Judges 4

CHAPTER 4

Deborah (4:1–24)

1–3 The Israelites again did evil, and this time the Lord gave them into the hand of Jabin, who reigned in Hazor.²⁶ Hazor was a large city in northern Canaan; therefore, Jabin’s rule mainly affected Israel’s northern tribes, especially Naphtali and Zebulun (verse 6). Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, cruelly oppressed the Israelites for many years; finally they cried out for help (verse 3).

4–10 At this time a woman, Deborah, was the leader of Israel. It seems likely that she was chosen because there were no men available who were faithful and courageous enough to lead.²⁷ Deborah was also a prophetess (verse 4), one of several mentioned in the Bible (Exodus 15:20; 2 Kings 22:14; Luke 2:36; Acts 21:8–9).

Deborah assigned Barak to lead the men of Naphtali and Zebulun against Sisera. Barak was unwilling to fight unless Deborah went with him; he evidently felt that the presence of a prophetess would guarantee Israel’s victory. Barak had faith that God would act through Deborah, but he did not have faith that God would act through him—even though Deborah had said He would (verse 7). It’s well to have trust in our leaders, but we must depend on God alone.

Because of his lack of faith, Barak would not receive honor for the victory²⁸ (verse 9); that honor would go to a woman named Jael (verse 17).

11 Here we are introduced to Heber the Kenite. Moses had married a Kenite woman, Zipporah (Exodus 2:18–21), and her brother Hobab had accompanied the Israelites to the promised land (see Numbers 10:29–33). Hobab’s descendants eventually settled in Judah (Judges 1:16).

However, this particular Kenite, Heber, had left the others and settled in northern Canaan, where he developed friendly relations with Jabin (verse 17). It was Heber’s wife, however, who became the heroine of this story (verses 18–21).

12–16 God had revealed His battle plan to Deborah: He would lure Sisera to fight in the valley of the Kishon River (verses 7,13). Ordinarily that would have been a good place for Sisera’s nine hundred chariots, but God caused a flood to sweep down the valley (see Judges 15:20–21). Sisera’s chariots were mired in mud, and so the lightly armed Israelites routed Sisera’s troops, killing all of them (verses 15–16). It was the Lord who won the victory by sending that heavy rain, just as He had won a similar victory in Joshua’s time by sending hailstones²⁹ (Joshua 10:11).

17–22 Sisera fled on foot and found refuge in the tent of Heber’s wife, Jael. Since no man was allowed to enter a woman’s tent except her immediate family, Sisera assumed that no one would look for him there. Just in case, however, he asked Jael to guard the doorway.

Jael’s husband may have been on friendly terms with Jabin and Sisera, but she clearly was not; when Sisera was asleep, she drove a tent peg through his head and into the ground beneath (verse 21). She was no doubt handy with hammer and tent peg, since in ancient Israel it was the women who set up the tents. Once again God chose a person and weapon suited for carrying out His will (see Judges 3:20–25 and comment).

23–24 With Sisera and his army destroyed, Jabin was no longer a threat to Israel; the Israelites grew stronger and eventually destroyed him.