And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword SiseraThis phrase highlights the divine intervention in the battle. The LORD's direct involvement signifies His sovereignty and power over human affairs. The term "routed" indicates a decisive defeat, emphasizing that the victory was not due to Israel's might but God's intervention. This mirrors other biblical instances where God fights for Israel, such as in Exodus 14:14 during the crossing of the Red Sea. The mention of "the sword" symbolizes judgment and deliverance, a recurring theme in Scripture where God uses human instruments to accomplish His purposes. all his charioteers, and all his army
The chariots were a significant military advantage for Sisera, representing strength and technological superiority. In ancient Near Eastern warfare, chariots were akin to modern-day tanks, providing speed and power. The complete defeat of Sisera's charioteers and army underscores the miraculous nature of the victory, as Israel lacked comparable military resources. This echoes the theme of God using the weak to overcome the strong, as seen in 1 Samuel 17 with David and Goliath. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot
Sisera's abandonment of his chariot signifies a total reversal of fortune and a loss of confidence. In the cultural context, a warrior's chariot was a symbol of status and security. His flight on foot indicates desperation and vulnerability, fulfilling the prophecy of Deborah in Judges 4:9 that the LORD would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. This act foreshadows the ultimate defeat of evil and the triumph of God's justice, pointing to the ultimate victory through Jesus Christ, who conquers sin and death. Persons / Places / Events 1. The LORDThe divine being who orchestrates the victory for Israel. His intervention is central to the account, demonstrating His sovereignty and power. 2. SiseraThe commander of the Canaanite army under King Jabin. He is a formidable enemy of Israel, known for his military strength and chariots. 3. BarakAn Israelite military leader called by God through the prophetess Deborah to lead the fight against Sisera. His faith and obedience are crucial to the victory. 4. Chariots and ArmyRepresent the military might of Sisera, which was considered superior due to the iron chariots, a significant technological advantage at the time. 5. The BattleThe event where God intervenes to give Israel victory over Sisera, highlighting the theme of divine deliverance. Teaching Points Divine InterventionRecognize that God is actively involved in the lives of His people, often working in unexpected ways to bring about His purposes. Faith and ObedienceBarak's account teaches us the importance of responding to God's call with faith and obedience, even when the odds seem insurmountable. God's SovereigntyTrust in God's ultimate control over all situations, knowing that He can turn the tide of any battle in our favor. Human LimitationsAcknowledge our limitations and the futility of relying solely on human strength or technology, as seen in Sisera's reliance on chariots. Courage in LeadershipBarak's leadership, supported by Deborah's prophecy, shows the importance of courageous and faith-filled leadership in fulfilling God's plans. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the LORD's intervention in Judges 4:15 encourage you to trust Him in your current battles or challenges? 2. In what ways can Barak's response to God's call inspire you to act in faith and obedience in your own life? 3. How does the account of Sisera's defeat challenge the way you view human strength and technological advancements in comparison to God's power? 4. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's deliverance in a seemingly impossible situation. How did that experience strengthen your faith? 5. How can you apply the lessons of divine intervention and leadership from Judges 4:15 to your role in your family, church, or community? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 14The routing of Sisera's army parallels the parting of the Red Sea, where God delivers Israel from the Egyptians, emphasizing God's power to save His people against overwhelming odds. Psalm 20:7This verse contrasts trust in chariots and horses with trust in the name of the LORD, reinforcing the lesson that true victory comes from God. Hebrews 11:32-34Barak is mentioned among the heroes of faith, illustrating how faith in God leads to triumph over enemies. People Abinoam, Barak, Deborah, Ehud, Heber, Hobab, Israelites, Jabin, Jael, Kenites, Lapidoth, Naphtali, Sisera, ZebulunPlaces Bethel, Canaan, Harosheth-hagoyim, Hazor, Kedesh, Kedesh-naphtali, Kishon River, Moab, Mount Tabor, Ramah, ZaanannimTopics Abandoned, Advance, Alighted, Army, Barak, Camp, Chariot, Chariots, Confused, Destroyeth, Discomfited, Edge, Fear, Fled, Fleeth, Flight, Foot, Got, Host, Lighted, Mouth, Routed, Sisera, Sis'era, Sword, War-carriage, War-carriagesDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 4:15 5252 chariots Judges 4:12-16 4254 mountains Judges 4:14-16 5776 achievement Library Sin Slain
I want to picture to you to-night, if I can, three acts in a great history--three different pictures illustrating one subject. I trust we have passed through all three of them, many of us; and as we shall look upon them, whilst I paint them upon the wall, I think there will be many here who will be able to say, I was in that state once;" and when we come to the last, I hope we shall be able to clap our hands, and rejoice to feel that the last is our case also, and that we are in the plight of the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860Whether the Grace of the Word of Wisdom and Knowledge is Becoming to Women?
