MPC, 22nd September 2002.Judges 4-5 - "Mice - or Men?"
Phil Campbell MPC, 22nd September 2002.
My best mate's Dad died a month or so back. We went down to the funeral. Doug Fraser. Ex Prisoner of War. Faithful Christian. Who knew what it meant to be a real man.
But never more of a real man than when there was a mouse in the house. His son Greg told the story at the funeral. How when there was a mouse in the house, his mother would scream at the top of her voice and jump on a chair. While Greg's dad would chase it with a broom. One day in the middle of the usual ritual, Greg's dad stopped for a breather. And said to Greg, he said, "Son, I'm a man. I can live with a mouse in the house." And he said, "I can live with your mother… what I can't do is live with them both. So one of them has got to go."
I'm not sure if that counts as being the test of a real man. Whether you can live with a mouse in the house.
But the question being raised by the passage we're posed by the passage we've just heard is this one. "Is there a man in the house?" Because in Israel in the time of the Judges, it doesn't really look like it. Real men. Who'll take a stand against wrong. And put it right. Real men. Who'll stand up and be counted when the going gets tough. Real men. Who'll trust God. And press on.
This is the time of the judges. The early days of Israel. When, as you read the book, you see things go from bad to worse. Spiralling down in a terrible cycle. And the bad news is, Judges doesn't pull any punches. You get all the dreadful details.
And as we've seen the past few weeks there's a pattern. Judge Ehud dies, verse 1, the Israelites are straight back to their rebellion. And it says, "The Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the Lord." So the Lord sells them into the hands of Jabin, a King of Canaan, who reigns in Hazor in the North. With Sisera in command of his army.
Now Sisera sounds scarey. Because Sisera is a guy with 900 chariots. Not just any chariots. Iron chariots. Which in those days, is a bit like having a weapons of mass destruction. Iron Chariots ride over anything else; and if you've got the advanced model they've got those nasty blades and spikes on the wheels.
Sisera is Israel's worst nightmare. And we're told in verse 3, he's had the upper hand over Israel for 20 years.
But here's the cycle again; if you've been here the last few weeks it's got a familiar ring to it. Finally, Israel's had enough. And so they cry to the Lord for help. They repent of their wickedness. And cry out for mercy.
Now here's a surprise. Usually when Israel cries out to God he raises us a judge to lead them into battle. But notice in verse 4, there's something unusual. Because at this point, Israel is being lead by a woman.
Here name's Deborah, and she's a prophetess.
Deborah sits under the Palm trees in the hills and the Israelites come to Judge Debbie with their petty disputes. Which are shown on prime time TV, just like Judge Judy.
And verse 6, Deborah has had a word from the Lord. And she sends for Barak of Kedesh in Naphtali in the North. And she says to Barak the words you in verse 6. She says "The Lord , the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.' "
She says, get the men together, and the Lord will organise the rest. And Sisera and his iron chariots will be all yours.
Now the question is, is there a man in the house? Deborah's optimistic. She says, go get ten thousand men. But the real question is, is there even one?
Because look what Barak says. Now our Susie is 12. And when she was 11 and a half, she was scared of the dark. And when it was her job for the week to take out the garbage to the bin and it was already dark, she'd say in a very timid voice, "I'll only go if you'll come with me." And Barak's the same when it comes to the battle. Verse 8, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." I'm staying here.
Barak is refusing to be a man; and so Barak is going to be disgraced.
Deborah says, "I'll come. But because you're not going to be a man, the honor won't be yours. For the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman."
Sisera will come crashing down. But Barak won't get to chalk up the notch on his spear. Because the glory's going to go to a woman instead. And that's the story that's about to unfold.
Barak rounds up the men of Zebulun and Naphtali. And verse 10 says that "ten thousand men followed him - and Deborah also went with him." To hold his hand.
Now notice as we slip past verse 11 we meet Heber, the Kenite. Who's pitched his tent by the big tree near Kedesh. Totally unrelated to the story at the moment - but you'll need him for later. So keep the tent by the great tree at the back of your mind. Here's where the whole story's going to come to its climax.
And the scene switches to Sisera. Who's heard reports that Barak's out to get him. That he's gone up Mount Tabor.
Now think about that for a minute. I'm not much of a chess-player or a military strategist. But I'm guessing a mountain is a pretty good place to take on a guy who's got nine hundred iron chariots. There's some wisdom in this. And it all comes from Deborah. Who got it from God.
So verse 13, over-confident bully-boy Sisera gets together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, and they're ready for battle.
While the guys from Israel are perched on their mountain waiting for the word from Deborah. And Deborah says to Barak, get on with it. She says, "Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Hasn't the Lord gone ahead of you?" And so Barak and his ten thousand men go hurling down the mountain, and verse 15 says "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."
