17/07/10

The Bee and the Worldly Army

Judges 4:14-16
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 discomfited 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 Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.



Today I like to take you into another dimension of the Old Testament, but before we do that I will touch on the background of today's message.

Deborah was a Woman of God who Judged Israel during the times between Joshua and Saul, the time when the Lord was King over Israel and it had no man king. The Israelites had turn away from the Lord so they were oppressed by the Canaanites. Sisera was a commander of the Canaanite army who had a fleet of 900 iron chariots which gave him tremendous power over others. The Lord later had pity on the Israelites and gave a Word through Deborah asking her to summon Barak as to lead an army of 10,000 Israelites to defeat Sisera. Barak abides on condition that Deborah joins him to the war which she does. The Lord sends word through Sisera's associates and Sisera gathers his battalion and moves to Mount Tabor to fight Barak. Barak comes down Mount Tabor and the whole army of Sisera is utterly defeated not leaving even one soldier leaving Sisera alone who manages escape but is killed in the hands of a woman Jael, who drives a nail in his head.

What I found interesting is the names and their strategic placement in this story. Let me take today's scripture and instead of the Hebrew names let me put the meaning or what they symbolize into place. This will give you and preview into image study.

Deborah - bee (flower symbolizes prophesy and honey understanding thus bee a person who pursues the Word).
Barak - lightning (Barak was the son of Abinoam which means father of delight) - putting the whole together Barak symbolizes authority. Hope grows into trust and trust into faith and faith into authority. Jesus came to give us authority and when this authority is understood will son of man become Son of God.
Canaan - low land (earth is a low level of various levels of Heaven).
Sisera - battle array (power) since Sisera was a ruler of Canaan he represented power of this world (Satan).
Gentile - nation or people (worldly)
Mount Tabor - Mount of mould - the word mould come from the root which means breaking - thus Mount Tabor means a place of breaking.
Harosheth - woodland - wood symbolizes flesh or carnal mind thus woodland means land full of lust.

Judges 4:14-16 (meanings put in place of names)
14 And the Word pursuer said with authority, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered the power of the world into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So with authority went down from place of breaking, and ten thousand men after him.
15 And the LORD discomfited the power of the world, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before authority of His sons; so that the power of this world lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.
16 But authority pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto fleshy desires of the worldly people: and all the host of the power of this world fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.

Also note that the power of this world (Satan) was left to be destroyed by a woman (who physically was made spiritually symbolizing man). The woman killed him by putting a nail through his head. Satan by the powers of this world put nails in the limbs of the Son of man and man finishes Satan by put one in his head.

In short this scripture literally covers the story of creation in a few words. It talks about man who pursued the Word with authority to confront the powers of this world (Satan) and all his army. Before the battle he was taken to a breaking point first, after being broken he went in authority to pursue the powers of this world. The Lord helped him and he destroyed the army of Satan not leaving even one alive. Ultimately the Lord delivered Satan who was a great power in the Heaven to be destroyed by man.

Was this scripture not awesome! This is the reason I always say there is amazing dimensions in which scriptures can be studied.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You are a awesome God. Your wisdom is beyond imagination and in your wisdom You gave us the Word for our salvation. Lord Jesus You are our head and You lead us as Son of Man to make us into Sons of God. It is You as Son of Man who will put the nail into the head of Satan completely destroying him. Lord help us understand the depths of your instruction so that we are led astray but be build in authority so that we can do the task You have set before us to finish the powers of Satan in this world...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Judges 4:1-9
1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.
2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
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 judgment.
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.
8 And 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.
9 And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Judges 4:17-21
17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.
19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.
21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

Genesis 3:14-15
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

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