Bible Studies for Life
Barak
Judges 4:4-8: 4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 5 And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgement. 6 And she sent and called Barak, the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? 7 And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. 8And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
The Israelites had a repeated cycle of sinning and turning away from God. So, God punished them by allowing their enemies to defeat them and to steal their possessions. But then God would have mercy on them and raise up a judge who would rescue the people from their enemies, restore their relationship with Him, and recover their possessions, resulting in peace in the land. After a while, the people repeated the cycle: enjoy success, fall into sin, experience suffering, God raises up a leader. Prior to today’s scripture the Israelites had eighty years of peace under Ehud, then they sinned, and for twenty years they suffered under King Jabin and his General, Sisera. In desperation, the Israelites cried out to God (verse 3). At this time God raised up Deborah and Barak. Like most women, Deborah had to wear many hats: as a wife she served and cared for her family; as a prophetess, she spoke for God to the people and as a judge, she settled disputes. We also know that God had been calling Barak to do something about the challenges the people were facing. These two were so different, yet God used them as a team to bring deliverance to Israel. God often uses people of diverse backgrounds and with various skills as an opportunity for victory when they come together and work together. God used Deborah for her wisdom, and Barak as a warrior.
Despite the encouragement and moral support of Deborah, Barak felt the need for the support of her presence and requested that Deborah accompany him. Has God been speaking to you about fighting for a cause, standing up for an issue, or just gathering the team together. In the end, instead of being comfortable with the cycles of his culture, Barak allowed himself to be challenged.
Judges 4:12-16: 12 And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. 13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kison.14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So, Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 15 And the Lord discomforted Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot and fled away on his feet. 16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Haroseth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.
Barak had legitimate reasons to be intimidated, since Sisera had oppressed the people of Israel for twenty years. Barak aimed to form a team and desired to have the Lord’s presence at the forefront with him. Deborah, as God’s representative, was essential and appreciated. Barak was submissive to the will of God. He agreed to go, even when he knew that someone else would get the credit for the victory. Barak listened to the details of God’s plans. Barak was strong and determined in this battle against Sisera. He achieved success because of God’s intervention. God had turned the weather against Sisera. Despite the Canaanites worshipping Baal, the rains came and caused flooding and the river overflowed, making the chariots useless in the mud. Sisera had to leave his chariots and run away on foot. Barak relentlessly pursued Sisera’s army until he had destroyed every single one of them.
Judges 5:1-5 1 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, 2 Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. 3 Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. 4 Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. 5 The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.
Deborah composed the song to celebrate the victory and help the people in their worship of God. Deborah poetically described how, due to God’s intercession, their enemies were in a state of panic, and the mountains melted, turning the land to mud. God’s handiwork was evident in their success, and they recognized this by giving Him all the honor and credit for everything that they had achieved through their efforts.
Do you see God making intercession in our lives?
Do we give Him the proper Honor and credit?
How big is your God?
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Serving
Acts 8:26-29: 26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 and he arose and sent: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
Here God used an angel to signal a seismic shift in the gospel. He was going to spread it out from the immediate area of Jerusalem into the wider world. God providentially compelled Philip to be Christ’s witness in Samaria. Despite the overwhelming success of his work in Samaria, God was completely uprooting his servant in that spread of the gospel. The Ethiopian eunuch was probably a “God-fearer”. However, if he was a physical eunuch, he would have been barred from the temple and it would have been impossible for him to become a full member of the Jewish faith. He could have visited the temple, but he could not have entered. But the inclusion of non -Israelites in God’s kingdom was always part of his plan. Through Philip, God gave this man a chance to experience a new relationship with Him – not in a temple, but on a desert road. God’s Spirit revealed God’s purposes. God wants us to share the gospel whenever we have the opportunity. The Holy Spirit’s role in guiding us and empowering us makes that possible, whether it takes us across the street or across the globe.
Acts 8:30-35: 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgement was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speakth the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Philip heard the Ethiopian man reading Scripture. Isaiah is often regarded as the Old Testament prophet who most clearly pointed readers to the Messiah- and validates Jesus’s identity as the Messiah. Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading. Teachers have always been a part of God’s plan for his people and have an important role in the church. People must understand the gospel before they can believe and call on the Lord. God equips teachers to explain his message in ways that connect with those who are listening. With great humility, the Ethiopian expressed his need for help. With the Spirit opening the door, Philip told the man about the gospel using the Scriptures that he had been reading. Philip demonstrated two other keys to effective witnessing. First, he met the man where he was, building on the eunuch’s knowledge of God and the Bible. Second, Philip had a solid knowledge of the Scriptures himself. By reading and studying the Bible regularly, we will build a wealth of biblical knowledge and wisdom to share.
Acts 8:36-39: 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
When they came to some water, the Ethiopian asked Philip about being baptized. The eunuch understood that he needed to be baptized as a follower of Jesus. The baptism did not save him, but it did serve as a proclamation that he had accepted Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. The Ethiopian could not be baptized unless he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. With an affirmative answer, Philip moved forward with the baptism. The proper order of baptism is what our pastor has been emphasizing these last few months.
It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jesus at HIs baptism to mark the beginning of His public ministry. This time, the Spirit took Philip away to do more ministry elsewhere.
The Ethiopian eunuch continued his journey rejoicing. Joy is the natural result of being united with Christ and should be the mark of every Christian. While this man was a God-fearer who had embraced Judaism, he was the first recorded Christian convert who lived outside of Palestine.
Where do you stand in your salvation and baptism?
Seize your opportunities to reach family, neighbors, co-workers and strangers for Christ. He commands us to go out.
Isaiah 55:11