Thursday, April 23, 2020

NOW HIRING: Courageous Leader-Judges 4:1-10


As we continue to navigate these weeks marked by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many are beginning to question/debate who has the authority to make which decisions and which leader should be taken seriously on particular issues. Whether these questions are asked of governing bodies (i.e. local vs. state vs. federal government) or medical institutions (CDC, WHO, DHS, Dr. Fauci), many, I imagine are left wondering “who is in charge here?” or “who should I listen to?” Many crave courageous, clear, and compelling leadership, especially during these difficult times. Israel found herself with similar questions and desires in Judges 4:1-10. Under their own set of difficult circumstances, people were left wondering, “who is in charge?” and “who is going to lead us out of this?” Thankfully, God, steps into the gap and assembles a coalition that will be used to provide victory for his people. However, the process of putting this coalition together highlights an important lesson that leaders must heed, especially today.



1. A Familiar Situation-4:1-3

Judges 4-5 offers the same story in two versions—one in narrative form and one in poetic form. In other words, the same story of victory is celebrated in two different ways—in story and in song. That said, we are going to begin looking at Deborah/Barak judge cycle by reading part of the story in chapter 4. The story begins as almost every cycle does, with what some call a “negative evaluation formula”—“Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died” (4:1) (Block, Judges and Ruth, 188). Similar statements kicked off Ehud’s cycle in 3:12 and Othniel’s cycle even earlier in 3:7. The same formula is repeated here. Unable to kick their habit of sin and idolatry, Israel finds herself once again in a familiar situation—bereft of a leader and steeped in sin.
The Lord responds to this loathsome display of disobedience the same way he has already proven to earlier—with forceful discipline—“And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim” (4:2). Jabin is probably not a personal name as much as it is a title of the head of this regime (like “Caesar”). Hazor was a strategic location on the road between Damascus and Megiddo in northern Galilee with a colorful past. This city that was destroyed once in the days of Joshua (see Josh. 11:3) appears to have experienced something a resurgence and is used by God to place his people into involuntary servitude. Think of how embarrassing this must have been—to be ruled by a people from a location that had already been destroyed by your former leader.

In addition to king Jabin, the reader is introduced to the general of his massive army—“ the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim,…”Exactly where or what this location refers to is relatively unknown, but what is known is this ruling regime held considerable sway over God’s people during this time due to this massive army.

As in every cycle thus far, “the sons of Israel cried to the Lord;” (4:3a). It is important to recognize, as with each and every case up to this point, that this cry is not the cry of contrition or repentance given from a people who have learned the error of their ways and want to do better; it is the cry of pain and agony for simple relief (whining for lack of a better word). Something of the motivation of this cry is learned in the next phrase—“for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years,…” (4:3b). Intimidated by the supply of iron-clad chariots (powerful and superior technology for this day and age, rendering the Canaanites near-invincible to Israelite armies marching out in their own strength), frustrated, and a bit scared, God’s people finally have enough after twenty years of being pushed around by their neighbors to the north.

2. A Fascinating Coalition-4:4-10

In response to this familiar cry, God assembles a fascinating coalition (or, perhaps more appropriately, a “rag-tag team”). The first member of this team mentioned is Deborah—“Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at the time,…” (4:4).  The quick mention of this heroine highlights the unprecedented nature of her leadership and would have caused original readers to wonder whether or not she would/could be as victorious as her predecessors in leading the Israelites to victory. Typically at this point in the cycle pattern, some mention of divine intervention would be given (see “The Lord raised up” in 3:15 and 3:9). Here, Deborah is simply introduced. Breaking the pattern calls unique attention to this woman—attention that would have certainly led the original audience to question her suitability for delivering God’s people. However, as in many situations before, this cycle will prove the Lord’s ability to rescue his people regardless of how expected the means he chooses to use may be. Deborah’s role comes as a real surprise, “for nowhere else before or after this do we find a woman functioning in such a leadership position in Israel” (Chisholm, Judges and Ruth, 222). This causes many scholars and historians alike to ask, “Why was a woman leading in this way?” Some suggest that perhaps the people of God had run out of Calebs, Othniels, and Ehuds and, by default, looked to this prophetess (which is an entirely different and distinct office) to fill in the leadership vacuum (Block, Judges, Ruth, 192). Regardless of how this fell to Deborah, the original text and surrounding context suggest that having this prophet serve, even superficially, in the capacity of judge was unexpected and, perhaps, less than ideal. After all, consider the following questions:

1) Why is she not introduced as one whom Yahweh had raised up?
2) Why is there no reference to her inspiration and empowerment by God’s Spirit?
3) Why is Barak tapped to accomplish the deliverance?
4) Why is the verb yasa “to save” never applied to her? (consider 8 more questions outlined by Block, Judges, Ruth, 194).

Something is off (isn’t everything in Israel during the period of Judges). In fact, while little is criticized about the first two judges (Othniel and Ehud), following Deborah’s cycle, the judges exhibit a rapid downward spiral and instead of being compelling solutions to the syncretism that was taking place between Israel and Canaan during this period, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson prove to be part of the problem. Deborah, in many ways is the midpoint between the noblemen of the beginning of Judges and the antiheroes to follow. She is unique, and probably because she is first and foremost a prophetess (one who speaks for God), Perhaps this is why in later lists of the deliverers, Barak’s name appear and not hers. Many believe that while Deborah communicates God’s response to his people’s cry, she is not the ultimate answer to their request. This will play out in the remainder of chapter 4 and 5.

As unexpected as Deborah’s introduction may be, so too is what follows this in verse 5 when the author reports “She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment,…” (4:5). Her location her places her in a central location where she would have been easily accessible to the majority of Israel. Though interpretations about exactly what she was offering here abound,  Chisholm concludes that the most reasonable interpretation of Judges 4:4-5 is “Deborah was exercising a dual role of prophet and [de facto] judge, much like Samuel did at a later time” (Chisholm, Judges and Ruth, 226). In this role the individual can offer decisions on important matters such as war and his/her advice is followed because it is believed to be from God. Therefore, when it says “the sons of Israel came up to her for judgement” it probably means something like “they came up to her for godly advice and wisdom on a whole host of matters.” Others, like Block believe that people were treating her as a mediator between them and God—coming to her instead of priests to voice their complaint before God. If this is the case, this would no doubt reflect poorly on the state of the priesthood during this dark period in Israel’s history (Block, Judges and Ruth, 197). Again, to put things simply, something is off here one way or another, leaving readers wondering, can God bring about a victory in this confused situation? Regardless of exactly what she was doing, the text quickly shifts from her role to another character.

The text reads, “Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, ‘Behold, the Lord the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun,…” (4:6). In answer to the people’s cries, the response is to call upon a man named Barak to lead an army again the Canaanites. Why Barak (“lightning”) is chosen is unclear, but perhaps his being from Kedesh-naphtali (relatively close to Hazor, the seat of Jabin, Israel’s oppressor) may have something to do with it. Her message to Barak is clear. God has commanded him (notice, not herself) to go and assemble a large coalition to mount an attack against their enemies and deliver God’s people.

She continues in verse 7 with by sharing the following message from the Lord: “I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand” (4:7). God promises Barak here (through Deborah) that he would lure the Canaanite forces to the river, set up the ambush, and bring about ultimate victory for Israel.
This message to Barak demonstrates two important things about the way God works. First, God not only calls people to do his bidding, he determines the strategy that he wants his people to take. Second, God maintains ultimate control over the lives of his people in good times and bad. The same one who had sold Israel into the hands of Jabin in verse 2 will engineer this enemy’s defeat. While the Israelites may have perceived their enemy here as a mighty force of opposition, God reveals here that ultimately Jabin and his forces are puppets that he can easily string along as he wills to bring about their demise.

