After Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, God declared certain things that were going to happen as a result.
The snake who had deceived them was given a prophetic judgement by the Lord God Himself;
14 So the Lord God said to the snake, ‘Because you have done this,
‘Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
HE WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD,
and you will strike his heel.’ Genesis 3
Right from the beginning (Genesis means Beginnings) God has said that there would be an ongoing conflict between humanity and the deceiver. Jesus, the second Adam, won the victory for us on the cross but He suffered much while doing so.
In Judges 3 & 4, we read the story of Deborah (means ‘bee’, maker of honey/sweetness), the only female judge of Israel. Many of the judges were warriors who delivered Israel from her oppressors. God used Deborah as a deliverer through the hands of Barak (means lightning, as in strike) son of Abinoam.
6 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. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the River Kishon and give him into your hands.”’
8 Barak said to her, ‘If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.’ Judges 4
God had punished Israel for their rebellion against Him, but He also delivered them when they had a Righteous leader, Deborah. Barak did carry out God’s judgement on the Canaanite oppressors but lost the honour because of his insistence that Deborah accompany him to battle.
Sisera, the Canaanite captain fled to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. There he met his end when Jael drove a tent peg through his head; she too ‘Crushed the enemy’s head’. God swore that mankind would eventually do this to the enemy.
The Song of Deborah and Barak, in Judges 5 records some significant things about the battle. Not all the people joined in, whole tribes were missing;
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheepfolds
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
and stayed in his coves. Judges 5
Heaven joined in the battle and fought for Israel,
20 From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera. Judges 5
Will this be repeated at the close of the age when the Messiah returns to rule and reign from Jerusalem?
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