24 – Deborah

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The account of Deborah is multi-faceted not the least of which has to do with honor and shame. Two women gained everlasting honor and one man gained everlasting shame.

Judges 4:1  The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, when Ehud was dead.

When there was a righteous judge, “other god” worship and war were at bay. Righteousness and peace go together. Rebellion and war go together. That is true for the whole earth but it is especially true for Israel because Israel is elevated above the nations, and Israel’s job is to bring the Gentiles into the righteousness of YHVH’s covenant and His Law. This means Israel, the nation, must be above reproach, something that has never happened.

Each successive judge, to this point, has functioned as a restrainer against Israel’s wickedness. Likewise, each of us is a restrainer, as well. The Holy Spirit in us restrains wickedness by standing against it as did the righteous judges.

So, it didn’t take long after the death of a righteous judge for Israel’s debauchery to begin.

Judges 4:2  Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

Hazor was a conquered and destroyed city in Naphtali’s territory but it apparently remained unoccupied after its initial destruction in Joshua 11:10-13. This weakness, that Naphtali did not rebuild on the burned remains of Hazor gave opportunity for its return to power.

Yeshua’s parable fits this situation.

Matthew 12:43  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
Matthew 12:44  Then he says, I will return into my house from where I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.
Matthew 12:45  Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 

Thus the Canaanites re-inhabited Hazor and conquered Israel.

The Jabin, king of Hazor, in this account is not to be confused with the “Jabin” from the time of Joshua. The name, “Jabin”, was a royal dynastic name associated with the city of Hazor. Joshua 11:10 tells us that “Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms”, meaning it was the head of the regional Canaanites. Hazor was the ruling Canaanite seat of authority. Excavations have confirmed Hazor as the biggest city in the region with an estimated population of around 20,000 people.

Verse 2 says YHVH sold Israel into the hands of King Jabin. YHVH selling Israel means 2 things: 1) they were exiled within their own land, and 2) they became slaves of whatever nation that YHVH caused to conquer them. This is a situation which happened repeatedly.

Deuteronomy 32:30 prophesied about YHVH selling His people into oppression. The verse says, “How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up?”

Judges 2:14, 3:8, and now 4:2 are the fulfillments of YHVH’s Word.

Judges 4:3  The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed the children of Israel for twenty years.

Those ancient Canaanites overcame Israel because of superior weaponry. Today’s Chinese, ancient Sini Canaanites, will do the same to all the places where Israel has gone, including the US, all of Europe, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa – the so-called Westernized nations – and their’ allies. Nothing has changed for Israel since ancient times. Wherever Israel goes, so goes Israel’s enemies.

Judges 4:4  Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time.

Now we come to the next National Judge of Israel, a woman, who was either elected or appointed in the same manner as Israel’s first 3 National Judges, Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar.

Deborah was both prophet and judge alongside only two other men in Israel’s history – Moses and Samuel. Moses was the first Judge, Samuel the last. She was the only woman among the twelve judges prior to the change in government from Judges to Kings. As National Judge, Deborah was also a deliverer of Israel just as were all the other judges.

She was the wife of Lappidoth. There is much speculation about him. Nothing at all is known about him except his name which means “flashes of lightning” or “fiery torches.” Some scholars think this describes Deborah’s character while others think it describes her husband. Clearly, YHVH thinks Lappidoth was Deborah’s husband so we can dismiss those scholars who say otherwise because we agree with YHVH. Interestingly, the name “Lappidoth” comes forward to modern times as a surname.

The way this scripture describes Deborah’s origins tells us that her judgeship was primary in their household. This is her account which begins with her as also being the wife of Lappidoth. It is presented as a minor fact in the overall history.

This is proper when a wife has a ministry. This issue is a flashpoint within some denominations of Christianity and some sects of Judaism which teach that women are to not have any leadership in Israel. Thus, the account of Deborah leading Israel, holding Israel’s highest office, becomes an inconvenient truth and a problem to be glossed over or perverted in some way.

When I am confronted by men who say I should not be teaching or leading, I point them to Numbers 30 which says a wife’s husband (or a daughter’s father) can approve of her oath or vow to serve YHVH. Recently, one man replied that any husband who will allow his wife to teach is a man who has a broken relationship with YHVH. Then, according to this man’s condemnation Lappidoth had a broken relationship with YHVH and YHVH doesn’t know what He is doing providing for women to serve Him in His Kingdom on earth in leadership capacities.

