Deborah Summons Barak
4:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight after Ehud’s death.
The cycle starts again. The evilness starts up again at the end of Ehud’s death, not Shamgar’s death. Shamgar was a deliverer inside of Ehud’s judgeship.
4:2 The Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.
The second stage of the cycle begins, When Israel sins, Jehovah raises up an enemy to spank Israel. Jabin was a dynastic name. Hazor was a city located north of the Sea of Galilee, along the Via Maris. The Via Maris was the most important trade route of its time, but Israel did not occupy it. At one time, the king of Hazor led a northern alliance against Joshua. Joshua defeated them, but Israel never inhabited the city. The Canaanites moved back into the city, grew in population, and then attacked Israel. Here again is another result of Israel’s failure to exterminate the Canaanites.
Sisera was the general of King Jabin’s army. He possessed a Hurrian name or Hittite name. Either he was a Canaanite with a Hurrian/Hittite name, or he was a mercenary soldier hired to battle against Israel. He lived in Harosheth Hoggoyim, which was located in Galilee.
4:3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, and he cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
The third stage of the cycle begins. General Sisera possessed 900 iron chariots in his army. The Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III once stated that he captured nine hundred twenty-four chariots from the Canaanites in the Battle of Megiddo, so this number was not unreasonable or exaggerated. The pagan gods did not answer the prayers of Israel for twenty years, so Israel prayed to Jehovah.
4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.
Deborah was a אִשָּׁ֣ה נְבִיאָ֔ה (ishah navi), meaning “a woman of prophecy." This title was also used of Miriam and Huldah, who were two other אִשָּׁ֣ה נְבִיאָ֔ה (ishah navi).
Deborah was the wife of Lappidoth, meaning “lamps."
The Hebrew for “leading Israel” is שָׁפַט (shaphat), meaning to judge. Deborah was a judge who helped settle disputes of Israel.
4:5 She would sit under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled.
Deborah sat under a Date Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel. These two cities were in the Ephramite hill country. The Israelites came to Deborah to resolve legal issues, not to save Israel from the Canaanites. Since Deborah was a prophetess, they came to her also to receive divine information. These acts show that the people were no longer trusting the city elders at the gate or the priests in the Levitical cities. Corruption inside the political and religious offices had set in.
4:6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun!
The people recognized Deborah as a prophetess. She summoned Barak, who was from the tribe of Naphtali. Hazor was located in the territory of Naphtali. God called Barak to lead 10,000 soldiers against the Canaanites. He was to take them to Zebulun, which was the location of the valley of Jezreel. The Valley of Jezreel was the battleground which God had chosen.
4:7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. I will hand him over to you.”
Deborah’s role was to call and commission Barak. Barak’s role was to call an army of 10,000. The role of the 10,000 was to follow Barak to the Valley of Jezreel. God’s role was to bring General Sisera and his 900 chariots to the Kishon River so that they could be slaughtered. This was God’s sovereignty at work without eliminating human responsibility.
4:8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.”
Barak was not a coward. He recognized Deborah’s prophetic gift. He wanted this prophetic gift at his side.
4:9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame on the expedition you are undertaking, for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Deborah agreed to go with Barak, but she prophesied that General Sisera would be defeated by a woman. Deborah was not that woman.
4:10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; Deborah went up with him as well.
Ten thousand men from the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali joined Barak. Deborah went along with Barak, but she did not lead the army. The prophetic status of Deborah may have motivated the 10,000 men to join the fight.
4:11 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.
The Kenites were a group of Midianites who joined the Israelite journey into Canaan. Zipporah, the wife of Moses, was from the Midianites. Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses. Hobab was the brother-in-law of Moses. The Kenites were usually pro-Israel, but Heber joined the Canaanites.
4:12 When Sisera heard that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
Heber was the one who informed General Sisera of Israel’s location. Heber thought that he was doing General Sisera a favor, but he was actually leading him to his destruction.
4:13 he ordered all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon.
General Sisera was unaware that God was leading him into a trap.
4:14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! Has the Lord not taken the lead?” Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
Deborah was a prophetess who was receiving divine information from God. Her role was to deliver God’s revelation to Barak. Barak’s role was to take action.
4:15 The Lord routed Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran away on foot.
The army was routed. General Sisera jumped out of his chariot and escaped by foot.
4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died by the edge of the sword; not even one survived!
Harosheth Haoggoyim was the very place from where the army came to fight Israel.
4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty.
General Sisera was running back to Hazor. On the way, he passed the tent of Heber. Heber was the Kenite who betrayed Israel to General Sisera. Jael was the wife of Heber.
The Kenites were nomadic. They promised protection to any guests who entered their tents. General Sisera felt especially safe in this tent, since Heber had made a peace treaty with King Jabin of Hazor.
4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him.
Jael provided her guest nomadic hospitality and protection.
4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again.
General Sisera had been running for a long time. He was dehydrated, hungry, and sleepy. He asked for water and received goat’s milk. He was most likely also famished. According to nomadic tradition, once a guest was received into the tent, he was guaranteed security and protection.
4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’”
General Sisera trusted this nomadic code so much, that he felt safe falling asleep.
4:21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground while he was asleep from exhaustion, and he died.
Women were responsible for pitching the tent. They were very skilled with hammers and pegs. Deborah’s prophecy was fulfilled. Evidently, Jael did not agree with her husband’s decision to defect.
4:22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead with the tent peg in his temple.
Jael showed Barak the result of her work.
4:23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites.
The Israelites attacked King Jabin in his own city of Hazor. God gave Israel victory.
4:24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with him.
The defeat of King Jabin was not immediate, but gradual. Israel grew stronger and Canaan grew weaker. Finally, King Jabin was completely defeated and executed.