Judges 4,5

Judges 4

1Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died. 2And 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. 3The 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. 4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5She 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. 6Now 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. 7'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.'" 8Then 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." 9She 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. 10Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him. 11Now 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. 12Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14Deborah 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. 15The 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. 16But 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. 17Now 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. 18Jael 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. 19He 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. 20He 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.'" 21But 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. 22And 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. 23So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. 24The 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 5

1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2"That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the LORD! 3"Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I--to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel. 4"LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water. 5"The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, This Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel. 6"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways. 7"The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel. 8"New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel. 9"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the LORD! 10"You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road--sing! 11"At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the LORD, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates. 12"Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam. 13"Then survivors came down to the nobles; The people of the LORD came down to me as warriors. 14"From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office. 15"And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart. 16"Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart. 17"Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings. 18"Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field. 19"The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no plunder in silver. 20"The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera. 21"The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength. 22"Then the horses' hoofs beat From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds. 23'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD, 'Utterly curse its inhabitants; Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the warriors.' 24"Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent. 25"He asked for water and she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds. 26"She reached out her hand for the tent peg, And her right hand for the workmen's hammer. Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head; And she shattered and pierced his temple. 27"Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead. 28"Out of the window she looked and lamented, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, 'Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?' 29"Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself, 30'Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil? A maiden, two maidens for every warrior; To Sisera a spoil of dyed work, A spoil of dyed work embroidered, Dyed work of double embroidery on the neck of the spoiler?' 31"Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might."

And the land was undisturbed for forty years.



-Deborah did not summon Israel to battle, but instead affirmed male leadership by relaying a message from God to Barak to lead the nation to war.

-Deborah never went out to people, they came to her.

-When Barak insisted that Deborah go with him, Deborah rebukes Barak.

-When this time is referred to from other passages, only Barak is acknowledged, Deborah is not mentioned. (1 Samuel 12:11 and Hebrews 11:32).

-Deborah rejoices in male leadership, Judges 5:2 and 9. She rejoices when men take the lead. Throughout this passage she rejoices in male leadership and rebukes them when they don’t step up.

-Paul says that the position of judge can be given to the lowliest of people (although I am not quick to use this argument).

-Perhaps where men do not stand up and there is not one to lead God can raise a woman, but here we see that that raising of a woman was to raise men to lead, not to establish a woman as a leader. Deborah called Barak to lead and rejoiced over the leadership of men. For example, if a woman is overseas and wins others to Christ, where there was no church, her place is to seek to raise men to lead.

-I think Deborah and the Jael are an example to the men and a reminder that men are not to be the leaders because they are more capable at it then women. Deborah and Jael keep the men from being prideful and degrading the abilities of the women around them. God did not make men leaders because they were better then women, but because it was His design and a testimony to His wisdom and glory. And as for Israel, so it is with the church, it is far better when men do lead.

-What does it mean to be a mother in Israel?

Part of a letter I wrote: I agree with you on Deborah. I think that Barak is the one that God called to lead, from what Deborah had said it sounds like Barak had already been told to lead (although I am not certain on this), but would not step up. Also when this time is referred to later in the Bible, Barak not Deborah is referred to. I think Deborah was a faithful woman, in a time when men refused to lead, and others saw that and her wisdom, and came to her for judgment as one would seek council from a wise woman, she was indeed a mother in Israel. And I don't want to belittle this. I think this is also a warning to the men. That, yes, they are supposed to lead, but it is not because they are better or necessarily more capable, and they should never use the fact that God has called them to lead for pride or to demean a woman, as some men have. I think what is different about Deborah than other women is that she called the man out to lead. If you read her song, she rejoiced over the fact that men led in the war that men were standing up and taking their places as men. She backed male leadership. I like what you said, "She was in a sense a "mother", trying to get her spiritual son out there to lead." I think something else, as you said, this is only recorded to have happened once in the Bible which was written over a period of thousands (at least hundreds) of years. I think some women use Deborah to be too eager to step out where God has not placed them. It should be a rarity and not an excuse to step out where God is not. Even with Deborah, the people came to her, and I think she responded to the people as a mother, not the other way around.

