The God Who Raises Delieverers

Judges

Week 10 — The God Who Raises Deliverers

  1. Israel’s helplessness under oppression.

  2. The LORD raises up his servants.

8 But Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go, but if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She answered, “All right. I will go with you, but because [כִּי (kē)] of the way you are going about it, the honor will not be yours. [כִּי (kē) here but not translated] The Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Jdg 4:8–9)
And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Jdg 4:9, ESV)

Tim Keller: His (Barak’s) desire to take Deborah with him is not disobedience, but done out of a recognition that Deborah is a godly woman who speaks God's words. Why wouldn't he want her with him?

10 Barak called up the forces of Zebulun and Naphtali to meet at Kedesh. Ten thousand men went up on foot, and Deborah also went up with him.  (Jdg 4:10)
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. (Jdg 4:11)
Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, who made all kinds of tools and weapons from bronze and iron. (Ge 4:22a)
Jabin king of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. (Jdg 4:2b)
12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam (a-vē-nō-am) had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera led out all his chariots (nine hundred iron chariots) and all the people who were with him from Harosheth Haggoyim, and they came to the stream Kishon. (Jdg 4:12–13)

  1. The Lord wins the victory in _____________________ ways.

14 Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! Today is the day that the Lord has given Sisera into your hands! Is not the Lord going ahead of you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men followed him. (Jdg 4:14)
15a The Lord threw Sisera, all his chariots, and all his troops into confusion [הָמַם (hā·mǎm)] with the edge of the sword of Barak. (Jdg 4:15a)
During the last watch of the night, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud. Then he confused [הָמַם (hā·mǎm)] the Egyptian forces. (Ex 14:24)
The same Hebrew verb הָמַם (hā·mǎm) is used in both of these accounts for the Lord throwing the enemies into confusion.
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away, the torrent from ancient times, the torrent Kishon. Keep marching, my soul, in strength. (Jdg 5:21)
4 He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His elite officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep waters covered them. They sank down to the depths like a stone. (Ex 15:4–5)
15b So Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. (Jdg 4:15b)
16 Barak pursued the chariots and the troops as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army fell by the edge of the sword. Not a single man was left. (Jdg 4:16)
The waters came back and covered the chariots and the charioteers, the entire army of Pharaoh that went into the sea after the Israelites. Not even one of them survived. (Ex 14:28)
17 Sisera meanwhile fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the household of Heber the Kenite. (Jdg 4:17)
18 Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “This way [סוּר (sûr)], my lord. Come here[סוּר (sûr)] to me! Do not be afraid.” So he turned aside [סוּר (sûr)] to her, went into her tent, and she hid him with a covering. (Jdg 4:18)
19 He said to her, “Give me something to drink, please—just a little water, because I am thirsty.” She opened a skin of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up. (Jdg 4:19)
He took cheese curds, milk, and the calf that he had prepared and set it before them. He stood beside them under the tree while they ate. (Ge 18:8)
20 After that, he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 But then Jael wife of Heber took a tent stake, and gripping a hammer in her hand, she came to Sisera quietly and drove the stake through his temple, right through into the ground. Sisera had been fast asleep, exhausted—now he was dead! 22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael came out to meet him. She said to him, “Come in, and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went with her, and there he was. Sisera was lying there dead, with the tent stake through his temple. (Jdg 4:20–22)
But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Ac 5:29)
23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the people of Israel, 24 and the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan, until they cut down Jabin king of Canaan. … 31b Then the land was quiet for forty years. (Jdg 4:23–24; 5:31b)

Points to Ponder

  1. What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
  2. Read Judges 4:10–13. How does Sisera’s military strength contrast with Israel’s apparent weakness? Why do you think the narrator highlights Sisera’s 900 iron chariots again (v. 13)?
  3. Read Judges 4:14–16. What stands out about Barak’s obedience to Deborah’s word in v. 14? How does this section show that the LORD is the true warrior in the battle?
  4. Read Judges 4:17–21. What do you make of Jael’s role in this story? How do you evaluate her actions? Why might God choose an unlikely, non-Israelite woman to bring down Sisera?
  5. Read Judges 4:22–24. Why do you think the writer spends time emphasizing the aftermath of Sisera’s defeat and the decline of Jabin? How does this show that God’s deliverance is not just a single event but an ongoing work?
  6. Looking at the whole chapter (Judges 4). How does the LORD demonstrate his power in ways that overturn human assumptions about strength, leadership, and victory? What “unexpected places” in your life has God shown his power?
  7. What does this account teach us about trusting God’s surprising ways, even when they don’t match our plans or expectations?
  8. How can this shape the way we think about weakness, suffering, or being overlooked in the world’s eyes?

Read: Judges 6