Image source: bibleencyclopedia.com
Not one of the heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11 ever exhibited
foolproof faith. Every one of them would, at some point, waver but eventually
all of them would pick up on God’s calling to complete the work. In light of
all these, Barak (also spelt Barach) remains an interesting case because he was a courageous
warrior who struggled with his faith and was besieged in doubt and in the end,
his accomplishments would be forever overshadowed by a woman.
With a name that signified, ‘lightning’ in Hebrew, Barak’s
hallmark was as mighty in the tradition of Hebrew warriors and who had never
flinched at the odds stacked against the nation of Israel. In answering God’s
call, he would overwhelmingly be victorious. And in that sense, he was also
known for his obedience.
At the time of Deborah, the judge and prophetess that God had
appointed over His people, Israel had once again turned their backs on Him.
Summarily for twenty years then, the Canaanites were laying siege on the
Israelites. Deborah summoned Barak to tell him that God had chosen him to round
up the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali and then head up to Mount Tabor where
victory was sought against their enemies.
Barak had second thoughts and deep in doubt, he decided that the
only way he could carry this out was if Deborah would go alongside him. In
agreeing, she told him in no uncertain terms that when victory came, it would
not be to his credit but instead to a woman. Little did any of us realise that
it wasn’t even herself she had referred to but someone else. At any rate this
was the price Barak had to pay for his moment of weakness, a moment when faith
left him alone in doubt.
With a force of a 10,000-strong army, Barak led Israel to Mount
Tabor to meet their enemy. Spearheading King Jabin’s Canaanite army was Sisera,
a commander of repute and proven battle victories. The Canaanites had brought
along with them a distinct advantage of having 900 iron chariots that were
swift and full of guile. In pre-medieval military strategies, chariots were akin
to tank warfare – in the hands of experienced and well-armed charioteers, they
posed tremendous threat and intimidation as well as being deadly. They could
quickly turn any battle on its head with a smell of victory just a short
distance away.
Image source: en.wikipedia.org
Despite overwhelmingly unfavourable odds, Deborah told Barak to
head into battle with the sure knowledge that God had already gone ahead and
before them. And so he led his army to advance down Mount Tabor. Once that was
in progress, God decided to bring forth a colossal rainstorm that muddied the
battleground and bogged the enemy chariots down with nowhere fast to go, let
alone escape. Then the stream Kishon had broken its banks, overflowing and
sweeping away much of the Canaanite army, leaving it to the Israelites to pursue
and slaughter all of them.
The Bible confirms that there was nothing left of the
Canaanites…except for Sisera who beat a hasty retreat. He ran to the tent
belonging to a Kenite woman called Jael who took him in and offered milk for
him to drink. Thereafter he laid down on a mat and feeling completely weary, he
summarily slept what was to be his last. Surreptitiously she took quiet steps
to retrieve a hammer and a tent stake and gathered herself right next to the
sleeping Sisera. With the stake, she hammered, driving it right through his
temple, killing him instantly.
Barak arrived shortly thereafter at Jael’s tent. She revealed
Sisera’s corpse thus ending the chase for the Canaanite commander. He then
gathered his army to go after and destroy Jabin the enemy king after which
there were forty years of peace in Israel.
Achievements
By obliterating the
Canaanites, Barak succeeded in uniting the tribes of Israel with even greater
strength. He proved a great commander with unmatched skills and derring-do. His
crowning glory is to be included in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith.
Personal Strengths
Even in times of intense
chauvinism and gender oppression, Barak recognised Deborah’s authority and
God’s anointing and so chose to buckle the trend and obeyed a woman. He proved
to be a man of great courage and faith in God’s intervention for the sake of
His people
Personal Weaknesses
When he acceded to Deborah
to lead rather than him, he placed greater faith in her than in God and because
of that, he ceded credibility for victory to a woman whom he hardly even knew –
Jael.
Lessons in Life
For anything worthwhile
pursuing, faith in God is indispensable and the bigger the task ahead, the more
we need to cling to Him regardless of who He chooses to lead be it a woman like
Deborah or a relatively unknown like Barak. In either case, it is God who
decides how we are to be used and faith for us is what helps us to pave the way
for God to lead and for us to follow.
Hometown
Kedesh in Naphtali, south
of the Sea of Galilee in ancient Israel
Family Tree
Abinoam (father)
Occupation
Warrior, army commander
Biblical References
Judges 4, 5; 1 Samuel
12:11; Hebrews 11:32
Key Verses
Judges 4:8-9 > “Barak
said to her, ‘If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I
won’t go.’ ‘Certainly I will go with you,’ said Deborah, ‘but because of the
course you are taking, the honour will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver
Sisera into the hands of a woman.’ So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.”
Judges 4:14-16 > “Then
Deborah said to Barak, ‘Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your
hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?’ So Barak went down Mount Tabor with
ten thousand men following him. 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. Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth
Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.”
Heroes of Faith Part 14 - Samson; January 23 2015
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