And Barak chases the chariots all the way home. And Sisera's troops fall by the sword; until not a man… is left. Tough guys with their chariots. But not much good without them.
Which brings us back to the tent. By the tree. The tree we came past on the way to the battle. The tent of Heber the Kenite. And his wife Jael.
Because in spite of the fact he's been acting so tough, Sisera is actually the original sissy. Without his 900 iron chariots, Sisera is a mummy's boy. Which is highlighted in what happens next. He's not the tough guy the Israelites think he is at all.
So here he is, verse 17, running scared. He's at the flap of the tent of Jael, and she comes out to meet him; invites him in. "Come on in. Don't be afraid." Because she can see the fear in his eyes and hear it in his voice. So he comes in the tent, and she puts a rug over him.
He's thirsty. Verse 19, asks for a glass of water. And there's tongue in cheek going on here. She gives him milk and cookies instead. She opens a skin of milk; gives him a drink, and covers him up. Safe. Or so he thinks.
Except you'll be remembering what Deborah said at this point, won't you? The God of Israel has said, the tyrant who terrorised his people is going to meet his end at the hand of a woman. Because the men of Israel are such wimps.
Which brings us to verse 20; which is played out with deliberate irony. I love irony. I mean, don't you reckon it's ironic that the head office of Otis elevators over at West End is only two stories high? That's ironic.
And there's irony here. Sisera says, "Stand in the doorway of the tent," verse 20; and our English translation has missed the irony. He doesn't say if any one comes. He says, "If any man comes by and asks you, 'Is any man here?' say 'No.' " If anyone comes and asks is there a man in the house… the answer's no.
And the truth is, it's going to be no every way you can think of. Because the man who comes to the door asking the question, is going to be Barak. Who's proved himself no man at all. And the man in the tent who's just had his milk and cookies is no man at all either. Not to mention the fact that he's going to be dead. Because as soon as he's asleep, Jael picks up a tent peg… and picks up a hammer… and tip toes to the place where he's lying fast asleep. And – this is the bit where you hide your eyes if it's a movie - she lifts back the hammer and she whacks it. And drives the tent peg through his temple into the ground, and he dies.
Funny. Louise always makes me drive in the tent pegs when we're camping. But Jael can do it fine.
And so when Barak comes by, Jael calmly goes out to meet him.
"Come on in… I'll show you the man you're looking for." So he goes in with here, and there he is. Sisera, pinned to the ground, dead.
And verse 23 says, on that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him.
Now that's the story. That's the cycle completed. In the usual way you get through the book of Judges. Israel sins. God hands them over to the tribes around them. Israel repents. God saves.
But it's interesting in this case that in chapter 5, you get the story all over again. As a song. The Song of Deborah. It's a bit like watching a Disney movie. You get the action. Then everyone sings, like in the Lion King. Not sure in this case what the tune is. But on that day, Deborah and Barak, they sing a victory song. A song that re-tells the story. But more than that. Makes some key value judgements about what's been going on. Some key value judgements – especially about the men of Israel. Men. Or mice.
Have a listen. Hum along if you like. Verse 2.
When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves-
praise the Lord !
When the men of Israel act like men, praise the Lord.
When the men of Israel act like men, watch out! Because they haven't been acting like men for a while!
Israel's been corrupt. Because the men of Israel have been sitting on their hands. Until Deborah came to sort things out nobody was safe. Because nobody could be bothered taking a stand for justice. Look at verse 6.
In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
Village life in Israel ceased,
ceased… until I, Deborah, arose,
arose a mother in Israel.
It wasn't safe to travel the roads. Because you'd be hijacked. And not a man among them did anything about it. Village life was over. Israel lived in fear. And not a man among them did anything about it. Until Deborah came.
Verse 8:
When they chose new Gods,
war came to the city gates,
and not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
Unfaithfulness in Israel. And nobody lifted a hand. Not a man among them.
Until now. And finally – even though Barak didn't really want to… until now, they've finally got their act together. And so she says, good on you guys. You've finally done something. She says, "My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! And at last, the people of Israel have got something to sing about. Some righteous warriors to be proud of.
Except, you'll notice, not everybody came to the party.
And so as she celebrates the victory, Deborah's naming names. Of the tribes who didn't make it onto the heroes' list.
The tribe of Ephraim came. Issachar came. Verse 15. With Deborah. And with Barak.
But in the districts of Reuben, a different story.
There's wringing of hands. There's searching of hearts. There's lots of, O, sorry Deborah, we can't make it cause we've got to look after the sheep.
Verse 16:
Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
And Gilead. And Dan. And Asher. Sorry. Too busy. Looking after the ships. To take a stand for the Lord God of Israel.
