Barak's Witness of Faith

The faith of Barak:

The first 10 people mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 appear in the order in which they lived: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Rahab. However, the remaining six (6) men are reversed by pairs: Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David and Samuel, Hebrews 11:3232 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

, that is, Barak actually lived before Gideon, Jephthae before Samson and Samuel before David. The Holy Spirit had a purpose in this order of listing when He inspired the writer of Hebrews, which we will attempt to discover. However, this study will proceed in the order in which they appear in the Old Testament and thus we examine Barak's witness of faith today.

First, Israel's status at the time of Barak: after Joshua and the leaders who served with him died the next generation of Israelites forsook God and followed after the idols of the former inhabitants of Canaan. Of course this displeased the Lord greatly and thus He left some of the former inhabitants in the land as a thorn in Israel's side to harass and intimidate them. Periodically thereafter, God raised up Judges under whose respective leadership the former inhabitants were subdued and their idols destroyed, thus bringing Israel back into proper fellowship with their Lord. However, after each of these judges died Israel reverted back into idol worship and of course fell out of favor with God. - Judges 2; 3:5 - 8. The first two (2), possibly three, judges mentioned are Othniel, Ehud and possibly Shamgar, who preceded the advent of Barak. Israel had peace for 40 years under the administration of Othniel and another 40 years under Ehud, but after their respective administrations, fell back into sin - Judges 3:9 - 319 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

10 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.

18 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.

19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.

24 When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.

25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

26 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.

27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.

28 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.

30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

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Barak's account is chronicled in Judges 4 & 5. When he came on the scene Israel had been terrorized by King Jabon of Caanan and Sisera, the Captain of Jabon's army, for 20 years. The Lord raised up a prophetess named Deborah to judge Israel. She held court under a palm tree in Mount Ephraim where the Israelites came to seek her wisdom and settle matters in dispute - Judges 4:4 & 54 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

5 And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

. The Lord used Deborah to summon Barak and tell him to call out an army of 10,000 Israelites with which he would be given victory over Sisera's powerful army - verses 6 & 7. Thus Deborah received God's Word and gave it to Barak who demonstrated faith therein by doing as told, but, he would not go without Deborah - verse 8. She willingly agreed to accompany him but prophesied that the glory of the victory over Sisera would go to a woman and not to Barak - verse 9.

On a day ordained by God Deborah told Barak it was time to attack, again, with assurance of victory. Barak and the Israelite army totally destroyed Sisera's army, including his formidable 900 chariots of iron. They killed everyone except Sisera himself who fled from his chariot and ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. - Judges 4:13 - 1713 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.

14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.

17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

. Heber was of the children of Hobab, who had been the father in law of Moses. His people had accompanied the Children of Israel on their trip through the wilderness and settled around Jericho and then in the wilderness of Judah - Judges 4:11 & 1:16. Jael welcomed Sisera into her tent and covered him with a blanket or rug of some type. After a long day's battle and flight from the battle field he would have been hot, sweaty, tired and thirsty so he asked for water but Jael gave him milk to drink. Sisera told her to stay at the tent door and to tell anyone who inquired there was no man in her tent. After such physical exertion and comfortably ensconced with a belly full of warm milk Sisera naturally went to sleep. Jael then took a tent stake and drove it though Sisera's temple with a hammer, killing him. When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael showed him his dead body - Judges 4:17 - 2217 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.

21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.

. Judges 5 is a song by Deborah and Barak reviewing, among other things, the victory just won and praising the Lord for what He had done for His people. And the land had rest for 40 years - Judges 5:3131 So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

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Barak's witness of faith has much to teach, especially because his experience is inextricably connected with two women, Deborah and Jael. This is another example of how God uses the weak and frail to defeat the strong and powerful: "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" - I Corinthians 1:27.

Eve, the first woman, was willingly deceived by Satan when her faith in God's Word failed and she ate of the forbidden fruit. She in turn influenced the first man to sin with her, which brought death to the human race, and as we will see gave the power thereof to the Devil. But even as Satan no doubt gloated over what he had done God predicted the final outcome, informing him: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." - Genesis 3:1515 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

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The Prophetess Deborah was raised up to speak for and represent God to Israel. Unlike Eve, she accepted God's Word by faith and passed it on to Barak who by faith raised an army and while accompanied and encouraged by Deborah totally destroyed Sisera's powerful army. God then used another woman, Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, by whose hand the job was finished. Jael's motive for killing Sisera may well have been to save her honor because, according to the customs at the time, it was an unforgivable and unconscionable shame to have a man other than her husband in her private living quarters. There certainly is no record of God telling Jael to kill Sisera, however, whatever Jael's motive for doing so her actions worked out to God's purpose. This is confirmed by Deborah and Barak's song: "Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent." - Judges 5:2424 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

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Only two (2) women in the Bible are said to be "Blessed above women." The first one is Jael and her actions obviously point to the second, the virgin Mary: "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." - Luke 1:2828 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

(see also Luke 1:4242 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

.) Jael drove a stake through the head of the powerful general of the enemy while the son of the Virgin Mary fulfilled God's Word in Genesis 3:15 when she bore a son that "bruised" Satan's head. Jesus Christ was the seed of the woman and by His life and death in perfect faith, He bruised (defeated) Satan for good. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus Christ) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." - Hebrews 2:14 & 1514 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

. Christ sealed Satan's sentence 2000 or so years ago (the bruising of Satan's head) and that sentence will be carried out: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." - Revelation 20:1010 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

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It was not in the power of or at Barak, Deborah or Jael's initiative, in and of themselves, that the enemy was defeated. Barak and Deborah demonstrated faith in God's Word while Jael showed coolness and determination in doing what needed to be done but it was God that ordained the circumstances and ultimately gave the victory: "So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan." - Judges 4:23 & 2423 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

. God's work has always been and will always be accomplished according to His own will and by His power but his instruments to carry it out is through weak, frail human beings.

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:26 - 2826 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," - Ephesians 3:2020 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

. May we have faith in these, God's Words to us.