Judges 4-5. Deborah, and Barak, part 5: Why God's opponents get confused.

Title: Judges 4-5. Deborah, and Barak, part 5: Why God's opponents get confused.        

 

Announcements / opening prayer:

 

 

Jdg 4:8 Then Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go."

 

Jdg 4:9 And she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

 

Barak will not kill Sisera, rather a woman will, but not Deborah.  

 

Jdg 4:10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.

 

pic: Roman legion - about 5,000 men. Israel would not have been this organized.

 

The Roman's were the most organized fighting force up to their time and neither Israel or Canaan would have been as organized, but it gives us an idea of how many are taking to the battlefield and we must remember that more Jews from other tribes are going to join them, perhaps doubling their numbers. If this battle stays true to form of past battles then Israel is outnumbered, plus they have no chariots.

 

Verse 11 seems not to fit with the narrative, but like all of the word of God, it's in its perfect place.

 

Jdg 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

 

The Kenites were a branch of the Midianites that had sided with the Israelites since from them came Moses' wife. They are Arabs.

 

From that tribe came Moses' wife, brother-in-law, and father-in-law; and this was the clan that had settled in Arad in the very south in the Negev.

 

Jdg 1:16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

 

The Kenites were normally pro-Israel, however, this Kenite, Heber, had moved very far north near Kedesh.

 

Heber moved far from his people to the north. Kedesh is very close to Hazor, the Canaanite capital, and so we can safely assume that Heber was not pro-Israel but pro-Canaanite.

 

This verse sets the stage for the death of Sisera, but we also gain some insight into the home of this man who had aligned himself with the Canaanites while his wife Jael had not.

 

Heber's wife, Jael, is not pro-Canaanite. Heber thinks he's helping Canaan, but God is using him to effect their defeat.

 

What Heber doesn’t know is that although he believes himself to be on the side of Canaan, God was working so as to use him to bring about the Canaanites' defeat.

 

Jdg 4:12 Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.

 

Since Heber is mentioned along with Sisera's intel, and well before his wife's action, it may be that he is a spy for Canaan.

 

Sisera becomes aware of Barak's troop movement. It is likely that the report came from Heber since there is no reason to mention him so early in the text unless he is connected with this. Plus, Kedesh is close to where Barak is assembling men, which would have taken time and which the surrounding area would have known about.

 

Joshua was the first to fight for Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. Many more battles would be fought here, even up to recent times and into the future.

 

Jdg 4:13 And Sisera called together all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.

 

Jdg 4:14 And Deborah said to Barak, "Arise! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the Lord has gone out before you." So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.

 

 

Jdg 4:15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot.

 

"routed" - wayaahaam = confounding a hostile army by a miracle of God, Exo 14:22; Jos 10:10.

 

By some means God confused the army. It might be that the rain came suddenly and torrentially down with wind gusts or God may have used something in addition to the rain, but the minds of this normally well organized and discipline army are thrown into confusion while Israel is not.

 

Exo 14:22

And it came about at the morning watch, that the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.

 

Jos 10:10

And the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon.

 

God's enemies, so confident and sure for so long, will eventually be thrown into confusion.

 

The enemies of Christ were so sure of themselves until Jerusalem fell into darkness and a large earthquake was felt. The priests were so sure of themselves until they saw with their own eyes the massive veil in front of the Holy of Holies torn in two. Kings and leaders who oppress the common people and lust for wealth and power go on for some time in the confidence that they are right and even good, but always the hammer of judgment comes and confusion arises since they have only built a house of cards in their soul, upon the sand and not upon the Rock.

 

Psa 49:1For the choir director.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

 

Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

 

Psa 49:2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together.

 

Psa 49:3 My mouth will speak wisdom; And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

 

Psa 49:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.

 

Psa 49:5 Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,

 

Psa 49:6 Even those who trust in their wealth, And boast in the abundance of their riches?

 

Psa 49:7 No man can by any means redeem his brother, Or give to God a ransom for him — 

 

Psa 49:8 For the redemption of his soul is costly [blood of Christ, And he should cease trying forever — 

 

Psa 49:9 That he should live on eternally; That he should not undergo decay.

