INTERMEDIATE
AGE: 12 - 13
YEARS
STANDARD/GRADE:
VII & VIII
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LESSON – 13
DEBORAH –
UNTIL I AROSE!
In the previous lesson we learnt how the Israelites had entered the land of Canaan and had to capture many Canaanite cities before they could make their home in the promised land. The Israelites rebuilt the captured cities, planted crops, raised their cattle and started to live as free people in the promised land. Many years passed, the leader of the Israelites, Joshua, who led them into the promised land also became old and died. The leader of the Israelites during those days was called as a “Judge”. The Judge was chosen and revealed by God. Judges were similar to Kings who ruled the other countries, but they also had other important functions to perform. The judges were often prophets who delivered divine knowledge inspired by the Spirit of God. They were also civic leaders, who had the authority to judge Israel, correcting abuses, and delivering justice. They also served as military commanders who led Israel in battle against their oppressors.
Jabin and
Sisera oppress Israel
After Joshua died, the Israelites turned away from God. Soon the nearby nations attacked Israel and caused a lot of destruction. Whenever it happened, the Israelites would renounce their sins and cry out to God for help and God would raise a Judge to deliver the Israelites. This cycle continued. Ehud was one of the earliest judges of Israel and after he died, the Israelites sinned against God. So, God allowed a Canaanite king named Jabin to defeat them and rule over them. His home was at a place called Hazor.
The captain of his army was Sisera. Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron and he cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. The use of iron chariots for warfare was considered advanced technology during the ancient days and they could easily overpower the Israelites.
God raises
up Deborah
It was during one of these most difficult times in Israelite history did God raise up Deborah as a Judge of Israel. Deborah was the wife of Lapidoth. She held court under a date palm tree and the people of Israel came to her for judgment. Deborah was also a prophetess. A prophetess is a woman whom God chooses to convey His messages to others. Some of the other prophetesses mentioned in the Bible are Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Huldah (1 Kings 22:14), Anna (Luke 2:36) and Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:9). Before Deborah was raised up as a judge, the Israelites had 80 years of peace to build and fortify their cities and villages (Judges 2:30). But the Israelite cities and villages were left uncared for and they were in ruins and repair. Deborah was stirred by the wretched condition of the villages and she decided to dedicate her life as a mother of Israel, to tend to the nation (Judges 5:6–8).
Barak is
summoned to lead the army
God told Deborah to have a man named Barak gather and lead an army of 10,000 men to Mount Tabor. That was near the home of Jabin’s captain of the Army, Sisera. God promised that Sisera would be drawn to fight the Israelite army, but Barak would win the battle. But Barak didn’t want to go on his own. He agreed to go only if Deborah would accompany him, even though women in ancient Israel never participated in battles. Deborah agreed to go along with Barak but she revealed that the honour of winning the battle will not go to him; a woman would get the credit for defeating Sisera, the captain of a mighty army. Barak did not seem to be bothered much.
Sisera’s
army defeated
Barak gathered an army of 10,000 men from the Israelite tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Sisera had a huge army and 900 iron chariots. When Deborah told Barak to begin the fight, the army rushed down into a valley to fight against Sisera’s army. Sisera’s men fled back down the valley toward Harosheth, but Barak’s men destroyed them before they could get inside the city walls. Despite the fact that Barak’s army was technologically inferior to Jabin's, Barak's force of 10,000 Israelites was able to defeat the Canaanite army. Only Sisera was left alive. Sisera himself left his chariot and ran away on foot.
Sisera at
Jael’s tent
Sisera ran in panic trying to find refuge. He came to the tent of Jael, wife of a man named Heber from the Kenite tribe. The Kenite tribe was a gentile tribe who were related to Moses’ Father-in Law. They had settled in Canaan at the invitation of Moses (Numbers 10:29; Judges 1:16). They were friendly with the king of Canaan. When Sisera came to Jael’s tent, Jael met him at the door and invited him inside. Sisera was tired after a long battle and wanted to rest. Jael gave him a warm blanket. He asked for water to drink, she gave him milk instead. This made him to sleep soundly.
Jael – “the most blessed among tent dwelling
women”
However, it was a decisive moment. The Canaanite
oppression of the Israelites would have affected the Kenite tribe too. It was
time for Jael to act! They need to be free from the Canaanite oppression. They
also should not face repercussion from Barak for providing shelter to Sisera. During
the night, Jael used a hammer to drive a tent-peg through Sisera’s skull. Sisera
was killed in his sleep. Barak was in pursuit of Sisera and arrived at Jael’s
tent. Jael came out to meet Barak and took him to see Sisera lying there
dead. Her heroism was celebrated in a song sung by Deborah and Barak, she
was praised as the ‘most blessed among the tent-dwelling women”. Just as
Deborah said, a woman did receive the credit for winning the battle! This
marked the end of Jabin’s oppression, and Israel had peace for forty years.
Throughout the Bible, we see that God often chose
to raise up unlikely, men and women, outside of human presumptions and beyond
our understanding to accomplish His purposes. After twenty years of oppression,
while most of her people were cowered in fear of Canaanites, God awakened
within Deborah a zeal to do something. When God’s calling came Deborah was
prepared and available. The God-given wisdom and courage of Jael, a tent-dwelling
women also teaches us that God delights to use the unexpected and uncommon to
fulfill His will.
Bible Reference: Judges 4
& 5
Memory Verse: Awake,
awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of
splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not
enter you again (Isaiah 52 :1).
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ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY
I. Give one
word answers:
1.
Jabin
had nine hundred …………………………
2. Before Deborah was raised up as a
judge, the Israelites had ……………… years of peace.
3. Barak agreed to go to the battle only if ………………. accompanied him.
4. Jael used a hammer to drive a ……………………. through Sisera’s skull.
II.
Give short answers:
1. What was the role of the judges in ancient Israel?
2. Who was Deborah and where did she hold court?
3. Why was Deborah stirred?
4. How was Sisera’s army superior to Barak’s army?
III. Give brief answers:
1. Why
was Jael called “the most blessed among the tent-dwelling women”?
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