The husband or father had to approve the situation because oaths and vows a woman makes causes her ministry to take precedence over other household duties which become secondary. The husband (or father) must be willing to allow this situation because once it is entered into it cannot be rescinded even if the husband or father dies. A divorced or widowed woman stands before YHVH in her oath or vow just as she did when her husband or father was alive (Numbers 30:9).

Deuteronomy 23:21 says “When you vow a vow to Yahweh your God, you shall not be slack to pay it; for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.”

Deborah’s husband, then, would have given her permission to serve the Tabernacle at Shiloh and all Israel as prophetess which resulted in her election/appointment as Israel’s National Judge. She was called a prophetess by YHVH because her prophecies were always true. Had any of her prophecies been untrue, she would have been a false prophet. This is an important point for when we get to Barak’s reaction to her prophecy about Hazor.

Nor was Deborah usurping Lappidoth’s authority because YHVH could not have used her then, right? Everything YHVH does is done in proper order.

Furthermore, the office of prophet was not one of foretelling the future, but one of calling Israel to repentance. The people came to her for judgement. In doing so, she was given the opportunity to turn them back to YHVH until so many had been turned back to YHVH that the entire nation of Israel was in repentance. When YHVH puts His people under oppression, when He sells them into captivity, He quickly restores them once they repent. And repent they had because of Deborah’s righteous judgements. Now, YHVH is about to restore them and He will use Deborah to do so.

Judges 4:5  She sat under Deborah’s palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
Judges 4:6  She sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said to him, “Hasn’t Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded, ‘Go and lead the way to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

As the National Judge, Deborah had the authority in military matters. She was Israel’s commander in chief, as it were. Barak respected the office of National Judge enough to allow himself to be summoned by her, but did he respect Deborah, the person?

The stylistic phrase, “hasn’t Yahweh”, prophesies that this situation was predestined. This same kind of prophecy appears also in 1 Samuel 10:1 in the matter of anointing Saul as King of Israel.

Judges 4:7  I will draw to you, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.’”

The river Kishon flows from Samaria (West Bank) through the Jezreel valley toward Mount Tabor.

Judges 4:8  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.”

There is much commentary on Barak in this matter saying he either did not trust Deborah’s prophecy or was a coward. Neither were true. First, if Deborah’s prophecies were untrue, she would be a false prophet and not in YHVH’s service. Barak had no reason to doubt the prophecy.

Second, some say he was a coward. Also not true. Barak was a military leader who did not become that by being a coward.

So then what is this? He probably thought it was Deborah’s responsibility to lead the war against Hazor. This is Barak’s challenge to Deborah’s authority. Whether he was unable to accept a woman in leadership or if it was because she had not risen to power through valor on a battlefield or if he was at least somewhat afraid, we do not know. The first 3 judges of Israel had proven their battlefield valor before becoming Judges. Deborah’s rise to leadership came from her perfect prophecy record which broke Barak’s paradigm about what constitutes a proper Judge of Israel.

Here is where the honor and shame part appears.

Judges 4:9  She said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the journey that you take won’t be for your honor; for Yahweh will sell Sisera into a woman’s hand.” Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

OK, buddy. You think the only way YHVH honors His leaders is through war? A perfect prophecy record and calling Israel to repentance is not enough? Then it will be through war that He honors His female heroines just to make His point that He can and does call and use whoever He wants in His Kingdom. That’s because it is His Kingdom and not yours, Barak. A person will come out on the losing end who challenges an anointed man or woman who is called to serve YHVH.

Judges 4:10  Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and ten thousand men followed him; and Deborah went up with him.

It may be that Barak thought Deborah would shrink from the challenge, but she did not. I don’t think that was what Barak thought at all. Barak was simply most likely a short-sighted military man who thought prophesying was not a good enough qualification for being a leader of Israel.

This thinking still affects part of Israel today. One would come in about 1,000 years whose people also expected would be a military leader. He would disappoint them, and to this day, the Jews remain disappointed by Yeshua because their paradigm was exactly like Barak’s in the belief that leaders of Israel must prove themselves on the battlefield. Yeshua didn’t live up to Jewish expectations of a King for Israel like Deborah didn’t live up to Barak’s expectations of a National Judge for Israel. What is Yeshua’s Spirit?

Revelation 19:10  I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Yeshua is the Spirit of Prophecy.”

