From Sampler to Sower

Weekend Teaching Series: Heroes

Message Title: The Tent-Peg Killer

Sermon in a Sentence: Don’t let fear keep you from being the Hero God is looking for.

Text(s): Judges 4

Weekend Scale of Difficulty: 7 out of 10, I guess the easy weeks had to come to an end.  This was a Murphy’s Law kind of Tuesday night.  Fortunately, with the exception of a slightly late start due to a guitar malfunction, I don’t think any of the chaos effected the service itself.

Message Summary:

We’re in week three of our Heroes series for Junior High. You’ll remember from last week this series is taking a look at the book of Judges. We started with a quick “Where we left off…” review which reminded students of the judges cycle (Rebellion, Retribution, Repentance, Redeemer, Rescue) and of the two judges of whom we spoke so far: Othaniel and Ehud.

Following the review we met the third judge from the book of Judges: Shagmar.  We didn’t spend much time talking about Shagmar, because the Bible doesn’t spend much time talking about Shagmar.  He gets one verse (Judges 3:31), which tells how he killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad, before he’s forgotten with the opening of chapter 4.

In Judges 4 the cycle starts all over again.  We learn that Ehud died, and as so often happened, when the judge died, the people returned to their evil ways.

Their sin was nothing new.  But the kingdom God used to punish them was – sort of.

We learn that God hands his people over to King Jabin, king of the Canaanites who reigned in Hazor.

It’s interesting to note the progression of oppressors in Judges.  The first enemy of Israel came from far north in Mesopotamia: Cushan the doubly-wicked from Aram of the Two Rivers.  The second enemy, with whom Ehud had to contend, was Eglon King of the Moabites who came from outside the Promised Land to the West, crossed the Jordan and conquered Jericho.  In the little the Bible tells us about Shagmar, we learn the enemy in his day were the Philistines who lived to the East of the Promised Land in a strip of land along the Mediterranean coast.

Each of  these threats came from outside the Promised Land and destroyed the peace of the land.  But with the rise of Jabin the danger comes from much closer to home.  Hazor was within the Promised Land, in the territory given to the tribe of Naphtali.  Israel’s problems are coming home to roost.

Yet while that development was new, Jabin himself was not.  This is not the first time the Israelites had to face King Jabin and his Canaanite army from Hazor.  We learn of a similar threat in Joshua 11.  Now, it’s probably not the same Jabin, especially since Joshua executed him following their battle in chapter 11.  (Most scholars assume that Jabin was a popular name for Canaanite kings – like all the Louis’ of France – or else actually a title like all the Pharoahs of Egypt.)  But even though it’s a new King, it’s an old threat, and one the Israelites thought they had conquered.   An old enemy they assumed they had beaten comes back and they find themselves again fighting a battle they thought they had won.  Sound familiar?  Think that’s what Paul had in mind when he wrote “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall (1 Corinthians 10:12)”?

This time around Jabin and the Canaanites prove to be a much more formidable enemy.  Historically, this era stands at the turning of the ages, as civilization moved out of the Bronze Age and into the Age of Iron.  Jabin and the Canaanites, having been around longer and being more established in Hazor are ahead of Israel.  As they move into the iron age, the newer nation of Israel is still in the bronze.  This gives the Canaanites a distinct advantage in the arms race, and under the leadership of Sisera, their general, the Canaanites use their iron chariots to oppress the more primitive Israelites.

For twenty years Israel suffers under Canaanite oppression until they finally come to their senses and cry out to God for help.

So far, this story matches the Judges cycle perfectly: rebellion, followed by retribution which leads to repentance. The next character we expect to meet is the redeemer that God will raise up to rescue his people.

And it is to such anticpation that Deborah steps onto the stage of history.  What do we know about Deborah?

1. We know she was a prophetess.  God had entrusted her with the task of speaking God’s word to God’s people.  Granted most prophets we know from scripture are males.  But the fact that Deborah is a woman doesn’t keep God from calling her and using her to speak his word to his people.  (And Deborah is far from the only prophetess recorded in scripture.)
2. We know she was the wife of Lappidoth.  Now, this is only slightly helpful, because we have no clue who Lappidoth was.  But this phrase literally means she was “a woman of torches” or a “fiery woman.”  Could it be that Judges records the name of Deborah’s husband because it gives us a hint about what kind of woman she was?
3. We know that she was a judge in Israel. Now, granted, we’ve been saying for the last two weeks that when the Bible talks about judges it’s not talking about black robe, white wig, sitting behind a bench dispensing justice kind of judges, but rather people from all walks of life that God calls to lead his people and rescue them from their enemies.  But Deborah is the black robe, white wig kind of judge.  Not that she wore those things, but she did sit each day under a tree that became known as the Palm of Deborah to listen as people brought their disputes to her and asked her to rule between them.

So while the Bible tells us that Deborah was a judge, the question remains whether or not she is this story’s Judge.  Is she the Hero that Israel needs?

As a prophetess she knows something about God’s plan to rescue his people.  She calls for Barak, a military leader from the tribe of Naphtali, from the town of Kedesh, from the very area where the Canaanite oppression is the strongest.  She calls him to come to her, and when he does she says “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor.  I will lure 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).’ ”

Now, in the NIV this is phrased as a declaration, as if Deborah is telling Barak something new.  However, in the Hebrew it’s phrased as a question.  That’s not to suggest that Deborah doesn’t know.  It’s clearly a rhetorical question, Deborah knows that God has commanded Barak to do this.  However, because it’s a question there’s also the implication that Barak already knows this information too.  As the Holman Christian Standard Bible puts it, the feel for this verse seems to be: “Hasn’t the LORD, the God of Israel, ^(G) commanded [you]…”

It’s almost as if Barak has been looking for any excuse, because just doesn’t want to get involved in this fight.

