Sermon Transcript:

This morning we continue our journey through the judges. We come to this, not to learn facts about history, but to be encouraged and reminded of the character of the God who saves us. Othneil showed us that God keeps his promise to save his people. Ehud showed us that God works in unexpected ways to bring salvation. Shamgar reminded us that it is Jesus who is ultimately the hero of the story of salvation. Every judge embodies elements of each lesson and that is especially true of the judge we will meet this morning. 

Today, we come to Deborah and in addition to illustrating the truths I just mentioned, I want us to see the glory of how God’s sovereign providence leads to the salvation of his people. One of the most encouraging truths in the Bible is found in Romans 8:28 which says,

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

The sovereignty of God is challenging for many people, but the Bible always presents it as a comfort and encouragement to believers. God plans, and therefore God’s promises will come to pass. Our passage today is a great illustration of this truth. That is the main point I hope we see this morning,

God works all things together for the salvation of his people.

Close up the world appears to be chaotic and random but life is not random. There is no such thing as luck. God works through the seeming haphazardness to bring about one single glorious end. There is no such thing as meaningless suffering for believers. There are no wasted tears. He raises up kings and brings them down. Every blessing and every trial has a loving purpose and he wins in the end. One day we will praise him just as much for the trials as the treasures because he used all of it for our good and his glory. Verse 1.

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.

Here we go again. The people fall away and God sells turns them over in their sin which leads to their oppression. God doesn’t allow his people to remain comfortable enjoying their sin. To do so would lead to their eternal destruction. He brings temporary suffering to them now so he can bring eternal blessing later. He gives them a taste of the painful fruit of serving false gods so they return to him. His discipline is loving. 

It is a bit like a vaccine. We are injected with a tiny amount of something dangerous so that our defenses against it are strengthened, which then prevents that same affliction from killing us later. Jabin is strong medicine.

Jabin’s army is commanded by Sisera who led a force of 900 iron chariots. It is important we understand the significance of this detail. The Jews didn’t have iron weapons and iron chariots are cutting edge technology. These are the stealth aircraft and smart weapons of the day. They can inflict massive destruction against those fighting with outdated armament. They are fast and powerful and he has 900 of them. When Sisera shows up it is like someone bringing a tank to a bar fight.

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.

We meet this woman Deborah and the first thing we learn about her is that she is a prophet. This is her profession as this was an official office. It is her job to speak the oracles of God to the people. Her primary role is as a prophet.

Before we go on I feel I need to address a couple things about her because her story has become a battleground and she has become quite a controversial figure because of her gender. On one side are many who see her role in this story as an aberration. They argue that the only reason she is functioning as a leader and a prophet is because the situation had become so bad that there were no qualified men.

The other group tries to argue that she proves conclusively that the idea that God has distinct roles for men and women should be rejected. For them she becomes proof that preaching and eldership should be open to women as well as men. 

Let me just say that the Bible doesn’t say any of these things. Rather than twist the Bible to fit our own ideas of what we think it should say, we are to be in submission to what it actually says and have our thinking transformed, especially when it is uncomfortable. Deborah’s gender isn’t the main concern of this passage. 

But since this is such a big issue in our day I would make a few observations related to her gender, this story, and how it fits into the Bible as a whole.

• Deborah isn’t plan B. God can use whoever he chooses, regardless of their gender.

The other male judges are not chosen because they are exemplary men. In fact, she is the only judge in this book that we know for sure was faithfully serving God before being called to deliver the people. In terms of character, she is the most unambiguously positive example of all the judges.

• Scripture is not opposed to female leaders.

To be sure, the Bible assigns men and women different roles especially within marriage and within the Church but it does not restrict women from leadership in other areas. In particular, there are several female prophets listed in both the Old and New Testaments and examples of strong influential women serving in other capacities as well.

• Scripture is clear there are God-Ordained differences between men and women.

She is not a champion for casting off God’s design for men and women. Notice that she is introduced not only as a prophet, but as the wife of Lappidoth. Deborah doesn’t take up a sword or engage in the battle herself, she leaves that to Barak. Judges 5:7 calls her a mother in Israel because she guides and nurtures. She does not try to act like a man. She seems to view her womanhood a strength to be used in her leadership, not a weakness to be discarded.

We have no reason to diminish Deborah as a leader and a prophet just as God using her in this way gives us no reason to ignore the plain teaching of the Bible that God requires male headship in marriage and male eldership in the church. These things are all clear and in no way contradict each other. Deborah is an influential and powerful woman who is critical to the deliverance of the people, but her primary role is as a prophet. 

Interestingly her office, if you want to call it that, was not in the traditional place we would expect prophets. She was between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. This is the first detail connected to God’s providence I want you to see. Her location is irregular but it also means she was accessible to people from all over the land. 