What is often done today by women who step out in the church when men don’t lead is inpatients, lack of faith, and pride. Often the motivation is not to support male leadership, but to take up the lead where it is lacking. It is not a reflection of Deborah, who affirmed male leadership. Even if they wait for men to lead out, it is at the most often only a few minutes. And often it is not even seconds. They speak before men even get a chance to lead out. I hear women asking for men to lead out, but then refusing to be patient and wait in silence. Are there women willing to wait for months in silence and prayer, not speaking, and praying and waiting for men to lead and believing in men and in their ability to lead, and trusting that the Lord will raise them up? And when they don’t are they willing to be obedient to God and not step out. I would like to see such women in the church, women who are strong, women who believe in the men and are willing support the men of the church and be a help-meet as the Bible calls them to be, and wait for God to do this. If men still do not lead does that mean that women can lead, of course not? Nowhere is this command based on the behavior of men. Women should continue to affirm male leadership. Should one fail to obey God because others do not? A woman is to obey the word of God and wait and pray and trust the Lord however long it takes. In the meantime, does God not hear their hearts and their prayers? And cannot they in submission have other women to pray with them and grow in the Lord with the women in the church? Does not God use their godliness as they serve? Women are not just supposed to be idle when men don’t lead; they are still supposed to be strong and full of good works. The depths of God’s word should be expressed in all that they do or say. I believe if women stepped out in strength it would encourage men to lead and given time men would step up. What is the example of 1 Peter 3, when the man is ungodly and unwilling to lead in the Lord? This is how God would have woman respond to the lack of male leadership. I think women would be amazed by how much power and influence they have over men as they obey God’s word patiently in full trust of their Father. I believe that if women would wait and be patient and obedient that God will move and raise up men to be men in the church and the church would be stronger then if they do not wait. The scripture says that women can either build a home or tear it down.

I think often that many have such a fear that God cannot speak to His church and so they step out ahead of God and hinder God’s work. Good things may still happen, but they miss out on God’s best. God is a patient God and He is capable. And He will do things according to His word, not in spite of it.

A Quote from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: "(1) Deborah is a special case because she seems to be the only judge in Judges who has no military function. The other judges also lead Israel into victory in battle, but Deborah receives a word from the Lord that Barak is to do this (Judges 4:6-7). Deborah is not asserting leadership for herself; she gives priority to a man. (2) There is an implied rebuke of Barak because he is not willing to go to battle without Deborah (Judges 4:8). Because of his reluctance, the glory that day will go to a woman (Judges 4:9), but note that the woman is not Deborah but Jael (Judges 4:17ff.). In other words, Deborah did speak the word of God, but her attitude and demeanor were such that she was not asserting her leadership. Instead, she handed over the leadership, contrary to the pattern of all the other judges, to a man. (3) Both Deborah and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20) exercised their gift of prophecy differently from the men who possessed the gift. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other male prophets exercised a public ministry where they proclaimed the word of the Lord. But note that Deborah did not prophecy in public. Instead, her prophetic role seems to be limited to private and individual instruction. Judges 4:5 says, "And 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" (nasb). Note that Deborah did not go out and publicly proclaim the word of the Lord. Instead, individuals came to her in private for a word from the Lord. The difference between Deborah’s prophetic ministry and that of male Old Testament prophets is clear. She did not exercise her ministry in a public forum as they did. Note that even when she speaks to Barak she calls him and speaks to him individually (Judges 4:6,14). And the song of praise in Judges 5:1 was sung by both Deborah and Barak together. A confirming argument for this view is found in the case of Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20). She did not publicly proclaim God’s word. Rather, she explained in private the word of the Lord when Josiah sent messengers to her. She exercised her prophetic ministry in a way that did not obstruct male headship. The prophetic ministry of Miriam is no exception to this, because she ministered only to women. "Then Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them . . ." (Exodus 15:20, my italics)."