Judges 4:3
And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
After turning from God to idolatry Israel was left to the power of Jabin king of Canaan and his captain Sisera, who mightily and grievously oppressed them for twenty years. His strength lay in nine hundred chariots of iron, a formidable host whose scythe-armed machines cut down men like wheat and left Israel unarmed, hiding in walled cities and byways. Groaning long under the yoke, Israel at last turned back with humiliation and repentance and cried unto the Lord for deliverance, and did not cry in vain. God answered by raising Deborah the prophetess with Barak, giving courage to ten thousand from Zebulun and Naphtali to go down from Mount Tabor against an overwhelming army, and fighting for them until the hosts were panic-stricken and utterly destroyed so the victory belonged to God alone. The account stands as one turn of the oft-repeated cycle where backsliding brings bondage and crying to God brings forgiveness and deliverance, and as one of the great battles at Megiddo that gives an object lesson for the gathering of the nations at Armageddon under the sixth plague.
Oppression and Cry for Help
The verse records an oppression that followed Israel's idolatry and separation from God, which God permitted them to suffer under Jabin, king of Canaan, a heathen king whose forces were commanded by Sisera. The bondage lasted twenty years and was severe, grievous and mighty, more than a slight tax or tribute, with property and even lives in constant danger. The enemy's power lay in nine hundred chariots of iron, a sign of formidable military strength that made him seem overwhelmingly strong.
Those dreaded chariots of iron were terribly destructive machines with large scythe-like knives fastened to the axles, so that driven through ranks they cut men down like wheat before the sickle. Under this yoke the people deserted villages and lonely dwellings and gathered in walled cities for safety. High-roads were left unoccupied so that travelers used unfrequented by-ways, they were exposed to robbery and murder at places for drawing water, and they were left unarmed with not a sword or spear among forty thousand men.
After twenty years groaning under the yoke of the oppressor, Israel turned from idolatry and cried unto the Lord for deliverance with humiliation and repentance. They did not cry in vain.
Deliverance Through Deborah and Barak
When deliverance was due, God chose to deliver Israel through Deborah, a woman illustrious for piety and known as a prophetess to whom the people sought counsel and justice, together with Barak. The deliverance accomplished through Deborah and Barak, with Jael, was celebrated in their song.
God raised up leadership and gave Israel courage to resist the oppressor. Ten thousand men from Zebulun and Naphtali answered the call to fight for freedom. To Israel's small force, facing nine hundred iron chariots, deliverance appeared nearly impossible, yet the Lord helped those who answered the call to fight.
Israel stood poorly prepared and terrified before Sisera's immense, well-equipped army spread in the plain beneath their strong mountain position at Mount Tabor. The enemy expected to surround them as easy prey. Encouraged by Deborah's assurance that the day for signal victory had come, Barak led his army down into the open plain in courageous, prompt charge.
The God of battle fought for Israel, so that neither skill in warfare nor superiority of numbers and equipment could withstand them. The hosts were panic-stricken and utterly destroyed. Through God Israel won, the oppressor's power was broken, and the victory could be ascribed to God alone.
The defeat of Sisera shows that Israel could overcome the chariots when they had faith, so their earlier failure against Canaanite chariots was not due to God's inability to help. The inhabitants of Meroz expected this powerful army to defeat Barak's forces, and failing to help, they were cursed. The victory of Barak and Deborah over the oppressors stands as an example of God's mighty work for His people.
Cycle Prophecy and Example
The twenty years of mighty oppression and the cry to the Lord belong to the repeated cycle running through Judges 3 to 17, in which backsliding from God brings consequent suffering, oppression, captivity and servitude, and crying back to God brings forgiveness and deliverance. That crying out under oppression displays both the perversity and unbelief of the people and the long-suffering and goodness of God. It took place amid awful moral surroundings and under the demoralizing influences of the tribes Israel had permitted to remain in the land of promise. It is part of the record of Israel's repeated backslidings and captivities to surrounding enemies during the period covered by Judges.
The verse places Israel in a great national crisis of captivity and oppression, one of the times when God raised up judges as saviours to deliver the nation. It belongs to Barak's victory over the Canaanites in the days of Deborah and Barak, one of the great battles associated with Megiddo. That battle of Megiddo serves as an object lesson for the gathering of the nations at Armageddon under the sixth plague.
The account of Deborah the prophetess helping Barak shows the honor the Father bestowed upon women and proves that the silence enjoined on women does not forbid their taking part in the worship of God or bearing testimony and speaking publicly for God. Man and woman are equal but their spheres are different, with the ruling position given to man as the stronger. The prohibition therefore concerns governmental matters and ruling or control in the church. Truly humble, modest, faithful women will not assume to rule or usurp authority over men but may share in public service, and by godly life and modest demeanor win and hold and mold hearts.