the enemy and began to serve their gods and resort to idolatry. Those gods couldn’t save them – Jeremiah 2:28 says, “Let your gods arise, if they can save you in the time of trouble.” But of course, they couldn’t.
Further in Jeremiah 2:31 we read, “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam, we will come to you no more’? Does a young woman forget her jewellery, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number. How skilled you are at pursuing love! Even the worst of women can learn from your ways. On your clothes is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? (I am intrigued by the KJV here “Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way?”) You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria.”
As a Lancashire lad ‘gadding’ was a term used when you were wandering aimlessly, from one thing to another. This seems to be what they were doing – wandering to find pleasure.
Ever noticed how people react to tragedy – even those who class themselves as non-religious try to get the attention of God, a reference is often made to praying, a cry for help to the LORD.
It would be nice to think that Almighty God is just waiting for times of panic so that He can send all the emergency equipment of heaven to the rescue. God may use tragedy to expose the emptiness and futility of humanistic values and temporal false gods.
The LORD may ask the same question of us, “Why do you cry to me now?” Where are your famous people and beautiful women? Why not seek help from your television or your cheque book or credit card or your comfortable home? Can these gods who we serve now help us?
This is not a very consoling thought, but God doesn’t want us to think we can go on trusting in false gods and disobeying His word and still expect Him to protect us from the consequences. However, He does graciously grant forgiveness if we are truly repentant, and He offers hope and help to those who have learned to depend upon Him all the time.
A small couplet comes to mind – The gods of this world are empty and vain. They cannot give peace to one’s heart. The living and true One deserves all our love. From Him may we never depart.
Fourth Judge – Deborah.
She comes on to the scene in chapters 4 and 5. She is described as a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth (4:4) and her court was beneath a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel.
The Israelites had been oppressed for twenty years by King Jabin and his army captain Sisera with his 900 chariots of iron. Deborah called up Barak to bring 10,000 men to Mt Tabor and attack the enemy. She had received a message from The LORD that He would draw Sisera and his army and chariots to the River Kishon and deliver them into Israel’s hands.
Barak said that he wouldn’t go unless Deborah went with him (v8) She agreed to go but said that because of this he wouldn’t receive the honour but rather a woman would receive it (v9).
God has not made man superior to woman, but, over the years of time man has often usurped his God-given authority over woman and treated them not as persons but chattels.
When the woman sinned in the Garden of Eden, part of the judgement of God was that, her desire would be for her husband and he would rule over her.
One commentator has said that we men have exploited that judgement. What are we doing to meet the needs of our wives? The Bible says that we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. That is a great responsibility and it is a tall order.
It seems that Barak missed God’s blessing because he would not fulfil his God-given role to lead. Likewise, we would be more honourable if we sought to fulfil the role God has given to us more carefully, sensitively and wisely.
Barak had taken his men up the mountain. Sisera was told by Heber the Kenite (who were descendants of Caleb) who had left the rest of his family, that the men of Barak were trapped up the mountain and Sisera brought his army with their iron chariots (sophisticated weapons for those days) to the river to cut them off.
Deborah told Barak to take his army down the mountain to attack Sisera. God intervened and the chariots became bogged down in the mud and Barak destroyed the army of Sisera (v16). Sisera had fled on foot and went to the tent of Heber and met Jael (Heber’s wife). Heber’s family were on friendly terms with the King Jabin (v17).
Jael hid Sisera in her tent (v18) and Sisera having requested a drink of water, was given milk, usually a bed-time drink and sure enough he fell asleep. He obviously was in a deep sleep because Jael then set to work and hammered a tent peg right through his temple and pinned him to the ground. (v21). He must have been a heavy sleeper! When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael showed him Sisera ‘dead as a door nail (or a tent peg)’. The glory indeed was to a woman. (5:24)
