Judges 4 WISE WOMEN We may not realize those who we think are okay being with, really aren't. Life in the kingdom of God is not compatible with life in the world. The Lord was behind the servitude the children of Israel had to endured from those they had not dealt with in God's way before. Sin overlooked, may rise up to bite us at a later time. When God's people "do what is evil in the eyes of the Lord," that expresses how serious sin is. This is not some lightweight matter to God even though it may be a common practice among the people around us. Enemies from within appear to be harmless friends at first and we can get used to them and they to us.
It may because we have become soft on sin ourselves and think the problem is gone, when suddenly we are surprised when the attack takes place. At first it may just be a sort of distancing of people from us and when contact is renewed, it is on the basis of us doing what they want, rather than them wanting what we want. Twenty years of putting up with sin ourselves can make us realize that this is a hopeless situation. By having put up with sin for years does not mean we escape the consequences of sin.
Finally, when we are awakened to our failure, we will be ready to turn to God for His help in this problem. We need God's control, God's strength and guidance. Such a time can be a very good thing for us although the process of recovery may seem hard. God often will choose a very special person, man or woman, to lead and guide us by the Holy Spirit back into the paths of righteousness of His choosing. Those people need to have exceptional wisdom and be people of integrity in themselves. They need insight from God to know His will and the courage to do it.
Deborah (eloquent) was the person of God's choosing for that time. She was the exceptional judge. She was from the tribe of Ephraim and lived between Ramah (the high place) and Bethel (the house of God). By the time twenty years had taken their toll on the Israelites they were willing to seek her help for this matter of oppression from local enemies. Jabin seems to be the title of a ruler such as "Pharoah" in Egypt or "Abimelech" of the Philistines or "Herod" in the New Testament. In Joshua 11, Jabin (understanding, wise, wisdom) the king of Hazor, is slain. Contrast that with "Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God;" "Christ Jesus, who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness...." (1Cor.1:24, 30). Then compare this with the "wisdom of the world," "wisdom that knew not God," "wisdom after the flesh," "man's wisdom." The wisdom of God makes all these foolish.
Jabin, king of Canaan, is a picture of Satan. He was defeated and slain in the past. (Heb.2:14,15). Satan was defeated at the cross. Yet he was still living, opposing God's people, and subdued by them. (1Pet.5:8). Satan is continually opposing, accusing, slandering and challenging God's people. He will be utterly destroyed in the future. (Rev.12:7-12; 20:7-10). The servitude of Israel wasn't his fault though. it was their own. They didn't learn the lessons of the past. They deliberately did evil again and turned from God to pagan idolatry. Consequently, they were "sold" into bondage. In that condition they were unarmed (5:8) and humanly speaking, hopeless. Deborah was God's answer to their need. As a prophetess, she received revelations from God. There were other women as well who did this: Miraim (Ex.15:20); Huldah (2Kings 22:14-20); Anna (Lu.2:36); Four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8,9). Her husband was Lapidoth (flaming torch; of earth). Deborah was a judge who was conscious of her responsibility. She saw a need (5:6,7) and she was realistic about meeting that need. She set a goal; she enlisted the help (4:6a) of Barak (lightning; from heaven). She motivated the help (4:6b-9) he could give when she confronted him with God's command; strengthened him with God's promise and encouraged him with her presence. She knew that to act without preparation was not going to work and that she needed to developed a plan (4:6-7). Almost anyone can see a need, but it is another thing to come up with a plan to deal with it. Her faith (v.14) was not in the skill of her leadership, nor in the number of people that could be rallied to face the opposition. Even though there was planning, and the rallying of the people, there was no question about victory (vs.10-24) because it was God's plan.
As far as Barak was concerned, he may have been strong and agile, but he knew his limitations. He knew he needed the help of one who really knew God. He had not learned to trust God only. He had 10,000 with him but he needed one particular woman who knew God and communicated with Him. Numbers do not guarantee victories. God can use who He chooses and wants people who are willing to act for Him to the best of their ability, using what they have. Iron chariots cannot withstand the power of God unleashed through willing servants.
There were three stages that brought the conclusion to the battle that brought an end to the twenty years of servitude. The military situation was that Israel was outmanned (10,000); totally out-supplied by 900 chariots of iron versus no spears or shields; out-positioned because they were men on foot on a flat plain who were up against chariots; like infantry alone opposing a huge tank force. The second stage was the intervention of God (v.15; 5:21). The brook Kishon became a torrent and the chariots and horses got mired and bogged down so the enemy could not escape the army of the Lord. Third was the death of Sisera (v.17- 24). Even though at the battle of Mount Tabor, all of Sisera's men were dealt with completely and permanently, their leader, Sisera escaped the hands of the victorious army. In one family, the husband, Heber, chose to be neutral, and probably was inclined toward the army of 900 "iron chariots." His wife, Jael, sided with Israel. Neutrality in spiritual things is really impossible. Sisera fled to the tent of a non-Israelite where a pagan woman (Jael) defeated the leader of the enemies with a hammer and nail.