Text: John 15:5 " “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
Characters in the story:
• God
• Israelites (God’s Children)
• Jabin (Canaanite King)
• Sisera (Canaanite Chief Army Officer)
• Barak (Israelite Army Commander)
• Deborah (Israelite Judge & Prophetess)
What did the Israelites do?
? They intermingled with strange gods and intermarried with foreign women (Judges 4:1; 3:5-6)
What did God do?
? He punished them in the hands of Jabin (4:2)
For how long did they suffer under Jabin?
? 20 years (4:3)
How could the Israelites be redeemed?
? Through their return to God (4:3).
Who were the 2 possible liberators of Israel?
? Deborah & Barak
What power did Barak have?
? Military might
What power did Deborah have?
? Spiritual might (a prophetess - vs. 4)
From the conversation between Deborah & Barak, what can we learn?
• Recognized the need for humility: Barak recognized that (4:6-10); acknowledgment of God
• Barak obeyed without query; the power of God is not gender-specific.
• Diligence is crucial to leadership (Deborah was judge, wife, prophetess)
• Barak acknowledged that his military Power without God is useless (vs. 8)
• This reminds us of Moses' attempt to fight for the Israelites using his own strength, he couldn't do it (Exo. 2:11-15), until God became involved (Exo. 3:1-12)
• When God is involved, there is revelation (4:14)
• When God is involved, He helps put our enemies to flight (4:15-16).
• When God is involved, battle is easily won (Sisera was killed by Jael who was not even involved in the battle - 4:17-24).
Prayers:
? Lord, raise a Deborah (the spiritually sharp, knowledgeable, inclined) for me and my household - who will always tell us your mind.
? Raise Deborah's for our nations- who will always tell us the mind of God, to help deliver us from oppression.
? Lord, raise me up as the Deborah of my household, community and the nations.
