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Judges
Chapter
4
{Chapter
4 is the History (narrative) and Chapter 5 is the Victory
Song (in poetry form)}
{Note: RBT covered Judges 4 and 5 in the 1967 John series 424 at lesson 93. He discussed the individuals first. Barak was a weak man from the tribe of Naphtali - but he did have a strong name - his name means 'lightening' or 'glittering of the sword. Next was Sisera. Sisera was a strong man humanly speaking (but an unbeliever) and the most likely meaning of his name is 'attack'. Next, mentioned was a grace lady named Deborah. Her name means bee. And we will see that Deborah was the 'queen-bee'. This is a Theocracy meaning that God rules Israel. But, He had representatives on Earth through whom He worked. Deborah was a prophetess. So we will see, Deborah was truly the ruler of Israel in these days. Finally mentioned is an Arab woman named Jael. Jael is the Hebrew word for a wild mountain goat called the Ibex. Jael is actually a male name so it is like a father wanting a son and giving his daughter the name 'George'. She also is a mature believer who will become very famous.}
1~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
again
'added evil to evil'
{evil on the inside became evil on the outside}
in
the sight of the Jehovah/God,
when
Ehud was dead.
{Ehud was a great man and a mature believer with an ECS}
2~~And
the Jehovah/God
sold
them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan,
who
reigned/'had his headquarters' in Hazor.
The
general of whose army was Sisera . . .
who
lived in prosperity in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
{Note: 'Sold' here is a way of referring to a nation going under the 4th cycle of discipline. The 4th cycle is to come under the military control of another nation. Next, this is not the same Jabin mentioned in Joshua.}
3~~And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
cried
aloud unto Jehovah/God . . .
for
he {Sisera} had nine hundred chariots of iron.
And
for twenty years
he
mightily oppressed the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}.
{Note: The Israelites are in a period of apostasy. They are not interested in God or His Word until disaster strikes and NOW they cry to Him for help. 20 years represents an entire generation of apostasy and oppression so there was no deliverance from the Lord.}
{Deliverance
begins with a Woman - Deborah}
4~~And
Deborah, a prophetess,
the
wife of Lapidoth {name means torches},
ruled/'decided
judicial cases' {shaphat} over Israel at that time.
{Note: This is an exception to the rule. Normally to get out of trouble, a strong man must lead the nation. Here is a mature believer with an Edification Complex of her soul. She has to lead the nation out of trouble because she knows more doctrine, has a higher spiritual IQ then anyone else in the land. She also had the gift of prophecy.}
{Note: This was the day of the Theocracy in Israel. God ruled. But He had representatives on Earth through whom He worked. So, Deborah was truly the ruler of the land in these days.}
5~~And
she lived in prosperity under the palm tree of Deborah
between
Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim.
And
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el} came up to her
'for
judgment'/'to decide cases'.
{Note: Here is where Deborah handled the administration of the country.}
6-7~~And
she {Deborah} sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam
out
of Kedesh-Naphtali, and said unto him,
"Has
not Jehovah/God . . .
'Elohiym/Godhead
of Israel commanded, saying,
'Go
and draw toward mount Tabor,
and
take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali
and
of the children of Zebulun?' 7~~
And
I {God} will draw unto you . . .
to
the river Kishon
Sisera,
the general of Jabin's army,
with
his chariots and his infantry
{Sisera has 900 chariots and a large infantry to go with it}
and
I will deliver him into your hand."
{Note: This is a PROMISE from God! All Barak has to do is believe it!}
8~~And
Barak said unto her,
"If
you will go with me, then I will go.
But
if you will not go with me, then I will not go."
{Note: Barak is great fighter. But he is very immature spiritually here. The promise of God is not of importance to him. Only if SHE will go with him, will he go! He has to lean on her maturity to believe the promise of God!}
9~~And
she said, "Going . . . I will go with you.
Notwithstanding
the journey
that
you take shall not be for your honor . . .
{Barak will NOT receive any medals for this action}
for
the Jehovah/God shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman."
{the woman will end up be an Arab woman named Jael - another
spiritually mature woman}
And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10~~And
Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh.
And
he went up with ten thousand men at his feet.
And
Deborah went up with him.
11~~Now
Heber the Kenite
{the Arab woman Jael is his wife},
who
was of the children of Hobab - the father in law of Moses -
{Father of Moses' first wife}
had
severed himself from the Kenites,
and
pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim,
which
is by Kedesh.
{Sisera's
G2 Intelligence group reports}
12~~And
they reported to Sisera that Barak, the son of Abinoam,
had
gone up to mount Tabor.
13~~And
Sisera gathered together all his chariots . . .
even
nine hundred chariots of iron,
and
all the infantry who were with him,
from
Harosheth of the Gentiles
unto
the river of Kishon.
{Note: This is a large army spread out over a large territory of land.}
14~~And
Deborah said unto Barak {she gives the orders},
"Up.
For this is the day in which Jehovah/God
has
given Sisera into your hand.
Is
not Jehovah/God gone out before you?"
So
Barak went down from mount Tabor,
and
ten thousand men after him.
15~~And
the Jehovah/God
'kept
on causing confusion'/'thwarted the plans of'/discomfited/'defeated
in battle' Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his army . . . with
the edge of the sword before Barak.
So that Sisera dismounted his chariot, and fled away by foot.
{Note: Apparently Sisera knew the chariots were trapped and doomed so Sisera tried to get away to fight another day.}
16~~But
Barak pursued after the chariots,
and
after the army/infantry,
unto
Harosheth of the Gentiles.
And
all the army of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword . . .
and
there was not a man left.
{Note: So 900 chariots and their charioteers and all the infantry all died - only Sisera got away.}
17~~Howbeit
Sisera fled away on his feet 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.
18~~And
Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him,
"Turn
in, my lord, turn in to me {come into my tent} . . .
and
do not be afraid."
And
when he had turned in unto her into the tent,
she
covered him with a mantle {a cover}.
{Note: When a woman calls you 'my lord' it can be great or terrible - depending on the character of the woman calling you 'my lord'. Here, he is in trouble. If a woman says not be afraid, be very afraid!}
19~~And
he said unto her,
"Give
me, Please/'I pray you', a little water to drink . . .
for
I am thirsty."
And
she opened a bottle of milk,
and
gave him drink, and covered him.
{Note: Water makes a person a little more alert. Milk on the other hand makes you relax and sleepy.}
20~~Again
he said unto her,
"Stand
in the door of the tent, and it shall be,
when
any man does come and inquire of you, and say,
'Is
there any man here?' . . . that you shall say, 'No'."
21~~Then
Jael, Heber's wife, took a nail/tent-peg of the tent,
and
took an hammer in her hand,
and
went softly unto him,
and
smote the tent-peg into his temples,
and
fastened it into the ground . . .
for
he was fast asleep and weary.
So he {Sisera} died.
22~~And,
behold,
as
Barak pursued Sisera,
Jael
came out to meet him, and said unto him,
"Come,
and I will show you all the man whom you seek."
And
when he came into her tent, behold,
Sisera
lay dead, and the tent-peg was in his temples.
23~~So
'Elohiym/Godhead
subdued
on that day Jabin, the king of Canaan,
before
the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}.
{Note: To Whom did the glory go? It rightly went to God! He used the weak (two women) to confuse the wise (Sisera).}
24~~And
the hand of the sons of Israel {bene Yisra'el}
prospered
and prevailed against Jabin, the king of Canaan,
until
they had destroyed Jabin, king of Canaan.
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