Objection 1: It would seem that the grace of the word of wisdom and knowledge is becoming even to women. For teaching is pertinent to this grace, as stated in the foregoing Article. Now it is becoming to a woman to teach; for it is written (Prov. 4:3,4): "I was an only son in the sight of my mother, and she taught me [*Vulg.: 'I was my father's son, tender, and as an only son in the sight of my mother. And he taught me.']." Therefore this grace is becoming to women. Objection 2: Further, the grace …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The First Blast of the Trumpet
The English Scholar's Library etc. No. 2. The First Blast of the Trumpet &c. 1558. The English Scholar's Library of Old and Modern Works. No. 2. The First Blast of the Trumpet &c. 1558. Edited by EDWARD ARBER, F.S.A., etc., LECTURER IN ENGLISH LITERATURE, ETC., UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON. SOUTHGATE, LONDON, N. 15 August 1878. No. 2. (All rights reserved.) CONTENTS. Bibliography vii-viii Introduction …
John Knox—The First Blast of the Trumpet A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
ISRAEL'S VICTORIES OVER THE CANAANITES.--Josh. 2-9; Judg. 1, 4, 5. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible II,1-4.1. Prin. of Politics X. That the leaders took the lead in Israel, That the people volunteered readily, Bless Jehovah! Zebulun was a people who exposed themselves to deadly peril, And Naphtali on the heights of the open field. Kings came, they fought; They fought, the kings of Canaan, At Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo, They took no booty of silver. Prom heaven fought the stars, From their …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation Gamala. Chorazin.
These things determine the situation of Gamala:--1. It was "in lower Gaulon," in which, as we have seen, Bethsaida was. 2. It was "upon the lake [of Gennesaret]." 3. It was "over-against Tarichee." Compare the maps, whether in their placing of it they agree with these passages. Here was Judas born, commonly called 'Gaulanites,' and as commonly also, the 'Galilean.' So Peter and Andrew and Philip were Gaulanites; of Bethsaida, John 1:44; and yet they were called 'Galileans.' While we are speaking …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica A Cloud of Witnesses.
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was nigh, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.... By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient, …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica He Does Battle for the Faith; He Restores Peace among those who were at Variance; He Takes in Hand to Build a Stone Church.
57. (32). There was a certain clerk in Lismore whose life, as it is said, was good, but his faith not so. He was a man of some knowledge in his own eyes, and dared to say that in the Eucharist there is only a sacrament and not the fact[718] of the sacrament, that is, mere sanctification and not the truth of the Body. On this subject he was often addressed by Malachy in secret, but in vain; and finally he was called before a public assembly, the laity however being excluded, in order that if it were …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh Miscellaneous Subjects.
Woman's Freedom. The Scriptural right for women to labor in the gospel as exhorters, teachers, preachers, etc., is questioned by many. To deny women such a privilege is contrary to the Christian spirit of equality, and a serious obstruction to pure gospel light. We (male and female) are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal. 3:28. In the kingdom of grace man and woman are on an equal footing so far as concerns the work of God. To explain some texts that seem to prohibit women from laboring in the gospel …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 4:15 NIVJudges 4:15 NLTJudges 4:15 ESVJudges 4:15 NASBJudges 4:15 KJV
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