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In today’s class, we will be talking about how Deborah and Barak led their people to freedom. Enjoy the class!
Deborah and Barak Lead their People to Freedom
Bible Text: Judge 4:1-24
There was a period in Israel’s history called the era of the Judges. This was a time when the judges were military leaders. During this period, the Israelites found themselves ensnared in spiritual bondage right in their own country because they sinned against God. Meanwhile, God also handed them over to the Canaanites to be punished. During this period also, Ehud the Judge had just died and Deborah had been made the judge in Israel in his stead. So the people cried out to God and God listened to their cries and empowered Deborah to rescue the Israelites. But being a woman, she could not lead a war. So she invited Barak who was the son of Abinoam to help. Barak and Deborah led the war again the king of Canaan, Jabin, his army commander Sisera and the entire Canaan army. With ten thousand soldiers God helped the Israelites to defeat the Canaanites. Sisera, the Canaan army commander ran away on foot to the tent of Jael who after giving him milk stabbed him with a peg on his head. This brought peace to Israel.
The account of Deborah and Barak is found in Judges 4 and 5 in the Old Testament. The Israelites had been under the control of the Canaanite king Jabin and the commander of his army, Sisera. The Canaanites had 900 chariots of iron and ruled over Israel for 20 years (Judges 4:2-3). Deborah was a prophetess, poet and a judge. He led Israel to war and helped free them from the bondage of Canaanites. The Israelites became free again after this war, giving credence to the fact that God wants his people to be free. He can use anybody to accomplish this; man or woman. Will you make yourself available for God’s works because.
Deborah judged or made rulings for the people of Israel under a palm tree during that time. One of Deborah’s judgments was to instruct Barak to summon 10,000 men and attack Jabin’s army. Likely fearful to comply with such a command, Barak told Deborah, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go” (Judges 4:8). She replied, “Certainly I will go with you. … But because of the course, you are taking, the honour will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman” (verse 9).
Deborah and Barak then gathered 10,000 troops and attack Sisera and his army. Barak’s troops won: “All Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left” (Judges 4:16). Sisera himself fled to the tent of a Hebrew woman named Jael. She gave him milk to drink and covered him with a blanket in the tent. Then, “Jael picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died” (verse 21)
Lessons for today from the lives of Deborah and Barak
- God often calls people to step out in faith to attempt the unexpected
- God often uses unlikely people and sources to accomplish His plans.
- God sometimes requires great risk and effort on our behalf as part of His divine plan. In the case of Deborah and Barak, they risked their lives in war, while Jael took in a runaway fugitive and risked her life to end his and help free Israel from oppression.
Ultimately, this account reveals that God is in control of the nations and change their leaders according to His desire
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