JU4-5: God Uses The Forces Of Nature To Punish Those Nations Who Go Against Israel

“She sent for Barak the son of Avino‘am, from Kedesh in Naftali, and said to him: “Adonai has given you this order: ‘Go, march to Mount Tavor, and take with you 10,000 men from the people of Naftali and Z’vulun.  I will cause Sisra, the commander of Yavin’s army, to encounter you at the Kishon River with his chariots and troops; and I will hand him over to you.’”-Judges 4:6-7

So Devorah, who we now know is a divinely anointed prophet, hands over the orders she received from the Lord to the military commander Barak.

What are those orders?

Simple, Barak is to lead 10,000 Hebrew troops to Mount Tabor and there God will give him victory over the enemy forces being led by the military commander Sisera.

I love how plain and simple these instructions are.

IF you do this, THEN this will be the result.

If only all of life was always that easy.

As we can see, the emphasis of the story now shifts from the prophetess Devorah over to Barak.

Barak will now be the divine instrument in God’s hands to free the Hebrew tribes in the north from their oppressors.

Ironically, these are the very oppressors the Lord Himself sent as punishment in response to Israel’s idolatry. 

So we’re told Barak is from Kadesh.

If the name Kadesh sounds familiar, it should because Kadesh was a very common Biblical city or town name applied to many different locations.

And to this very point, there were actually two locations named Kadesh where Barak was operating.

One Kadesh was situated smack dab in the tribal territory of Naphtali.

And there was another Kadesh located near Mount Tabor where Barak was told to go with his 10,000 troops.

So which Kadesh did Barak come from?

I ain’t gonna be dogmatic about this but I’m gonna say he hailed from the Kadesh located in Naphtali.

Why?

Because I believe Barak himself was of the tribe of Naphtali.

And why do I believe that?

Because of this part of Devorah’s command to Barak: “Go, march to Mount Tavor, and take with you 10,000 men from the people of Naftali and Z’vulun”.

It seems like the bulk of Barak’s armed forces would be coming from Naftali.

And not only that homies.

Guess where the enemy’s capital city of Hatzor was located?

I’m talking about Yavin, King of Hatzor’s royal city.

Well, it was also located in Naphtali.

Therefore, when you piece all these little tidbits together, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Barak hailed from Naphtali.

In fact, this made Barak the best candidate to lead Israel’s troops against Sisera.

If Barak succeeded in this battle against Sisera, he would also gain control of the Valley of Jezreel.

This would have been a huge prize if captured!

What?

You’re saying you don’t know what the significance of the Valley of Jezreel is?

Well, let me educate ya here.

The Valley of Jezreel is also known as the Valley of Megiddo.

What?!

You’re telling me you don’t know what the significance of the Valley of Megiddo is?

Alright man, I’ll tell you.

Megiddo is the Hebrew word for Armageddon.

That’s right homies.

Armageddon from the original Hebrew simply means the Hill of Megiddo.

Some of the most famous battles in Scripture were fought at Megiddo and the Book of Revelations tells us that the battle to end all battles is going to take place there.

Oh and by the way, the Valley of Jezreel is located in Zevulun territory which is why we’re told the troops came from both Naphtali and Zevelun.

Let’s move on to examine one more geographical detail before closing.

“I will cause Sisra, the commander of Yavin’s army, to encounter you at the Kishon River with his chariots and troops; and I will hand him over to you.’”-Judges 4:7

The Kishon River is probably not a river you’ve heard about much in Scripture.

But you should have because it was the 2nd biggest river in the Promised Land.

It was usually dried up during the summer time but depending on the time and year, a flash flood could fill it up very quickly making it a deciding force in any battle taking place in that region.

This makes sense because often in Scripture, we see God supernaturally manipulating the forces of nature to accomplish His will and even to punish nations for the evils they commit.

Especially if the evil committed is against Israel.

In fact, you’ll notice this phenomenon occurring with quite a few nations.

One nation will commit some evil deed against Israel and then by “chance”, that nation will suffer some kind of natural disaster whether it’s an earthquake or a hurricane or something.

Don’t be thinking these cataclysmic events are coincidental.

Israel is the apple of the Lord’s eye and the promise He made to Abraham still holds today.

It’s just as immutable as any physical law the Lord has woven into the universe.

“I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
-Genesis 12:3

Over and out homies.