Story 67: The Triumph Of Deb'o-rah The Prophetess And Ba'rak The Warrior lll

   Ba'rak and his men were so greatly inspired by Deb'o-rah that all doubts and fears were cast from their hearts, and they swept down upon Sis'e-ra's army like a thundering avalanche from the skies. The LORD confused the forces of Sis'e-ra, bewilderment swept through their camps. Before the iron war chariots could be put into action, or the soldiers properly arrayed for battle, Ba'rak and his ten thousand men swooped down upon them like a whirlwind from the top of Mount Ta'bor. In addition to this fierce attack, the LORD sent a dreadful thunderstorm upon the enemies of Is'ra-el, and heavy hailstones beat upon their faces. The river Ki'shon, which runs across the plain of Es-dra-e'lon, overflowed its banks and checked the movement of soldiers and equipment. Sis'e-ra and his great army were overwhelmingly defeated, the few who escaped slaughter fled in despair, and the cry rang out:
   "Let us flee from the face of Is'ra-el, for the LORD fighteth for them against the Ca'naan-ites."
   Sis'e-ra himself fled before the armies of Ba'rak in his war chariot. When hard pressed by his pursuers, however, he was forced to alight from the chariot and to seek refuge on foot. Coming to a tent in which a Ke'nite family lived, he was invited to come in by a woman named Ja'el. She seems to have been on friendly terms with the Ca'naan-ites, but at heart was a true Is'ra-el-ite who hoped to aid Ba'rak in his final defeat of their foes. She gave milk and butter to Sis'e-ra, told him to lie down and sleep, and offered to hide him from his pursuers. When he was sound asleep she took an iron tent-peg and drove it through his temples with a hammer. Then she saw Ba'rak searching for the heathen general, so she called him to see how Sis'e-ra had been slain. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Deb'o-rah that the honor of the victory should be given a woman.

Story 67: The Triumph Of Deb'o-rah The Prophetess And Ba'rak The Warrior ll

   Ten thousand men, most of whom were from the tribes of Naph'ta-li and Zeb'u-lun, were called to arms by Ba'rak. Many of these soldiers came from the ranks of Ja'bin's slave-workers in the war chariot factories at Ha'zor and in the timber regions of that territory. Armed with axes, hatchets, iron-working tools, and such other weapons as they could gather, the ten thousand men gathered on Mount Ta'bor. From this elevation they could look down upon the great host of Sis'e-ra encamped on the plains of Es-dra-e'lon. With Ba'rak at the head of the Is'ra-el-ite army, and with Deb'o-rah as the guiding spirit of the war, these men prepared to rush down upon the huge army of Sis'e-ra.
   Determined to crush the hopes of Is'ra-el for independence, and to press his conquest deeper into their land, Sis'e-ra had gathered a vast army from northwestern Ca'naan. His forces were vastly superior in numbers and equipment to the army of Is'ra-el, but there was one very important factor which Sis'e-ra neglected. "The captain of the LORD'S host" was at the head of Is'ra-el's selected army; the LORD God was fighting for His chosen people.
   When all was in readiness for the battle to begin, Deb'o-rah was led by the Holy Spirit to tell Ba'rak when the moment had arrived for decisive action against the enemy. Speaking in the name of the LORD, she declared that the God who had performed so many miracles for Is'ra-el in the past would now lead them to victory. With fiery enthusiasm, with courage and faith flashing from her eyes, Deb'o-rah stood before the army of Is'ra-el like an angel sent by the LORD.