Just like Deborah. Still today, the Spirit of Prophecy, the Spirit of calling YHVH’s people to repentance is diminished and even dismissed. The Spirit of Prophecy is so perverted today that almost no one in our time understands the definition of prophecy. Deborah had YHVH’s Spirit of Prophecy, the Spirit of calling people to repentance and this is the same Spirit Yeshua had which is why He is hated. It is also why Deborah is dismissed as an anomaly by misogynistic men who think women cannot be called by YHVH to teach or to serve as a leader.

Judges 4:11  Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.

Here is the introduction of a new character who will not appear again until further along in the chapter. It is as if this scripture is out of place but it sets us up for the death of Sisera.

Judges 4:12  They told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to Mount Tabor.

“They” would be Sisera’s lookouts. The city of Hazor in the north was about 39 miles (62.3 kilometers) from Mount Tabor.

Recap: Hazor was in Naphtali’s territory, according to Joshua 11:10-13. Barak was to take 10,000 men from Zebulun and Naphtali to engage Sisera 39 miles south of Hazor at Mount Tabor which was in Issachar’s territory. Why didn’t YHVH just tell Barak to take Issachar’s men to battle and leave Zebulun out of it since Mount Tabor was in Issachar’s territory? It is because Mount Tabor was in Issachar’s territory. Issachar was going to show up regardless but YHVH wanted 2 other tribes. The nearest to the battle, and likely the most affected people in Israel, were Zebulun and Naphtali. They had to be called to battle because it was necessarily a certainty they would show up for a battle between the tribe of Issachar and Sisera.  

Why did YHVH have Barak draw Sisera to Mount Tabor instead of to the city of Hazor? Because Mount Tabor was the tactical stronghold for Jabin’s army. It was where Sisera was with his 900 chariots. It was from there that Jabin controlled Israel, not from Hazor. So it was to there that Israel must go. YHVH was killing the two heads of the snake. The Sisera head had to be killed first so the Jabin head could be killed. Once the military establishment of Jabin was destroyed, Israel could re-take its land back from the Canaanites.

Judges 4:13  Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, to the river Kishon.

This was the region of greatest oppression to the Israelites. The further away you lived, the less control the capital city of Hazor would have had. Those who lived closest to Hazor suffered the most and that suffering would have come from the region around Hazor, from Harosheth of the Gentiles to all the towns along the Kishon river. As Barak’s army approached Mount Tabor, Sisera activated all the little pockets of militaries to join his troops at Mount Tabor.

Judges 4:14  Deborah said to Barak, “Go; for this is the day in which Yahweh has delivered Sisera into your hand. Hasn’t Yahweh gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

“Hasn’t YHVH” is repeated here to show that the outcome of this battle was sure. Deborah prophesied that YHVH had already gone out to the battle before Barak even got there. And because she was on the battlefield with him, he did not now question her prophecy or her authority as commander in chief. Rather, he now got up and led Zebulun, Naphtali and Issachar into the battle behind YHVH’s army which went ahead of them.  

Judges 4:15  Yahweh confused Sisera, all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled away on his feet.

Sisera’s army was confused but Israel’s army was not.

Why did Sisera abandon his chariot? It probably had a wreck! A well-placed spear could undo a chariot wheel. You might think Sisera’s chariot was scythed with a scythe attached to the axle and extending about 1 meter, but that was not the case. The scythed chariot was not invented until the early 5^th century BC. This war happened eraround the end of the 12^th to the beginning of the 11^th century. So another 600 years had to pass before scythed chariots would be invented.

Chariots are offensive vehicles designed to carry several archers. Their size and speed could intimidate an army on foot such as Israel was in this battle. This is why it took YHVH being involved to confuse Sisera’s army and cause the chariots to wreck. Chariots are good in open field and the terrain leading to Mount Tabor was an open and flat terrain. This is another reason the Heavenly army of YHVH had to be involved. There had to be an element of surprise to Sisera and his army. The surprise came from YHVH Himself, and we will see next week that all the glory for winning this battle goes to YHVH even though He allowed Israel to participate in the overthrow of the oppressor.  

Judges 4:16  But Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth of the Gentiles; and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword. There was not a man left.

YHVH’s victory was decisive. Deborah’s prophecy was fulfilled.

Judges 4:17  However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

Here is where Heber, the Kenite, reappears. But not Heber himself – his wife. Commentaries say that Heber the Kenite had moved closer to Hazor and away from the other Kenites in Israel. The Kenites had settled in southern Israel around Arad, according to Judges 1:16. Now Heber is far north.

The reason for this is unknown. It may be they were having trouble with the Philistines or perhaps there had been a family squabble or a better job in Hazor – who knows? Bedouins are nomadic people who move around.

