“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. “
Hebrews 11:32-34(NIV)
I recently read this scripture and thought it might be fun to take a look at the people mentioned. The second person mentioned is Barak. I will paraphrase some of the scriptures because it is several chapters. I’ll leave a link at the bottom so you can read it.
Who is Barak
Israel was misbehaving again and they were sold to Canaan. Sisera was the commander of the Army in Canaan. The Israelites were oppressed by Canaan for twenty years.
Deborah was the judge of Israel. She was also the only woman judge. Israel did not have a king at this time, so the judge was put in place to settle disputes, lead people etc. Deborah sent for Barak and told him to take 10,000 men to fight and God will make them victorious.
“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.’”
Judges 4:6-7 (NIV)
Barak is from Kedesh in Napthitali. The region is upper Galilee. Barak told Deborah that he would go fight, only if she would go with him. Deborah said that she would go, but the Lord would let Sisera be defeated by a woman.
Sisera and the Army
Sisera heard they were coming for him and gathered men and chariots. He had a properly equipped army. I’m guessing the Israelites did not. Sisera’s chariots are mentioned several times in this scripture. I would be remiss to point out that this is a good takeaway for all of us. We need to be reminded of Romans 8:31.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31 (NIV)
Sisera saw the Israelites were coming and he climbed down from his chariot…………….and ran.
“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.”
Judges 4:15 (NIV)
Barak and his army killed ALL of Sisera’s army. The Bible says:
“and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.”
Judges 4:16 (NIV)
Hiding in the Tent
Sisera was running and ran to a tent. The woman in the tent was named Jael. Sisera’s king had an alliance with Jael’s husband. She let him in and told him to rest.
While he slept, she drove a tent stake through his head. I’m sure he got the point (insert groan). Barak showed up looking for Sisera and Jael took him to Sisera’s body. That day God helped the Israelites destroy Canaan.
The Song of Deborah and Barak
Deborah and Barak then sang a song. The song mentions each of the tribes of Israel. The song also mentions the love of God and they praise God in the song. The Israelites had peace for forty years.
I find it interesting that Barak is mentioned in the New Testament. There really isn’t a lot written about him.
What Can We Learn From Barak:
- Listen to Wisdom
- Trust in God
- Rely on God
- Your Real Friends Will Help You
- If God is with you, who can be against you?
If you would like to read the scriptures, here is a link. It starts in Judges 4-5. The link is for the New International Version, but you can click on the right on the webpage and change to a different version.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%204&version=NIV
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