Story 67: The Triumph Of Deb'o-rah The Prophetess And Ba'rak The Warrior l

   We are not told how long E'hud lived to rule over Is'ra-el, but his death probably took place toward the close of the period of eighty years of peace which followed his notable defeat of the Mo'ab-ites. We do know, however, that after his death there began another lapse into idolatry which increased in its evil influence upon the life of Is'ra-el until another great affliction was brought upon them by the invasion of a mighty force of Ca'naan-ites from the north.
   Prior to the invasion of the Ca'naan-ites from the north, there was a local uprising of the Phi-lis'tines in the coastal cities of western Ca'naan. A hero named Sham'gar organized a group of farmers and crushed this revolt, thereby preventing a war which might have spread throughout the land. Armed only with an ox goad, Sham'gar and his followers slew six hundred Phi-lis'tines in one heroic feat, and thus broke up the disturbance. The ox goads used in those days were eight feet long and about six inches in circumference, and had a sharp prong at one end for driving cattle.
   Before long the tribes occupying the northern section of the land were conquered by the Ca'naan-ites, who had reoccupied the city of Ha'zor. This city had been captured by Josh'u-a more than one hundred and fifty years before. Another king of the same name as the one conquered and slain by Josh'u-a had extended his rule over a large area in the northern part of the country, holding several strong coastal towns. For twenty years Ja'bin severely oppressed the people of Naph'ta-li and Zeb'u-lun, forcing the men to cut and hew timbers in the forests for transport to the port of Zi'don. His chief ambition was to win back all the territories which had been taken from his ancestors by Josh'u-a. He stationed a large army in the plains of Jez're-el-also called Es-dra-e'lon and Me-gid'do-in which there were nine hundred war chariots of iron and thousands of well trained soldiers.
   Sympathizing with the people of the two tribes who were oppressed by Ja'bin, and realizing that the entire country was in danger from the invasion, all Is'ra-el resorted to prayer. Twice before, under the same circumstances, the nation had turnt to God in repentance and prayer-first, in the time of the Syr'i-an oppression, and later when crushed under the iron heel of the Mo'ab-ite king-and both times God had raised up a deliverer.
   This time the LORD had ready for the emergency a noble woman called Deb'o-rah, who already held a place of honor in the nation. She was famed as a prophetess, a sweet singer, and a capable judge, and was a heroine fully prepared for the dangers of war. So noted was she for giving good advice that all Is'ra-el looked to her for counsel. She was a woman of unfaltering faith in God, believed in His Covenant with the chosen people, and relied upon His promises for help.
   Having been stirred to the heart by the impulse to overthrow Sis'e-ra and his mighty host, Deb'o-rah called upon Ba'rak, a military leader of renown, to raise an army of ten thousand men from the tribes of Naph'ta-li and Zeb'u-lun for an attack upon the armies of the Ca'naan-ites on the plains of Es-dra-e'lon. Barak felt unworthy of such an appointment, and accepted it only on condition that Deb'o-rah would go with him into the battle. Deb'o-rah granted this request, but told Barak that because of his lack of faith and courage the honor of the victory over Sis'e-ra would be given to a woman.

Story 66: Oth'ni-el And E'hud, Two Heroes Of Is'rael lll

   This time He used the Mo'ab-ites to scourge Is'ra-el. For nearly a century these neighboring heathens had looked with envy upon the growth of a people for whom they had a deep hatred. Struck with awe by the power of God which so often aided Is'ra-el, and long having been too weak to attack them, they had patiently awaited an opportunity of gaining vengeance. Finally, when Is'ra-el began to show weakness through neglect of God's Law, the time seemed opportune. Eg'lon, the king of Mo'ab, invited the Am'mon-ites and Am'a-lek-ites to join him in an invasion of the land. In some strange way Divine Providence caused the schemes of Eg'lon to succeed, while failure and disaster attended every effort of the Is'ra-el-ites to defend themselves.
   The invaders brought the entire land under their control, plundered the country of its products, and oppressed the people with heavy tribute. For eighteen years Is'ra-el was under the iron heel of the combined heathen nations. The city of Jer'i-cho, which had been delivered into their hands by a miracle, was made a Mo'ab-ite stronghold to guard the passes across the Jor'dan, and to force Is'ra-el into subjection. The children of Is'ra-el refused to serve God with the corn and wine and oil which He gave them in abundance, but were forced to include these things in their tributes to the oppressors.
   Once again the Is'ra-el-ites were brought to their knees through suffering, and fled to their only refuge in penitence and prayer. The LORD heard their cry, and raised up another deliverer. His name was E'hud, a valiant man of the tribe of Ju'dah who was more skilled in the use of his left hand than he was with his right.
   The first duty imposed upon E'hud by the LORD was the removal of Eg'lon, the Mo'ab-ite king who had a palace in Jer'i-cho. Eg'lon was a glutton, very fat, and indolent. He had directed his people in seizing the property of the Is'ra-el-ites, and in many oppressive acts filled the homes of the land with misery and wailing. For such cruelty he was doomed by the LORD to a shameful death, and E'hud was chosen to bring it to pass.
   The man of God called upon Eg'lon to pay the tribute which the Mo'ab-ites demanded of Is'ra-el. Then he returnt to the palace, telling the guards that he had a private message for the king. He was admitted to the king's room, where he was left alone with the man he was to destroy in the LORD'S name. The guards had not noticed his sword, for he carried it where a right-handed man could not reach it. He then approached the king with the announcement of God's judgment upon him, and suddenly thrust his sword through Eg'lon's body. Locking the parlor door from inside, E'hud escaped through an unguarded porch and fled to the mountains of E'phra-im. The guards of the palace finally unlocked the door, but were too late to revive the king.
   Terror spread quickly through all the encampments of the Mo'ab-ites, for God had provided a way to confuse and alarm all the people of this heathen nation. E'hud sounded a trumpet to summon Is'ra-el to battle, and the army descended upon the Mo'ab-ites at the fords of the Jor'dan. Nearly ten thousand men were slain, and not one Mo'ab-ite escaped death. The land of Is'ra-el was completely freed of the heathen invaders, and there followed a period of peace and prosperity which lasted for eighty years.

