Delayed Obedience Costs Honor

Broken People, Faithful god

A Journey Through Judges

Judges 4 & 5

• Judges 21:25 (NLT)
  • “²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”
• Joshua 24:19-23 (NLT)
  • “¹⁹ Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. ²⁰ If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”
    ²¹ But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!”
    ²² “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the Lord.”
    “Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”
    ²³ “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

The Bible isn’t only accounts of what we should do…
at times it’s warnings of what not to do!

Delayed Obedience Costs Honor
Judges 4 & 5

The Account of Deborah & Barak (Judges 4 & 5)
The Account of Gideon (Judges 6, 7 & 8)

• Scene 1: The Judge Deborah
  • The Dilemma (Judges 4:1-3)
    • The Israelites did evil in God’s sight.
    • Israel was turned over to the Canaanites
    • Sisera is the commander of the Canaanite army with 900 iron chariots (a ruthless oppressor)
  • Judges 5:6-8 (NLT)
    • ⁶ “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
          and in the days of Jael,
      people avoided the main roads,
          and travelers stayed on winding pathways.
      ⁷ There were few people left in the villages of Israel
          until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.
      ⁸ When Israel chose new gods,
          war erupted at the city gates.
      Yet not a shield or spear could be seen
          among forty thousand warriors in Israel!
  • Deborah appears in a time when men are unwilling to step up!
    • Barak, Gideon
  • Deborah is a prophetess
    • Her willingness to seek God gave people a desire to have her Judge for Israel.
  • Tribe of Ephraim: Joseph’s Son
• Scene 2: Who’s War is It?
  • Judges 4:6-7
    • Tribe of Naphtali (son of Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid)
    • Seemingly a commander of the army
    • He is told to assemble the troops
    • “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors…I will call out Sisera…along with his chariots and warriors…I will give you victory over them.”
  • Judges 4:8
    • “I will go but only if you go with me.”
    • God isn’t asking for our effort, He’s asking for our obedience!
  • Judges 4:9-10 (Removal of Honor)
    • “Very well, I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.”
  • Judges 5:1-3 (NLT)
    • “¹ On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
      ² “Israel’s leaders took charge,
          and the people gladly followed.
      Praise the Lord!
      ³ “Listen, you kings!
          Pay attention, you mighty rulers!
      For I will sing to the Lord.
          I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.
• Interlude: Kenite!
  • Judges 4:11
  • Quick change of scene to tell of a descendant of Moses’ Father-in-law that had moved NEAR Kedesh
• Scene 3: The ‘Battle’
  • Judges 4:12-18
    • “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.”
    • Sisera brings all 900 of his chariots against Israel.
    • “The Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic.”
    • Sisera leaps from his Chariot and runs away on foot?
    • All of Sisera’s army is killed by Israel
    • These verses also declared who followed God’s beckoning and who remained idol or had indecision.
  • What happened in the Battle?
    • Judges 5:4-5 (NLT)
      • ⁴ “Lord, when you set out from Seir
            and marched across the fields of Edom,
        the earth trembled,
            and the cloudy skies poured down rain.
        ⁵ The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord,
            the God of Mount Sinai—
        in the presence of the Lord,
            the God of Israel.
    • Judges 5:19-22 (NLT)
      • ¹⁹ “The kings of Canaan came and fought,
            at Taanach near Megiddo’s springs,
            but they carried off no silver treasures.
        ²⁰ The stars fought from heaven.
            The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera.
        ²¹ The Kishon River swept them away—
            that ancient torrent, the Kishon.
        March on with courage, my soul!
        ²² Then the horses’ hooves hammered the ground,
            the galloping, galloping of Sisera’s mighty steeds.
• Scene 4: The Flight
  • Judges 4:17-18
    • Sisera ran to the tent of Jael (Heber’s family was friendly with Sisera’s King Jabin)
    • He was running towards Kedesh
      • Kedesh was designated as one of the cities of refuge in Joshua 20.
    • He was welcomed in by Jael
      • “Come into my tent, sir. Don’t be afraid.
• Scene 5: The Honor Goes to Another
  • Judges 4:19-21
    • Sisera asks for help from Jael
      • Requests water
      • Requests her to watch for others and not let them know he is there
    • Jael brings milk to act as a sedative and covered him with a blanket
    • Jael uses a hammer and a tent peg to completely end the rule of the Canaanites over Israel.
  • Judges 5:24-27
    • This recounts how Sisera was defeated and gives all honor to not only a woman (4:9) but also to a non-Israelite!
    • Milk from a leather pouch and in a bowl for nobles
      • Reminding us of the nomadic nature of the Kenites as well as showing another statement of comfort and trust to Sisera
    • Jael uses the tools she has and doesn’t hesitate
      • This is a contrast from the hesitation we see from both Barak and Gideon
• Closing Scene
  • Judges 4:22-24
    • Barak is summoned to see Sisera defeated by Jael
    • “So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king.”
  • Judges 5:28-31
    • Where there is victory there is another’s defeat!
    • The stars fought from heaven. The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera. (Judges 5:20)
    • “Lord, may all your enemies die like Sisera! But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power.” (Judges 5:31)
• Then there was peace in the land for forty years.

Delayed Obedience Costs Honor

Where is God calling you/us to move?
Are you hesitant to go where the Lord is calling?