God placed her in the perfect spot to coordinate the following events and it says the “people of Israel” come to her for judgment. That language probably doesn’t mean that they came to her to solve individual problems, but is highlighting they came to her to receive an answer to their oppression under Jabin. God’s answer comes in verse 6,

6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 

She calls Barak and tells him God has called him to deliver the people and has also given him the strategy to follow in doing it. God tells him where to recruit, how many, and lays out the battle plan. She assures him that God will bring him victory. Then in verse 8,

8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” 

A lot of people criticize Barak for his hesitation here saying he is a coward or unfaithful but I think he gets a bad rap. He is mentioned in Hebrews 11 among the great heroes of the faith. His hesitation seems to be that he wants to be sure he has God’s messenger along the way. He recognizes her importance both for him and for rallying the troops. 

She assures him she will go, but tells him that God will deliver Sisera into the hand of a woman. If we were reading this for the first time we would assume she is talking about herself but even before the battle, it was God’s plan that Jael would kill Sisera. This is another pointer to God’s providence. Jael isn’t even introduced yet. She has nothing to do with any of this but God is working through the decisions, past and current, of all these people to bring about exactly what he intends.

Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.

They begin to execute the plan God gave them but then in verse 11 the story is interrupted by this seemingly unnecessary detail.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants 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.

From out of nowhere, and for no immediately apparent reason, the narrator drops in this footnote about where this guy Heber decided to pitch his tent. It seems out of place, but it isn’t random. It is another foreshadowing of God’s wisdom and providence. The Kenites were Midianites and settled south of the sea of Galilee, but for some past reason Heber left his people and settled in the far north. We will come back to this in a minute. 

Back to the action, 

12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot.

Barak marches north onto this broad plain near mount Tabor, which seems almost suicidal considering Sisera has 900 iron chariots. When the general hears this, he mobilizes his entire force. He no doubt sees this as an opportunity to completely wipe out Bark’s forces. Verse 15 says the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots.

We learn from chapter 5 that God sent a fierce storm flooding the river Kishon, sweeping them away. The advantage of iron chariots is their combination of speed and heavy armor, but in a flood they become immobile, sinking into the mud, until they are eventually swept up. In the end, Sisera, the great charioteer, has to climb down and run away old school, on foot. Verse 16 says,

16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left. 

Deprived of their leader and their chariots, the advantage shifts away from the Canaanites to the Hebrews. They retreat and Barak pursues them until they are completely destroyed. But while Barak is mopping things up on the battlefield, Sisera escapes. 

17 But Sisera fled away on foot 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.

He runs north and he heads for the camp of one of the allies of King Jabin, none other than our Kenite friend Heber. Sisera would have expected to find sanctuary here because they were allies. The word “peace” indicates a formal treaty or covenant. This should be safe territory and he comes to the tent of Heber’s wife Jael. At this point, the narrative goes almost into slow motion.

18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

She takes him into her tent and covers him up. Sisera knows that Barak will be coming for him and he likely wants to rest and resupply in hiding here until he can continue on. 

19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ”

He has run a long way and asks for water. Instead, she gives him milk. I don’t know why for sure, but the scene is almost maternal with her giving him milk as she tucks him into bed. He tells her to stand at the door and if someone asks if anyone is there, to say no. 

First, he doesn’t want to be found. Second, this is to protect her honor as it was inappropriate for her to take a man into her tent but do you see the irony here? He doesn’t realize that in telling her to answer “there is no one” he is passing judgment on himself. Who is he? In the end, the great commander turns out to be nobody. Verse 21,

21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.

He falls asleep and she takes a spike used to anchor the tents and drives it through his skull so forcefully that she nails his head to the ground. The violence of the act is unexpected and in stark contrast to her soft words and motherly comfort.

We do not know why she does this. No explanation is given. To kill a visitor, especially one in alliance with her husband is scandalous. This is an extreme act and the text does not explain it. Whatever her intentions were, she was precisely where she needed to be when Israel’s oppressor ditched his chariot and ran for his life.

God worked through an incalculable number of people and events to bring all this to pass. Why did Heber leave the other Kenites? Why did he settle in this place? Why was he at peace with Jabin so that Sisera thought it was safe there? Why isn’t Heber there? Why does Jael kill him? We can ask 1,000 similar questions but just as Deborah had prophesied, God sold Sisera into the hand of a woman.