Story 66: Oth'ni-el And E'hud, Two Heroes Of Is'ra-el ll

   These long years of punishment worked out the purposes and mercy of God toward Is'ra-el. They were severely afflicted, not merely for the sake of punishment, but in order to correct and reform them. God was seeking to turn them back to Himself. He was seeking to cure them of the dreadful disease which had done so much harm among them. When these purposes were fully accomplished, He raised up from among them a leader who delivered them from the rule of Chu'shan and restored peace and prosperity to the land. When Is'ra-el repented of their sins and cried in righteous sorrow to the LORD, He came to their help as quickly as He had so many times in the past.
   In choosing the man of the hour, who must be capable of organizing the Is'ra-el-ites for war against their foreign masters, and of leading them in breaking the yoke of a cruel king who had terrified the people for eight years, the LORD laid His hand on a veteran named Oth'ni-el. He was a member of the family Ke'naz, was closely related to Ca'leb, and had won honor in the early wars of Is'ra-el in Ca'naan. In the notable victory at De'bir his name had risen as a star of the first magnitude in the military skies of Is'ra-el.
   Oth'ni-el was a man of ripe experience, being fully eighty-five years of age when he was called to judge Is'ra-el. He had learnt long before that Is'ra-el's hope of victory in war depended upon faith in God, and that their defeats were always the result of unbelief and departure from the Laws of God. He was a deeply religious man, and to him the honor of God's name was more precious than anything else in the world. He attacked the armies of Chu'shan in the name of the all-powerful God, and at the same time used all his own skill as a leader. All the resources at his command were faithfully employed, and, with practical endurance and perfect trust in God, he accomplished what appeared to be impossible. The Syr'i-ans were driven from the land, and Is'ra-el was given forty years of rest from all enemies.
   After the deliverance of Is'ra-el from the oppression of the Syr'i-ans, the worship of God was resumed throughout the nation, and idolatry was overthrown. Civil justice was restored, and the laws and ordinances of God were now fully resumed.
   Upon the death of Oth'ni-el, however, the children of Is'ra-el once again fell into idolatrous practices and evils of various kinds. Again the LORD visited them with severe punishments for their sins. He afflicted them to show that He cannot violate His own Holiness by allowing His people to worship false gods, that sin is always a deep offense to Him, and that He will not let His own people engage in things which undermine their character and destroy their happiness.

