Study Notes
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Overview:

• Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord & Lord deliveres them into the hands of the enemy
• Israelites cry out
• Deborah arises
• Barak is called to war
• 900 chariots of iron defeated
• Tent peg to the head
• God subdued & Isreal pressed heavy on Jabin

Verse 1

Here we go again, is what comes to mind immediatly. It is easy to sit and read this book and “judge” the Israelites for their actions. But, if we’re serious about our thinking there are a lot of times the Lord has to hold our hands and walk us back in to the light.

Verse 2

“So the Lord sold them…” This is ownership wording. They want to act like Canaanites then they will be owned by the Canaanites. Once again, this is the logistics of the court room of Heaven. You fall into sin, that sin will then own you until repentance leads to reformational revival in your heart.

Verse 3

This is a repeat of the same words ”cried out” as used in previous verses. Was this heartfelt repentance or only shallow cries from spoiled children who wanted help cleaning up their own mess? Nevertheless, God would answer them and send a deliverer.

Verse 4

The 4th judge was raised up and HER name was Deborah: a prophetess, a homemaker, a judge, a leader wrapped in to one supernaturally anointed warrior for the Lord. Deborah means “bee” or “wasp,” she was gentle when needed and fierce when mantled for war.

Verse 5 – 7

I like that this verse says: ”She sat under the palm tree of Deborah.” She must have been known for holding court under this tree, so much so that it was named after her.

The Israelites in verse 3 cried out because they had been oppressed for 20 years and Jabin had 900 chariots of iron. When the Israelites needed a judge, they went to Deborah, a female. I love this because it basically slams the door in the face of the enemies lie that a female can not be in authority over a man, Deborah was in-fact just that!! SHE was a prophet, SHE was a judge, SHE sent for Barak, SHE told him the commands of the Lord, SHE delivered the words of the Lord, “I will draw out the general of Jabin’s army,” and “I will deliver him into your hands.” If you ever need a jolt of woman power don’t look to todays feminist, just read and study the story of Deborah.

Verse 8 – 9

Barak says, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” Was Barak scared to go with out her? Or, did Barak know that Deborah carried the Spirit of the Lord and wanted her there because of that?

Like the leader she was, she said surely I will go and then prophesied to him that the Lord shall sell Sisera in the hands of a woman.

Verse 11

“Heber the Kenite had separated himself…” The Kenites were normally friendly to Israel, but Heber had separated and had allied himself with the Canaanites.

Verse 12

“They” seems to indicate Heber. Heber told Sisera.

Verse 13

Sisera had just gotten word that Barak had gone to Mt. Tabor, so, Sisera gets his men and moves them to a different base at the Kishon River.

Verse 14

When Deborah said Arise, the battle began.
Arise was a command. Get up! Today is the day!

Verse 15

The previous verse we see Deborah, Barak, and the 10,000 men following him step in to their role, by faith, and then Jehovah shows up, confuses the weaponized enemy and terrifies their leader to flee.

This is a stance we all should take. Arise, armed and ready for battle, steadfast in faith, rooted in His word, and then watch what happens when we step with His commands.

Verse 16

No one was left in Sisera’s army…. NO ONE! Wiped out. Gone. None.

Verse 17 – 21

Remember, Heber told Sisera what was going down and it’s why he moved his troops. So, of course Sisera thought Heber’s wife, Jael, would save him. I don’t think he had any reason to think other wise.

My opinion is she maybe planned on helping him. Her house had peace with Jabin the King. Her first impression was to sink in to what she had always known, what was familiar, and to treat him kindly because of the peace treaty. Then Sisera asks her to lie, and I think in that moment the Lord weighed on her, and she knew she had to make a choice. I think she knew if he was asking her to lie then she knew he was on the run; then they were defeated. If they were defeated then the God of the Israelites was the true God. I think she had an awakening, and in that moment she then stepped in to her role of the prophetic word Deborah had earlier spoken to Barak: for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.

KJV: Jael smote the nail in to his temples, and fastened it in to the ground.
*smote: taqa = to clatter, slap, clang, to drive, thrust, blow

• Verse 19: Milk. Canaan was the land flowing with milk and honey.

Verse 22

Barak still pursuing Sisera ends his search at the tent of Jael. There stood a woman saying “come let me show you.” Barak witnesses the lifeless body of Sisera slain by the hands of woman. Jael, a female, now stood in the place the Israelite men were commanded to in chapter 1 of Judges: a destroyer of the canaanites.

Verse 23

“God subdued…”
subdued: kana = properly to bend the knee, bring down, vanquish
The enemy now defeated had to bend the knee to the rightful King, the weight of His hand pressed down until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.