Judges 4:10-24
Prayer: Father, remind us this morning of Your goodness and your greatness. Use this wonderful Bible story to cause Your Spirit to kill remaining doubt and fear in our hearts, so that we may know Christ as the King of kings. Amen.
Introduction
The Bible teaches that God decreed the history of the world before it began:
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Is. 46:9-10).
“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph. 1:11).
This plan is for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), and it is demonstrating God’s wisdom and power through the weak things of this world: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27ff).
This episode in Judges is one of those stories that highlights the goodness of the sovereignty of God. Calvinists should be the happiest, bravest people in the world.
The Text: “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. Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh…”
Summary of the Text
So Barak went up to Mt. Tabor with ten thousand men as Deborah had counseled, and Sisera was told and he gathered his forces along with his 900 iron chariots (just as God said he would) (Judges 4:10-13). At Deborah’s signal, Barak led his men down the mountain, and God disturbed Sisera’s chariots such that his army was routed and annihilated (Judges 4:14-16). But Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, whose family had a treaty with Jabin, and Jael welcomed him warmly and agreed to watch out for anyone looking for him (Judges 4:17-20). When the general was fast asleep, Jael pounded a large nail into his head, so that when Barak arrived, he found him dead (Judges 4:21-22). So God delivered His people from Jabin king of Canaan (Judges 4:23-24).
Jael Wife of Heber
Deborah had foretold that the glory for the victory would go to a woman, but if you’re just reading the story, you might think that means Deborah. But clearly Jael becomes the hero.
It is worth noting once more that Jael is perfectly justified in lying and deceiving Sisera since this is war. She reminds a bit of Rahab hiding the spies or the Hebrew midwives who lied to Pharaoh to save the baby boys.
It is also worth pointing out that while we stand by the Biblical prohibition against women in combat, we do not at all object to women being equipped to defend themselves in extremis. As Father Christmas told Susan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: “You must use the bow only in great need… for I do not mean you to fight in the battle.” The trick is to have some preparation while remaining entirely feminine. There are some classes that jettison the very principle they claim to be wanting to protect (e.g. men fighting women).
Heber the Kenite, related to Jethro, Moses’s father in-law, had flagrantly disobeyed God who had forbidden His people from making treaties with the Canaanites (Ex. 23:32-33, Dt. 7:1-2), and this is why Sisera assumed he would be safe (Judges 4:17). It is also possible from the text that Heber or members of his family were the ones who tipped Sisera off to the location of Barak and his forces at Mt. Tabor (Judges 4:11-12). All of this underlines the courage of Jael. She was not merely very fearless in welcoming the general and killing him, but apparently, she did it all in defiance of her husband.
Unlike Sapphira who went along with her husband’s disobedience (Acts 5), Jael, like Abigail, knew that her loyalty and submission to her husband was “in the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). All human authority is limited by Christ, and no human authority is absolute. While a Christian woman is required by God to ordinarily seek to win her husband over by her submissive and gracious conduct (1 Pet. 3:1-6), this is not a mindless submission and may sometimes require a woman to disobey a disobedient husband.
But notice where Jael was when this opportunity came: she was busy keeping her home. Jael is not an example of a proto feminist. She was not getting her “bass babe” game on. She was making her home. She was serving her disobedient husband. She is model of an Arch-Homemaker – doing exactly what 1 Pet. 3 tells wives to do. She was being faithful to her husband, her calling, and her sex, and God brought her an unusual opportunity. As the Song of Deborah celebrates her, “blessed above women in the tent.”
The Sovereignty of God
This story underlines the sovereignty of God. Deborah had promised that if Barak gathered ten thousand men at Mt. Tabor, then God would “draw” Sisera and his chariots to the River Kishon where God would deliver them into Barak’s hand (Judges 4:7). Even though Barak did not have the greatest faith, he obeyed (with Deborah along for moral support), and God did exactly what He promised. That is encouragement to all who are sometimes fearful in their obedience.
But notice that Sisera did not think that he was being drawn into an ambush: his scouts told him that Barak was at Mt. Tabor (Judges 4:12). Sisera believed he had Barak trapped, when in fact, it was God luring him into a trap. During the Korean War, American forces were surrounded by the Chinese, and General Chesty Puller said, “All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us… they can’t get away this time.”
On the surface, ten thousand poor, untrained Israelites would not appear to be a match for Sisera’s 900 iron chariots and presumably a multitude of well-armed and trained soldiers. It may be the Barak’s attack caught Sisera off guard, but the real kicker was that God “disturbed” Sisera’s chariots (Judges 4:15). And we learn in the Song of Deborah that God did this with a great rainstorm, which caused the River Kishon to flood and all the chariots got swept away or stuck in the mud (Judges 5:21). This explains why Sisera had to flee on foot (Judges 4:17).
The great irony is that the Canaanites worshipped Baal, the storm god, but Barak (whose name means “lightning”) served the true God of the storm. This story reminds us a great deal of Pharaoh and his horses and chariots (Ex. 14-15). But even though Sisera initially escaped, God’s storm still found him. This is the sovereignty of God down to every detail, including the sinful intentions of Heber the Kenite.
Conclusion
The text is clear: “God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan…” In fact, “king of Canaan” is repeated three times (Judges 4:23-24). Who is the true king of Canaan? God. He uses weak military leaders. He uses storms. He uses ragtag armies. He uses the plots of wicked men. He uses corrupt apostates. He uses women busy at home. He uses whomever and whatever He wants. He is God. He is King over all the kings.
He uses our frail efforts. He uses conniving politicians. He uses CNN. He uses slanders on the internet. He uses medical emergencies. He uses the preaching of the gospel. He works all things after the counsel of His own will for our good and His glory.
And the central example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ: Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, the Jews all gathered together against Jesus, “to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:27-28). Every detail is sovereignly ruled by our gracious God.
The example of Joseph is the same: “What you intended for evil, God intended for good” (Gen. 50:20). God draws straight with crooked lines.
Stonewall Jackson understood this principle well. That is how he got his nickname “Stonewall,” from soldiers watching him standing fearless in the face of the great din of battle. When he was asked about it, he replied: “My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.”
This applies in both directions: for men called to the battlefield of the world, the sovereignty of God is your comfort and shield. You are invincible until the day that God has determined for your death. Do what is right and leave the results to God. But this also applies to women at home: your assignment is glorious and powerful. Do not fear the taunts and lures of the world. You are on your assigned battlefield. God uses the seemingly weak things of this world to confound the strong.
Closing Prayer: Father and God, press these truths into our souls, and so shape us into men and women who are busy faithful at our stations, joyful and confident in Your goodness and power. Raise up generations in our midst that are immoveable and strong. In Jesus’ name, who taught us to pray…
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