Our text for this morning is in Judges 4 starting at verse 1, turn there with me if you would. The period of the Judges is a dark time in Old Testament history. A few weeks ago we studied guiding principles for leadership in the life of Joshua and the fulfillment of the conquest of the land God promised to Israel. The period of the Judges happens historically after that time when Israel takes the land of promise west of the Jordan that we read about there. But after the death of Joshua a problem arises in Israel, a problem of faithfulness to God. There is a pattern in the book of Judges that goes like this: The people of Israel would do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, they would cry out to the Lord for deliverance, God would raise up a leader; a judge, more of a military and spiritual leader than a judge as we would think of it, someone to deliver and govern the people, and these judges were raised up by God to deliver the people from the consequences of their evil in order to point them back to God, to turn the peoples hearts back to the Lord.

In Judges 4 Israel finds themselves in the same problem and in the same cycle, but this time they have an additional problem, a reluctant leader; a man named Barak; God’s purposes would be fulfilled in Barak’s life, God would have his way but what it would require was another leader, someone to come alongside Barak, someone who was not concerned about credit, or prestige, but someone who was concerned with obedience, willing to be a leader to a leader and vocalizing it, a woman named Deborah. As we continue in our series Everyday Leaders, Deborah was to Barak what we all need at some point in our lives, someone who was willing to be what we often need, the right voice in our lives at the right time.Let’s stand together as we read from God’s word in Judges 4:1-10, hear the Word of the Lord.

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died.2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him. – Judges 4:1-10

May God be glorified as we proclaim his word and respond in obedience to what he is calling us to as we study this morning.

As this story unfolds in the typical cycle of the Judges period, we see Israel doing what is evil in the sight of God, they are doing evil, they have turned from God and as is God’s pattern in this cycle, God allows hardship, he ordains consequence for sin, for turning from him. But up to this point in the Judges narrative the pattern was simple, we do evil, we have consequences, we cry out, God provides a deliverer.

But in this instance there is a problem, the deliverer