6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
Judges 4:6-10
12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
Judges 4:12-16
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the Lord.
Judges 5:9
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.
Hebrews 11:32
A Hero Go Against What Others Think
After the first two parts of this story, I think you have figured out who the man is in this story.
After Reading the story of Barak, what do you think about him? A weak person without much faith?
Some think that when Deborah told him to lead ten thousand men to fight Sisera, he insisted Deborah has to go with him because he lacked the faith to go, and the result was that he did not get the glory to kill Sisera. In fact, I think Barak was actually fearless, full of faith, and
wholeheartedly seek the glory of God.
Knowing Yourself
Barak was a warrior. He knew how to fight but knew that he was not as close to God as Deborah. He needed the guidance of God, so he asked Deborah to go with him. We all have our limitations. We have to know what it is and try to compensate them.
Courage
Sisera’s army has a lot of soldiers. Their chariots alone numbered nine hundred. On top of that, he was an experienced general of fame. Fighting him with only ten thousand soldiers is suicidal. A timid person will not be doing this.
Seeking God’s Glory
Barak, unlike many men, was not seeking his glory. He did not mind someone else had the glory. He did not even mind that it was a woman who took his glory. In his heart, there was only one glory that was worthy of seeking, and it was God’s glory. Many people want to be number one, the best in their field, but Barak did not care about that. Read Deborah’s psalm. She did not complain that Barak was a coward. In fact, I think Judge 5:9 was written with Barak in mind. Barak offered himself willingly. He offered his own glory to make sure God would have His. The writer of Hebrews appears to have the same esteem for Barak, and that was why he listed Barak among all the heroes of faith.
These three people, Deborah, Jael, and Barak, may be completely different from each other but they complement each other, accept each other, work with each other, and appreciate each other. Together, they completed one of the greatest salvation of the Israelites.
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