22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

What a surprise this must have been! Barak may have been thinking Sisera was in there hiding, cowering in a corner, easy pickings but he walks in to find the guy’s head nailed to the floor. Just as God said, it was a woman who defeated him. With Sisera and his forces dead, Barak continues the campaign until they are free of Jabin. Verse 23 says, 

23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. 24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

We see from the beginning to the end God’s invisible hand working to bring deliverance for his people. He raises up Jabin. He gives his word to Deborah. His plans unfold perfectly as each person, by their own choice, is in the place and position he intended. We worship a God who is involved in the details. When the Bible says he works all things for his glory and the good of his people, it means all things.

Isaiah 46:9–10 says,

9 … I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

One of the great burdens I have as a pastor is that so many believers are so often anxious and afraid. People look at the world and it troubles them. There is so much evil, so much pain, so much ungodliness. Human beings only have so much emotional capacity and now most of us carry a steady stream of troubles and worries in our pockets everywhere we go. 

Politicians want us to be upset and afraid because that motivates us to give them money and spread the word in the hope that someone will do something about it. Media manipulates us with fear and anxiety because they get paid everytime we click or tune in and nothing gets our attention quite like anger or fear. It shouldn’t surprise us that a world that has rejected God is filled with trouble but our confidence is not in the world, but in Christ. In John 16:33 Jesus warns his followers they will have trouble but then says,

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus calls us to have peace. We know he loves us and we know he wins. We need not be troubled by the chaos in the world because we know he is working, even through that to bring us into his kingdom. Proverbs 19:21 says, 

21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

We don’t know if Jael intended to be a friend to Israel or if she had her own reasons for what she did but we do know that it was God who delivered Sisera to her. We also know that he worked even through her act of murder to bring deliverance to his people. In the same way, God worked through the evil intentions of sinful men to bring deliverance and salvation to the world through the sacrifice of Jesus. Acts 4:27–28 says,

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 

These men intended the death of Jesus for evil, but God intended it for good. We are all sinners and we all deserve to be punished. There is not a single person here who would want the world to know everything we have done, or said, or thought. We fail to even live up to the standards of this world, so we could never stand before the perfect law of God and be justified. But God came as a man and he did keep the law perfectly. His every thought and action was motivated by love. He was perfect and the greatest act of love was to trade his perfection for our sin on the cross. He died in the place of everyone who would put their trust in him rather than themselves for salvation. We all desperately need salvation and he offers it freely by faith. 

God’s providence is always at work to bring salvation to his people. Jesus has overcome the world. But not all the anxiety we feel comes from looking at the big world around us. Much fear and anxiety sometimes comes from looking at our own lives and our own challenges. The devil works tirelessly to steal our joy but Deborah and Jael point us not only to the fact that God wins the war, but his providence is at work in the details. He is at work in the details of our lives.

We should not fear when we remember that God is at work in all things, even the hard things. He is working through your cancer and your health issues. He is there in the challenges you have at work or school or at home. You do not have the children, grandchildren, neighbors, or any of those things that you have by accident. If you are his, his eye is always upon you. Matthew 10:29–31 says,

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Christian, by grace and because of the love of God, you are a partaker in the sovereign plans of the almighty. I know that many find the concept of God’s sovereignty challenging but I want to encourage you not to be troubled by speculations but rather to see it as the Bible presents it, a source of peace and joy to all who believe. Speaking of Jesus, Ephesians 1:11 says,

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

Notice that all this comes “in him” apart from being united to Jesus in faith, we have no hope, but in Christ believers have obtained an inheritance that is planned and secured by the power of God who infallibly brings his plans to pass. The Bible never separates these things and neither can we. 

Whatever questions we may have about how all this works, we can be sure of one thing… that if we put our trust in Jesus Christ, there is no power in the universe that can prevent him from keeping his promise to save those who put their faith in him. It doesn’t matter what twists and turns your journey takes, for those who put their faith in Jesus, the road ends in heaven. 

Just think about where you are now. Think about your life and look at all those seemingly random details, the people, conversations, situations, that God used to bring you to him and to bring you here now. Think of the challenges and the pain that he has already used to draw us closer and bless us. God doesn’t change. Paul says in Philippians 1:6,

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is often difficult for us to understand how all the situations in our lives are working together for our good, but if we have put our faith in Christ, we can be sure they are. God keeps his promises. He works in unexpected ways and he works through all things to bring salvation to his people. The answer to our anxiety is to remember that God loves us and even the difficult things in our lives are not outside of his control. He is working through even those things to ultimately bring us unimaginable blessings and the proof is that he sent his son to die for us.

Deborah's story isn't just about her leadership; it's a showcase of God's meticulous plan in action, using even seemingly ordinary coincidences for extraordinary purposes. When we feel the weight of the world pressing in, we should remember that God is always working, turning chaos into order, suffering into purpose, and curses into blessing. He is still doing this as he weaves our lives into the great tapestry of redemption, where every thread, no matter how insignificant or out of place it seems, contributes to the masterpiece of His glory.