Deborah Bible Study

Judge Deborah

Christianity Oasis provides this Judge Deborah Bible study on the Deborah Judges during Deborah Bible Story. We'll look into that and all aspects of the Bible seeking truth and understanding.


Daily Bread Devotional Bible Study
The Book of Judges
Chapter 4 and 5


Judge Deborah Bible Study

Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story

Welcome to our Christianity Oasis Daily Bread study program. This is our Judge Deborah Bible study taking a look into the Deborah Judges during Deborah Bible Story and how the Judge Deborah Bible message affects your be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

Judge Deborah Bible Study Lesson
Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story Events

Glad to have you here to share another slice of Daily Bread. In our last study, we learned about three of the twelve judges of Israel that we're studying in the Book of Judges.

Today's story is about a woman, who was a prophetess, that the Lord chose to judge Israel. After the death of Ehud and Shamgar, the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord again. This time, the Lord let them become slaves at the hand of Jabin, the king of Canaan.

The captain of his army was Sisera and a well equipped army it was, with a multitude of soldiers and with iron chariots (which were probably considered "state of the art" stuff in those days). For twenty years, Jabin oppressed Israel.

Judge Deborah Bible Study on Prophetess
Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story Concern

Deborah was the name of the prophetess that judged Israel at that time, and the children of Israel turned to her for justice, so God worked through her to deliver Israel. Deborah sent for Barak, who was the captain of Israel's army and gave him the Lord's command to take 10,000 men from the tribe of Naphtali and Zebulon and go to Mt Tabor. Then God would bring Sisera and his army and his chariots to the river Kishon, and Barak would defeat him.

Barak said to Deborah, If you'll go with me, then I'll go, but I won't go alone. In a heartbeat, Deborah agreed, but not without telling Barak that the destiny of Sisera was not that he would be killed by Barak, but rather that he would die at the hand of a woman.

Now, there was a man named Heber, who was the son of Moses' father in law, and he had a wife named Jael. They were in good standing with Jabin at that time, and Heber told Sisera that Barak and his army had gone up to Mt. Tabor. So Sisera gathered his soldiers and 900 iron chariots and headed for the river Kishon.

Judge Deborah Bible Study Teaching
Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story Warning

At this point, Barak grew a little hesitant at the thought of Sisera's mighty army, but Deborah ordered Barak to fight, assuring him that this was the day they would defeat Sisera with the hand of the Lord assisting them.

The battle engaged and Sisera fled on foot ... Why? Because the Lord (you've got to love His humor) sent a torrent that turned the battleground into a quagmire, rendering Sisera's horses and chariots stuck in the mud and ... Useless! As for the rest of Sisera's soldiers, the Angels of God assisted Barak with them.

Judges 5:21-22

21 The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

Judge Deborah Bible Study Truth
Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story Danger

When all was said and done, there wasn't a man left, so Barak pursued Sisera, who looking for refuge came to the tent of Jael, Heber's wife, and she persuaded Sisera that she would hide him. She gave him some milk to drink, then covered him well and fell asleep.

Now, Jael wasn't your run of the mill hostess, as one might think her to be. No sir, while Sisera was getting his much needed twenty winks (because cowardice is tiring business you know), Jael was busy tending to details of being hospitable. She took a tent nail and a hammer, tiptoed up to Sisera, and pounded that nail clean through his temples, pinning him to the ground ... He died.

So along comes Barak, looking for Sisera, and Jael encounters him and says, Come with me and I'll show you the man you're looking for. And she showed him Sisera, with his head nailed to the floor ... Just as Deborah had foretold, the victory was gained by a woman. Israel pursued Jabin until he was destroyed as well.

Judge Deborah Bible Study Facts
Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story Victory

Chapter 5 of the Book of Judges is the song of Deborah, which is a victory song about this battle, but there is one verse in particular, that was briefly mentioned in our story, that I'd like for you to take note of when you read it:

Judges 5:20

They fought from Heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

This is referring to the host of the Lord, or in other words, the army of Angels that fight on behalf of the Lord. We also learned about this in the book of Joshua:

Joshua 5:14

And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the Earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is Holy. And Joshua did so.

Judge Deborah Bible Study Conclusion
Deborah Judges in Deborah Bible Story Summary

There is no other explanation of how the army of Israel could defeat such a multitude of soldiers as Sisera had and his iron chariots, unless the Lord's hand was with them. The same is true of the taking of Jericho. The same is true of every battle that the children of Israel were victorious in ... The Lord plainly told them that HE would deliver them into their hands.

If you'd like to find out the Truth about "stars" as they are called in the song of Deborah, be sure to check out the Angels study.

So, after Jabin was defeated, Israel had rest for 40 years, and that ended the 3rd cycle of sin to deliverance for Israel in our study of the book of Judges.

Be sure to come back soon and we'll be studying a story that may be familiar to you ... Gideon's Trumpet. You know where ... Right here at Daily Bread.