And he still doesn’t want to, because he answers: “If you will go with me, I will go.  But if you don’t, I’m not leaving.”  It’s as if he’s not willing to put his life on the line on the advice of someone else, unless that person’s not willing to join him in the risk.

But unlike Barak, Deborah has complete confidence in the command of God.  She calls his bluff and responds, “Very well.  I will go.  But because of the way you’re going about this, the glory from this victory will not be yours.  God will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.”

It’s at this point in the story that we are introduced to a fourth character who seems to have very little to do with anything.  So far the parts that Jabin, Sisera, Deborah and Barak play have all been pretty straight forward.  Not so with Heber.  The story simply says, “Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,  and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh (Judges 4:11, NIV).”

Now we know a few things about Heber from this verse:

1. He’s a Kenite. He’s not an Israelite, but instead he belongs to a tribe of people that have associated themselves with Israel since the time of Moses.
2. He’s an ally. In fact, that appears to be the basic meaning of his name “Heber.”  It points to the fact that traditionally the Kenites were allies of the Israelites.  But it remains to be seen where Heber’s alliances lie.
3. He’s an iron smith. The Kenite clans were known for being iron workers.  Here’s where it gets interesting.  Heber the iron worker has left the traditional home of his clan and has moved far north, not far from Hazor.  Given what we know about the source of Jabin’s power, it appears that Heber has moved away from home because there are more job opportunities for iron workers among the Canaanites of Hazor.  He’s sold out his tradional allies for a better job with their enemies.

We can surmise these things about Heber, but we’re still left to wonder what role he will play.

After this brief introduction to Heber, we return to our story already in progress.  Someone informs Sisera of the Israelite troop movements.  (Could it have been Heber?) Deborah and Barak are on their way to Mt Tabor with 10,000 men.  Sisera moves his troops to the shores of the Kishon river to join them in battle.

Little is told about the battle in chapter four of Judges.  We are told in the Song of Deborah in chapter five that as the battle begins a thunderstorm begins to rage overhead.  Quickly the Kishon overflows its bank, turning the battlefield into a quagmire.  The poor conditions quickly make the chariots a liability instead of an asset and the Isrealites overrun the Canaanites, destroying their chariots and putting their soldiers to the sword.

Sisera sees the battle is going poorly and flees for his life.  Instead of running back toward his hometown like the rest of his army, he sneaks off in another direction in hope of escape.  It’s not long before he comes to the encampent of Heber the Kenite, the Canaanites long time ally.  He meets Jael, wife of Heber, and begs her to hide him.  She takes him into her tent and covers him up under her blankets.  The mighty general is hiding in a strange woman’s bed with the covers pulled up over his head.

He’s tired and thirsty from battle.

He asks for a drink of water.

She offers him a skin of milk instead.

He begs her to stand outside his tent and if anyone asks if there’s a man hiding inside, to tell them “No.”

Jael stifles a laugh.  (Okay, so the Bible doesn’t say that.  But wouldn’t you find it funny if the army general hiding underneath your covers drinking your milk like a baby asks you to tell someone “There’s no man here.”)

Soft bed.  Warm covers.  Glass of milk.

What do you suppose happens next?

Sisera falls to sleep.  And as he is sleeping, Jael takes a mallet and tent peg.  Driving the peg through his head, Jael quite literally nailed Sisera to the ground and then went outside her tent to wait.

Before long Barak and his troops came looking for the escaped general.  When they asked Jael if they had seen him, she took them into her tent and showed them their enemy was already dead.

Granted, this isn’t exactly the kind of story you see illustrated on the flannelgraphs in Sunday School.  Few of the stories of the book of Judges are.  But there are some important lessons we can take away:

1. God is in the habit of using unexpected heroes. This will be a recurring theme for this book.  Last week it was the left-handed outcast Ehud.  This week, the hero of the story isn’t even an Israelite.  It’s a Gentile woman who rises to the occasion to rescue the people of God.  Stereotypes do not apply.
2. Fear can keep us from being the hero God is looking for. It would appear that God’s original plan was to use Barak to rescue his people.  Barak was called to be Israel’s redeemer.  But he wasn’t willing to go alone.  He was afraid to stand up when everyone else was cowering in fear.  And because he was afraid, the opportunity to be Israel’s hero passed from him to Jael.  We too will have occasion to stand up for God, even when everyone around us have turned their backs on him.  So long as we’re looking for safety in numbers we will never be the kind of Hero God is looking for.  Obedience to his call must become more important to us than going with the crowd.

Element of Fun/Positive Environment: Our Hero game this week was called Villain Match.  I printed pictures of nine superheroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, the Hulk, Captain America, Spiderman).  I also printed pictures of villains each superhero went up against. (Amazing Grace, Calendar Man, Cheetah, Professor Zoom, Tattooed Man, the Fisherman, the Puffball Collective, Slug and the Hypno-Hustler).  The website Rapsheet was particularly helpful in finding most of these pictures.  I laid out the pictures of the heroes, gave the contestants a pile of villains and then gave them 60 seconds to match as many villains to heroes as possible.  They each won $1 for each correct match.  Then we told them the real answers and laughed at how corney some of the villains were.  (Seriously, the Puffball Collective vs the Hulk?!?)

Worship Set: Mighty to Save, Here I am to Worship, Revelation Song, In Christ Alone

Favorite Moment: Demonstrating Jael’s trickery by nailing Leif, one of our 7th graders, to the floor.  Not literally of course, but calling him down front and acting it all out quickly drew in the attention of the Junior Highers.