There was peace between Heber and Jabin meaning that Heber made a deal with the devil to not be as oppressed by Jabin as the rest of Israel. To get this, Heber had to become a servant of Jabin. This situation, however, made it possible for Sisera to trust Jael. Her husband and Sisera may have been friends which would make Sisera think he would be safe in her tent.

Judges 4:18  Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; don’t be afraid.” He came in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

Jael and Sisera knew each other! Do you see that? He trusted her when she called for him to enter her tent. However, there is a cultural and Biblical problem with her doing this. No man other than Jael’s husband, Heber, was allowed to enter her tent. Jael’s tent was forbidden for Sisera when he entered it. But Jael was no dummy. She knew Sisera but she was also called by YHVH to deliver Israel from its oppression.

Jael became like Rahab to help save Israel. Somewhere along the line, Jael heard from YHVH what to do and Sisera never suspected a thing. He was too tired to argue with her or to turn aside to a man’s tent. Hers was probably the first shelter he came to.

However, the problem of Sisera being in Jael’s tent still had to be explained to her husband even though it would have been obvious that Sisera was running from the battle. After he was dead, she could tell her husband Sisera invaded her tent with ill intentions, if she wanted, which would serve as the reason Sisera then needed to die and this would exonerate her killing him when Heber would necessarily have confronted her about it. Or perhaps Jael would have just told the truth: She heard from YHVH and killed Sisera to help Israel which also helped Heber, as well.

Judges 4:19  He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, and gave him a drink, and covered him.

Sisera was already tired from running from the battle. The milk would have done more to his body than water because milk is food. It has carbohydrates and warm milk has tryptophan in it which puts people to sleep.

Judges 4:20  He said to her, “Stand in the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’”

Sisera knew no man would dare go inside Jael’s tent to search if Jael refused entry. Notice that Jael did not assent to say “no” if someone came looking for him. Sisera, a man used to giving orders and having them obeyed without question thought the force of his rank in Hazor and personality would be all that was needed for Jael to obey him. But…

Judges 4:21  Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent peg [after Sisera was asleep], and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was in a deep sleep; so he fainted and died.

Jael had only one shot. She had to make it good. Blessedly, she was good with a tent peg and hammer because of moving and raising tents. In fact, it was the women who assembled and raised the tents for the camps in those days. So they were good with hammers and tent pegs. Thus, a well-placed tent peg held just above the temple and a well-placed aim sent that tent peg all the way from one temple to the other with the tent peg in the ground as Sisera bled out, although he would have died immediately. There was no struggle, no movement from him at all. Jael’s blow was the decisive end to Barak’s battle which deprived Barak of his glory for getting to kill Sisera himself. Deborah had rightly prophesied the outcome of the battle and now her prophecy about Barak’s glory going to a woman has been fulfilled.

Judges 4:22  Behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek.” He came to her; and behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent peg was in his temples.

Barak knew his shame for challenging Deborah’s authority in this moment. To this day, scholars can’t decide if he held Deborah’s prophecies in contempt or if he was a coward. I have not found a commentator who understood that Barak was challenging Deborah’s God- and YHVH-given authority over Israel, but Barak now certainly got the point!

Honor and shame both can last forever but YHVH can lift these from us. Next week, we will see how Deborah was so humble that she lifted Barak’s shame from him. Yet even for all that she did to lift his shame, it is still with us, isn’t it. The lesson? Be careful who you challenge. If the person was sent by YHVH, you will bear the shame of your scorn, which you meant for them, on yourself.

Judges 4:23  So God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel on that day.

God won the battle, not Barak. Israel’s army only mopped up after YHVH’s confusion tactics, whatever they were which were not described in this account. We will get a clue about YHVH’s tactics in next week’s teaching.

Judges 4:24  The hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Now that is what Israel was supposed to do from the beginning. Let us never let the enemy come back in once we have gotten rid of him. Hazor was destroyed in the days of Joshua but the Israelites let the Canaanites go back to inhabit their old stronghold. Like Yeshua said, when the wicked spirit comes back, it is with 7 times more strength which makes him even hard to get rid of.

Hazor never became a capital of Canaan to oppress Israel again after this. It became inhabited again but completely destroyed about 500 to 600 years later when Tiglath Pileser of Assyria captured northern Israel. Here it is today, an Israeli tourist site.

The parking lot and visitor’s welcome were not there in Deborah’s time.

Amen.