March 07, 2014 - Friday

Start Time: 5:00 A.M.

End Time: 5:27 A.M.

Title: Deborah

Scripture: Judges 4:1 - 23

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead.  So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.  Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading^[a] Israel at that time.  She held court t under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.  She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.  I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”  Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

NOTES:

Ø The Lord uses everyone He chooses to teach us all!   God is a respecter of gender.  He uses both men and women to perfect His plans.  Deborah was a prophet at that time and was used by God in leading the people.  God even used a woman to defeat the commander of the enemy, Sisera instead of a man who did not trust God to use him but trusted in the presence of a woman in war to lead them to victory over the Cannaan.  God humbles the man thru the woman.  Deborah said that Barak was not taking the right course after he was given the command and because of that, the honor will be his but it will be in the hands of a woman.

→ Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,^[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.

NOTES:

Ø God has all the advantage in a fight, even when the enemy thinks he does, he ends up falling into his own trap!  This is how great and mighty our God is!  No one can outsmart Him for He is 100 steps ahead of our enemies!  The passage above clearly indicates that the Israelites were double-cross and Heber told Sisera about the plans of Barak to attack.  No matter how much preparation the enemy has and how many armies he has gathered up against us, he will fled on foot and will be pursued by God Himself. 

Ø God has gone ahead of us in every battle we face, all we need to do is trust Him!  Deborah said to barak, “Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?  This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands!”  This is the day God has given our specific troubles into our hands so take courage for God has gone ahead of us in our fights and He has won and pursued our troubles for us.  Our troubles can do nothing but flee!  Hallelujah!

→ Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.  “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.  “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”  But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.  Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.  On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. ²⁴ And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

NOTES:

Ø God uses those that are least expected to fulfill His words/promise!  He has the element of surprise and our enemies will be caught off guard when He attacks!  God is the God of the unexpected of Great and Marvelous things!  Though He always surprises us as we cannot comprehend His mind, every work or plan He has is always for our own good.  All these things He does so that we may live a life fully in Him.  So why bother trusting our victories in other abilities?  There’s only One who is able and who has our assured victory, His Name is Jesus so we ought to put our full trust and believe in Him alone!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, mighty conqueror and awesome God!  Thank You because You uses everyone You chose for a purpose and You are a respecter of gender and does not play favoritism.  Lord thank You because You have all the advantage in a battle!  You have gone ahead of me and assured my victory!  All I need is to trust and believe in You alone.  Thank You because You never fail to surprise us, even our enemies that’s why no matter how advance they think they are, they end up still caught by their own trap because of their own pride and confidence in their flesh.  Thank You Lord for Your purpose always gets fulfilled and it is always for the best of all of us.  Help me to see Your hand working every day that I may put my full trust in You at all times.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!