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by Bill Seng

“At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.” ~Judges 4:15

Remember in Judges chapter 1 how God was with the men of Judah but they were ultimately unable to conquer the people of the plains who had iron chariots? This chapter is where God’s plan starts to take shape in relation to this detail. Sometimes we don’t understand why, when we are faithful to God, that we might fail to accomplish something. For whatever reason, it might be that God has not yet allowed it, so that he might secure more glory through your victory in the future.

Barak was afraid to take on these people because of their reputation. Sisera occupied the plain with 900 iron chariots. This means that these chariots had at least one horse and one rider, possibly more. The very sight would be horrifying. And yet, Deborah the prophetess assured Barak that God would give him success.

Verse 15 specifically says that the Lord routed Sisera. Although in chapter 1 God was with the men of Judah, the men of Judah may have been susceptible to receive praise for defeating such a force, thus diminishing the victory for the Lord’s sake. When we come across passages like this, we might wonder what such a route looked like. In chapter 5 we are told that the river flooded (v21).

The flooding of the river would have made it difficult for Sisera to carry out his typical military strategy. Men were swept away by the water, but their chariots were also rendered useless. The ground would have become muddy. The wheels of the chariots would have gotten stuck in the mud, rendering them useless. This is also evidenced by the fact that Sisera had to get off of his chariot and run.

When we acknowledge our own inadequacy, we can do so with confidence. When God calls us to do something, he knows full well of our inadequacies. He has planned those inadequacies into his plan to bring him even more glory. The lesson of the story is that Barak was right to fear Sisera according to human standards. His mistake was that he did not immediately trust the Word of the Lord. God made it so easy for the men of Israel to triumph, all they had to do was mop up the mess afterwards. God allowed a woman who was totally uninvolved in the war, Jael, to capture and kill Sisera. When we wait for God’s timing, his glory is made known and we will bask in his glory.

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