Story 66: Oth'ni-el And E'hud, Two Heroes Of Is'ra-el l

   It hardly seems possible that a people who had been so greatly honored by the LORD, and who had made such strong pledges of loyalty to Him, would soon fall into disgraceful idolatry and heathen wickedness. And yet this is exactly what happened within twenty or thirty years after the death of Josh'u-a. A people, chosen of God, highly privileged and well trained, became treacherous in heart and wicked in life. A nation which had been founded by special acts of Divine Providence and blessed with the noblest leaders of any age suddenly forgot the favors of God, fell into a state of idolatry, and disobeyed the known Will of God.
   Instead of driving the idolaters out of the land, the Is'ra-el-ites mingled with them even to the point of worshiping their false gods. The Covenant which they had solemnly made with God was rejected, the fear of God was cast off, His Laws were scorned or forgotten, and the worship which belonged to Him was given to lifeless images.
   Is'ra-el had avoided the danger of war with the heathens among them by forming sinful alliances, by accepting them as good neighbors, by entering into marriages which the LORD had forbidden, and by lowering their standards of religion. Because of these sins the LORD brought upon them a strong enemy from outside the land of the Is'ra-el-ites.
   Chu'shan-Rish-a-tha'im, who was king of Syr'i-a on the Eu-phra'tes, and who was a terror throughout the east, invaded the land of Is'ra-el with a great army. His name stood for lawlessness, violence, and cruelty, and he was called "the crime-committing Chu'shan." He ruled the rich country of Mes-o-po-ta'mia, which lay between the Ti'gris and Eu-phra'tes rivers, and dominated neighboring countries for hundreds of miles around.
   Traversing a distance of four hundred miles, this cruel king invaded the land of Is'ra-el from the east, and there followed one of the most tragic stories of the weakness caused by sin. The powerful host of God's people, before whom the armies of the Am'o-rites and Am'mon-ites had melted away like snow under a burning sun, trembled in fear of the invader from the far northeast. The mighty army which had routed more than thirty kings in Ca'naan quailed in dismay, and the soldiers turnt their backs in fright at the appearance of a single chieftain and his army from far away Syr'i-a.
   For eight years the Is'ra-el-ites were forced to live under the oppression of Chu'shan. They were treated  as though they were slaves, were beaten and tortured, and forced to pay heavy tribute to their masters. it was a period of terrible sufferings, of broken hearts and bruised limbs, and of unspeakable anguish as the people bowed under the iron rule of the dark prince of the house of Ham, notorious for his "double-wickedness." For their abandonment of God's Covenant they were abandoned by God, and were left to reap the natural result of their idolatry and wickedness.
  

Story 65: Josh'u-a's Closing Years; His Farewell Messages To Is'ra-el lV

   To this challenge the people of Is'ra-el responded with pledges of absolute loyalty to God, declaring that they would never forsake Him, or serve other gods. Thinking of all the Mighty works He had performed for them, they said, "There is no god like our God." With hearts full of gratitude for all that He had done for them, the people declared that they did not belong to themselves, to do as they pleased, but that they belonged to the God who had redeemed them as His very own.
   Josh'u-a then warned them that they could not serve God and at the same time worship idols. He declared, "Our God is Holy and jealous, and will not give or divide His glory with any other. You cannot serve Him in a half hearted manner, nor can you serve Him in your own strength."
   Although these words of Josh'u-a appeared to suggest that complete loyalty to God was beyond the strength of man, the Is'ra-el-ites replied, "Yes, but we will serve the LORD." They clung to their determination to be true to God and to refrain from every vestige of idolatry even more strongly and persistently than at first.
   This declaration of faith and loyalty to Him was accepted by the LORD on condition that the Is'ra-el-ites immediately put out of their hearts every tendency to serve other gods. Josh'u-a reminded them once more that God is jealous, and will accept no divided services of any kind. Truly, God is jealous of His own Glory, of the righteousness of His children, of the Supremacy of His Kingdom in the hearts and lives of His people, and of the influences which His people have over others. This jealousy is wholly unselfish, and is all-important in the happiness and welfare of God's children.
   After receiving these solemn pledges of constant allegiance and loyalty to God, Josh'u-a made a Covenant with the people. He also erected by the side of the Tabernacle in She'chem a stone memorial to the promises which had been given him. This monument was to serve as an everlasting reminder of the pledges given to God on this memorial occasion, and as a witness against Is'ra-el if they departed from the LORD.
   The people of Is'ra-el were sent back to their tribal homes, and soon afterwards Josh'u-a died and his body was buried on the border of Tim'nath. E-le-a'zar, the High Priest, died a short time later, and one by one the elders of Is'ra-el who had been associated with Josh'u-a also passed away. But Josh'u-a, though dead, continued to speak. His unselfish and holy life became an abiding power to hold those he had faithfully served steadfast in the faith. Through the gloom and heaviness caused by his death the radiant brightness of his noble character continued to shine.