 

Psa 49:10 For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish, And leave their wealth to others.

 

Psa 49:11 Their inner thought is, that their houses are forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.

 

Psa 49:12 But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

 

Psa 49:13 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words [the next generation applauds their ways. Selah.

 

Psa 49:14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning; And their form shall be for Sheol to consume, So that they have no habitation.

 

Psa 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For He will receive me. Selah.

 

Why is his soul redeemed and not theirs? Psa 49:6 Even those who trust in their wealth, And boast in the abundance of their riches? He trusts in God to redeem and they trust in themselves.

 

He's obviously not saying that redemption is based on the works of man. He is saying that redemption is based on who he trusts in.

 

Isa 26:3-4

The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee. Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.

 

Psa 49:16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;

 

Psa 49:17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.

 

Psa 73:3 … 17

For I was envious of the arrogant, As I saw the prosperity of the wicked… Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.

 

Psa 49:18 Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — 

 

Psa 49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light.

 

Psa 49:20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.

 

It is often the case that a person only wants to give a portion of himself over to evil. He believes it's a compromise with the world and that in not going all the way in for that which opposes God, but only a small bit, that he can please all worlds, both God's and the devils and therefore get along more peaceably.

 

There is profound truth when someone gives some of his soul to God's enemy: "You can’t just sell a piece of your soul to the Devil and expect him to leave you alone. No, he wants to eat the whole thing. He’s always hungry, never satiated." [Matt Walsh

 

Psa 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproar,

And the peoples devising a vain thing?

 

Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand,

And the rulers take counsel together

Against the Lord and against His

Anointed:

 

Psa 2:3 "Let us tear their fetters apart,

And cast away their cords from us!"

 

Psa 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,

The Lord scoffs at them.

 

Psa 2:5 Then He will speak to them in His anger

And terrify them in His fury:

 

Psa 2:6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King

Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

 

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Psa 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

 

Psa 37:2 For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green herb.

 

Psa 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

 

Psa 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

 

To delight yourself in a love relationship with the Lord you would delight in His ways, His grace, mercy, sacrifice, etc. - the manner of Christ. Think to yourself, what are the ways of the Lord and if those ways delight your soul.

 

Psa 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

 

Trusting in Him is committing to His way and believing in that way. It is laying aside the old man's temptation to commit to your own way or the way of the world and trusting Him and His way day by day.

 

Psa 37:6 And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday.

 

Psa 37:7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

 

Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.

 

Psa 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

 

Psa 37:10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there.

 

Psa 37:11 But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

 

For the church we would say, "The humble will inherit lifetheir soul." Mat 16:25 whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.

 

Notice the contrast of the humble man who delights in the Lord's ways to the “pomp” of man. He delights in his own way and he has to have confidence for some time that it will give to him some kind of fulfillment, but when it doesn’t, and it never does (Ecclesiastes), confusion invades his soul.

 

The pompous man must have confidence that his way will bring fulfillment, and when it doesn't he gets confused.

 

Ecc 1:2

"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher,

"Vanity of vanities! All [every way of man is vanity."

 

Confusion arises in the soul when it turns out that the thing we thought was true is not. In the hearts of the Canaanites, the battle against Israel will be swift and decisive in their favor. All evidence surely points to this. Israel is outnumbered and they have no chariots while Canaan has 900. Israel is inexperienced and do not have adequate weapons and Canaan has been training for this for decades. All are sure, but not for long. As soon as it becomes clear that the day will not go the way it was imagined and that their hopes were completely wrong, confusion rules their hearts, and not just because the rain and wind have blinded them.

 

When walking in the manner of Christ there is order and peace and not confusion.

 

1Co 14:33

for God is not a God of confusion [many trying to speak at once but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

 

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves;

 

2Co 4:8 we are afflicted [pressed in every way, but not crushed; perplexed [in doubt of direction or at a loss, but not despairing [to be utterly without a way;

 

Perplexed - not yet knowing the proper direction. Not despairing - God will show the way in His good timing.