Though this cycle has been a bit mysterious from the start, this call of Barak and the promise of victory for Israel seems promising and headed in the right direction. One might hope that upon being introduced to Barak we are going to see a confident and bold hero figure ready for battle, leading an army into victory. However, instead, we are met with hesitation—“Then Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go” (4:8). It is clear that Barak is not impressed with nor inspired by what he has heard in and of itself (some lightning flash he is proving to be!). Instead of responding to this commissioning with courage and decisiveness like Othniel and Ehud before him, Barak sheepishly asks for the support of Deborah, the prophetess, further supporting the idea that Israelite male leadership in this era had fallen on hard times.

Also, Barak’s desire to have his hand held in this enterprise might also betray his desire to be accompanied by God’s confirming presence (after all, Deborah is a prophetess). This sounds holy, but following a clear commissioning from the Lord and promise of victory, one ought not respond to the call of God with “Not unless X, Y, Z.” Barak’s failure to believe God at his word and be obedient to the call is inexcusable and Deborah lets him know as much in what she shares next.

“She said, ‘I will surely go with you, nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman,…” (4:9a). Here, Deborah assures Barak of her presence (and, more importantly God’s presence). However, she also informs him that his hesitation and weak faith has caused him to forfeit the full glory of the victory that God would accomplish (Chisholm, Judges and Ruth, 228). In a sad commentary on his leadership capacity (and perhaps, even his masculinity), she predicts that ultimately the Lord would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. While most readers at this point might assume that Deborah is referring to herself with this statement, little do they know that there is more to the story (STAY TUNED).

Following through with her promise, “Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh” (4:9b). These two—Deborah and Barak—form the core of a fascinating and unexpected coalition that God would use to deliver his people from the hands of Jabin and Sisera of Canaan.

Added to these two, “Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him…” (4:10). No explanation for why these men respond positively to Barak is given, however, one might assume that having Deborah with him (a person recognized as a prophet throughout Israel) was a critical factor. By the end of this passage, Deborah’s mission has been successful. A reluctant general has been commissioned and a coalition of ten thousand men has been gathered. This lays the groundwork for what will unfold in the remainder of this cycle.

So What?

However, before we get to the rest of the story next week, let us examine what application we might draw from this account. In this precarious situation we learn that while God can certainly move in spite of a lack of courageous leadership and provide much-needed direction when no one else will. However, we also learn that failed/absent leadership is a sad commentary on a people that has lost its way. Here we have Israel in a difficult, but familiar, predicament—they are under the oppression of a pagan entity. If there was ever a need for courageous leadership, especially among the men that God had appointed and called to lead during this era, it was now. And yet, instead of rising to the occasion, we see Deborah, a prophetess, having to leave her own post, approach Barak, and agree to hold his hand prior to him agreeing to be a part of God’s program of victory. If nothing else, this text demonstrates how pathetic it can be when leaders who are called are unwilling/hesitant to lead.

May this not be said today in the midst of our present and precarious circumstances. If there was ever a time for courageous leadership, it is now, especially among those who have been called to lead. 
This goes for you Husband/Father in your household. This present situation ought to be used by some of you to reclaim your spiritual leadership of your household. Are you leading your wife and kids in the word and in prayer, providing godly perspective in all the noise? Now is not the time to be hesitant or sheepish about your God-given role in your family as articulated in places like Ephesians 5:22ff and 1 Peter 3. This goes for you Moms/Dads as your lead your children as stipulated in places like Ephesians 6:1-4. This goes for pastors, bosses, servant leaders, and others whom God has called to exercise influence in appropriate ways. If ever there was a time for godly and courageous leadership, it is NOW. May we not prove like Barak and need added coaxing to do what God has called and expects of us. May we, in response to this text, pray for godly and courageous leadership, and, if you have been given a leadership role, now is the time to own it and fulfill your calling. We need you, your family needs you, your churches need you, this world needs you, and God has called you!

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