Are they men? Or are they mice?
The wimps of Israel didn't even join in. While God fought and won the battle – in a most unlikely way.
The woman Jael. Verse 24. Who when the mighty Sisera comes, gives him curdled milk. Fit for a baby. And strikes him dead.
And just to confirm the idea that Sisera, the mighty opponent of Israel, the commander of 900 iron chariots… just to confirm that he was really a mummy's boy, the final stanza… the sad little picture of the warrior's mum. Peering through the lattice window. Saying why is he so late home from work? Oh, it's because he's choosing some nice coloured dress material to bring home.
No it's not. It's because he's dead. With a stake through his head. And "so may all your enemies perish, O Lord," says Deborah. "But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength."
And so the land, says verse 31, has peace… for forty years.
So what are we Christians today meant to make of Judges 4 and 5?
There are a number of things we can learn. Like the fact that no matter how strong the enemy… it's God who fights and wins the battle for his people. Often in most unusual ways.
Deborah's song, in verses 3 to 5, says that. In the end, it's the Lord God who fights and wins. Overturning not only a powerful enemy. But the low expectations of Israel. And he does it by overturning the strong. With the power of weakness. The master of 900 iron chariots. Overturned by a woman with a tent peg and a hammer.
Which is a shadow of the bigger victory Jesus wins.
Where in weakness, he's the one nailed up; and yet as he takes on the punishment for the sin of the world he's fighting on behalf of his people. And in his resurrection, the clear winner.
God choses to use his son on the cross. To bring down the power of sin and death. 1 Corinthians 1:27, Paul says "God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong … so that no one may boast before him."
God fights and wins for his people. But at the same time, the men of Israel are called to stand up and be counted. And the problem is, they'd rather go fishing. And leave it to the women.
Funny, during the debate over ordaining women in the last twenty years or so, this is a passage that was cited. Deborah - as the classic example. It's okay for women to be ordained. Look at Deborah. Leader of Israel.
Now without wanting to buy into an ugly debate, will you notice the whole tone of the section, it's not criticising Deborah. But it's certainly criticising men of God who refuse to be what men of God should be.
And so, guys, I want to turn the heat up on you today. And ask you, how is it with you? Because God's word says it's men who should step up to the mark and be leaders in their families and in their church. Leaders in the costly ways. In the inconvenient ways. In the dangerous ways. And not the women.
Looking at the mission field… how many men? How many women? And I've heard it said, the reason there are so many women on the mission field is that the men won't go.
Same argument with women and ordination. The men won't do it. Why not?
I reckon there's nothing more limp than wimpy Christian men. Who won't take the initiative in anything.
Won't take the initiative as Christian leaders in their homes.
Won't take the initiative in relationships. I hear it over and over again. Early in a relationship, because they're too scared to commit. Or in marriage, if things get tough… refuse to take initiatives to resolve things.
Even in small stuff, like getting the family along to church on a Sunday morning. And I know, that can probably be a battle. Is it the men who are taking the lead? Or the women? On the Simpsons, it's always Marge who wants to go to church. And Homer wants to stay home. How is it at your place? I reckon it's so often the women who lead the way in faithfulness. And the men tag along objecting. Holding back. The men of Israel. Will we? Won't we? Lots of soul searching – no action. Mice. Instead of men.
We're in a mess, I reckon, if Christianity becomes a female hobby. The country town we lived in, you'd see it at funerals. There's always be a bunch of the tough guys. Who when the service started, wouldn't go into the church. They'd stand round the tree outside in their dark glasses. Because church was woman stuff. And it's only that way because a generation of Christian men let it go that way.
I guess I'm letting you women off the hook. Sit back and relax. Because I want to put the heat on you guys. To be what men of God should be. To look at the example of the Lord Jesus. The real man. Confident in God's victory; when everyone else ran away. To be men and not mice.
Here's something practical. The Men's Training Event coming up in November. We've mentioned it the last few weeks. I'll bet there are guys here, your wives have already been saying why not go along? Because they'd love you to go. And be encouraged to take your role as a Christian man more seriously. If she hasn't said it, I'll bet she's thought it. Let me put the challenge. Sign up. Before she says anything. Take the initiative. As a first step towards being the Christian men we should be.
You know, the women in this passage are great. Deborah. Jael. Nudging the men of Israel to be what they should be. Courageous, strong, faithful. I love Christian women like that. And I love being part of a church that's got lots of women like that. And yet the thing Godly women want most… is Godly men.
The opening page of Tom Clancy's latest book has a quote. It says this. The only two lines on the page.
Heroes…
are often the most ordinary
of men.
And they are. Ordinary guys. Who take serving Jesus seriously. In every part of life.