Deborah and Barak
- For twenty years Israel was oppressed by King Jabin and the Canaanites (Judges 4:2-3).
- Deborah was a prophetess and a judge (Judges 4:4).
- Barak, commissioned to lead 10,000 soldiers against the Canaanites, refused to go unless Deborah went also (Judges 4:8).
- Although victory was promised to him, Barak’s hesitance cost him credit for the same (Judges 4:9).
- Sisera, the Canaanite captain, fled the battle on foot and took refuge in the tent of Heber (Judges 4:17, 11).
- Heber’s wife Jael assassinated Sisera while he slept (Judges 4:21).
- The victory song (Judges 5) gives God the glory for overcoming the Canaanites (verses 1-5), recognizes the sinful state of Israel at the time (6-8), questions the motives of the Israelite tribes which did not come to the battle (12-23), honors Jael for her part (24-27), and concludes with a prayer for absolute victory over all their enemies (31).
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