Judges 4:13-18

Judges 4:13

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.

 

Once Sisera knew where Barak had gone he then mobilized his entire army at the river Kishon which was very near to Harosheth.   He made the same mistake that Pharaoh made when he pursued Israel coming out of Egypt.  Egypt had lost their entire army in that military blunder.  He mobilized his entire force and there was not one chariot left behind to protect King Jabin and Harosheth which would prove fatal for the king.  The entire force was now vulnerable with no back up.  Sisera did not know he was falling into the hands of the Lord.

 

Judges 4:14

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.

 

Deborah now gives Barak his marching orders claiming the Lord had delivered Sisera into his hands that very day and now they were to march from their positions in the mountain and were to meet the enemy head on.  They were really facing a formidable foe because it does not say anywhere that Israel had any chariots to face theirs, they only had the ten thousand men. What gave Barak his confidence was that the Lord had already gone before them from Mount Tabor.  That is also a great principle for Christians today.  Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)   Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Even in the toughest battles that Christians face every single day we can be assured that the Lord has already been there before us.

 

Judges 4:15

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.

 

The word “discomfited” in the Hebrew carries with it the meaning of “to be confused or exterminated.”  The King James translators used the word “discomfited” which comes from a French word” desconfit” which comes from “desconfire” which means “to defeat.”  To be discomfited is to be “destroyed, defeated, overthrown, or frustrated.”  This meant that all those 900 chariots of destruction were also overthrown and by means of the sword by men who did not have weapons like the chariots.  Sisera saw how bad the battle was going for him so he got off his horse and probably got mixed in with the others but instead of fighting, he had fled away, in other words, he ran from the battle on his feet instead of on his horse.  He would never be able to go back to King Jabin now that he was a confirmed coward.

 

Judges 4:16

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.

 

Barak continued the onslaught and had pursued after the chariots and the army.  He had pursued them back into Harosheth from Mount Tabor.  This would have been a distance of about 26 miles (42km).  Israel’s pursuing of this army would have been a battle over the entire 26 mile distance and by time they had reached the borders of Harosheth the entire army of Sisera had been destroyed, just like the Egyptian army was completely destroyed in the Red Sea.

 

Judges 4:17

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.

 

Sisera thought that he had made it to freedom and that he escaped the judgment of the Lord.  He fled unto the tent of Heber the Kenite whom he was sure was a friend since there was peace between them and King Jabin.  So when he arrived at that encampment, instead of going to the tent of Heber, he had wandered to the tent of Jael which was his most fatal mistake.  The name Jael means “wild mountain goat or Gazelle.”  She will definitely prove the meaning of her name.

 

Judges 4:18

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.

 

As Sisera approached her tent, she had gone out to meet him and to give him comfort and invite him to stay in her tent.  Since Sisera was put at ease and thought he was among friends, he did not give it a second thought.  She assured him not to fear as to further his trust in her as a friend.  He was probably so tired from his escape on foot that he went into the tent and probably laid down to get some rest.  Jael had covered him with a mantle.  The word mantle is from a French word “mantel” which means “a cloak.”  She did this to give him confidence that he was safe and that he should rest.

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