Judges 4:7, commentary and pictures

God Himself promised through Deborah His prophetess and judge to draw Sisera captain of Jabin's army with his chariots and multitude to the river Kishon and deliver him into Barak's hand at Mount Tabor. The promise came after twenty years of oppression when poorly armed and disheartened Israel faced a strong and skillful enemy with nine hundred dreaded iron chariots fitted to cut men down. Though Barak led a bold charge down from the mountain and Israel acted with courage, neither skill nor numbers decided the battle, for God alone discomfited the enemy and broke Jabin's power at the Kishon, and the victory must be ascribed to Him alone. The battle at Megiddo stands as an object lesson for the final gathering of the nations at Armageddon under the sixth plague. In giving the promise and the victory through Deborah, the Father bestowed honor upon women by speaking His purpose through a woman and using her in public leadership, prophecy, and even counsel for battle to His glory.

Setting and Promised Victory

Deborah was a prophetess and judge and ruler in Israel, sitting under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephraim, where the Israelites came to her for judgment and for counsel and instruction. God recognized her as a ruler of His people and gave them counsel through her in sacred and civil affairs. Through her God chose Barak of the tribe of Naphtali as Israel's deliverer, directing him to assemble ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor to make war on the armies of Jabin, king of Canaan.

The promise itself was that God Himself would draw Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude to the river Kishon and deliver him into Barak's hand. Spoken through Deborah as His prophetic counselor in a crisis, it assured Barak that God would go with him and subdue the enemy, and it gave Israel courage to fight when the tribes were called to join. Obedient faith receives such guidance with a humble heart, and the breaking of Jabin's oppression was thus made an act of God.

It came after twenty years of oppression by Jabin, when scattered and disheartened Israel was poorly prepared and unarmed against a strong and skillful enemy. That enemy came with an immense and well-equipped force and nine hundred dreaded iron chariots, fitted with scythe-like knives on the axles to cut men down like wheat, which had greatly oppressed Israel. Yet iron chariots did not prevent Israel from overcoming when the people trusted God in faith under Deborah and Barak.

The conflict was set at Mount Tabor and the Kishon valley and the waters of Megiddo, where Barak gathered his ten thousand and Sisera gathered his army and chariots, with the plain between as the field of battle. It was the plain of Esdraelon won for Israel from the Canaanites, the great triangle lying between the hills of Samaria and those of Galilee. Extremely fertile but boggy and almost impassable in winter, entered by the Kishon pass, the glen between Tabor and Nazareth, the valley south of En-gannim, and the entrances from the Jordan Valley at Jezreel and from Sharon at Megiddo, having almost no towns upon it and showing its defencelessness, it continued to be traversed by foreign war and traffic as the classic battlefield of Bible history, while the Canaanites still held Megiddo, Ibleam, Taanach, and Dor until the time of the kings.

Israel held a strong position in the mountains and looked with terror on the vast army spread in the plain beneath until Deborah assured Barak the very day for signal victory had come. Then Barak led his army down from Mount Tabor into the open plain in a bold charge. There the iron chariots were hindered by the terrain, panic seized Sisera's hosts so that they sought only escape, vast numbers were slain, and the strength of the invading army was utterly destroyed at the Kishon. Neither skill in warfare nor superiority of numbers and equipment could withstand Israel, because the God of battle fought for them. Though the Israelites acted with courage and promptness, God alone discomfited the enemy, and the triumph over Israel's oppressors and the victory itself must be ascribed to Him alone.

Barak accepted the message as the word of God but had little confidence and feared the people would not obey his call. From timidity and distrust he refused to undertake it unless Deborah accompanied him to support him by influence and counsel. Because of that, the honor of the promised victory would not come to him, for Sisera fled on foot and was betrayed into the hands of a woman when courageous Jael killed him. That triumph over the Canaanites inspired Israel's earliest song arising among the Galilean hills, celebrating the victory of Deborah and Barak and honoring Jael's part in it.

The account is solid, trustworthy ancient history with Deborah and Barak as real historical persons and characters. Deborah means bee in Hebrew. It is not myth or legend or a clumsy theft from pagan mythology, and conjectural attempts to overthrow its history come to grief.

Prophecy and Final Battle

The promise to draw Sisera to the Kishon belongs to the account of the battle of Megiddo in the days of Deborah and Barak. That battle serves as an object lesson for the final gathering of the nations at Armageddon under the sixth plague. It is important to study in connection with the sixth and seventh plagues.

Through Barak and Deborah Israel first gained possession of the Plain of Esdraelon. The Canaanites continued to hold Megiddo, Ibleam, Taanach, and Dor until the time of the kings. The Barak and Deborah history in Judges 4:1-24 carries prophetic significance conveyed in metaphor that has been generally unnoticed.

Women and Faithful Service

The promise to draw Sisera with his chariots and his multitude to the river Kishon and deliver him into hand was spoken through Deborah as prophetess and judge, and in giving a woman that part in His work and worship the Father bestowed honor upon women in all ages. God spoke His truth and purpose through her to Barak, using her in public service, leadership and prophecy to His glory, and placing her as a beacon-light in every avenue of life with Jael's courageous part in delivering the captain of the hostile bands into her hands belonging to the same good works of woman with which the Bible teems. Her example proves it lawful for women to bear testimony for Christ, to help in His work, to proclaim His truth in womanly Christian ways, and to speak and serve publicly as moved by God's Spirit without usurping authority over men. The silence enjoined upon women in the churches concerns ruling and governmental matters and corrects blameworthy disorder and out-of-place assuming of authority to teach and rule, and it does not forbid woman's taking part in the worship of God and public service.

Deborah's leadership extended to battle, for the leaders of Israel listened to her and the captains of the army would not go without her, and Israel honored her as a mother in Israel. She showed firmness, decision and determination to lead in warfare against the hosts of evil under God's promise to deliver Sisera into hand. The defeat of Sisera is associated with leaders taking the lead and the people offering themselves willingly, and obedient faith accepts God's guidance through His counselor in sacred and civil affairs with a humble heart.

The call to take part in God's promised work against a mighty enemy makes refusing to help a serious failure, so churches and members who remain idle when the cause needs them risk the condemnation given to Meroz. The promise does not call women to the field of worldly strife today but to the home, where the greatest battle of the universe is waged. There mothers who realize their individual accountability to God must if necessary lead in that warfare against evil.