HEROES: 5
Heroes: Part Five
Second String Heroes
February 25, 2007
Pastor Paul W Newell

OK...let’s take a brief quiz...

John Adams...Dan Quale...Dick Cheney          Ken Dorsey, Eli Manning, Jeff Garcia
Shammond Williams...Maurice Evans...Luke Walton          James Loney...Luis Gonzales...J.D. Drew
Any takers?
OK. A couple of more clues...the first list – presidents...the second list – football...the third – LA Lakers...the last – Dodgers (LA).
Any answers? Let me help you...second string. Every name I listed either was or still is “second string”. We disparagingly refer to them as the bench warmers.

I can fully sympathize with each of those guys listed because I was a bench warmer. I wasn’t much of a sports kind of guy when I was a kid – that was my brother’s field of expertise (he was good at everything sports!). It’s not that I didn’t like sports, I just wasn’t that good so I headed in different directions. But I remember what it felt like to be second string (well actually I was usually 3rd or 4th string if we’re being honest!)

Who likes to be second string?

We’re deep inside the book of Judges now and this morning we’re looking at our first second string player: Barak. Instead of telling you the story, it’s short enough to read quickly, so let’s do it:

After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.”
Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”     “Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the LORD’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.

He didn’t have it in him to be first string.

God called Barak to step up and lead and he just couldn’t do it. The reality is, at that point – Barak was not a leader. “I will go, but only if you go with me...”

How many times do we step back instead of stepping up because we’re afraid we’ll have to do it alone?

It’s hard for me to fault Barak for wanting Deborah with him, she was a prophet and a judge, she carried the power and the clout – I’d have wanted her with me as well! But we’re missing something here...God had called Barak, not Deborah, to lead the army of God against Sisera’s chariots. God did not ask Deborah to go: He asked Barak.

Barak was God’s choice (who God’s chooses) and God wanted Barak to be the leader (how God uses). Barak wimp-ed out and Deborah had to take first string. Where Barak lacked courage, Deborah showed faith and confidence in God’s command.

Two things tend to drain our confidence and courage. Those two things can be seen here in our story...

The first is ISOLATION.

Isolation can drain your confidence and courage faster than just about anything.

It’s you look at a map of where Barak lived it starts to make sense. Barak lived in the town of Kedesh on the southern shore of the Galilee. To the west of Kedesh about twenty miles was Harosheth, the stronghold of Sisera. Sisera had literally cut off Galilee from the rest of Israel. Barak lived around a lot of people and I’m sure they all felt cut off.

Now look at where Deborah lived. She was living at the “Palms Resort” between Bethel and Ramah, about sixty miles south of Kedesh. (That’s about as far as the 605 is from where you’re sitting this morning.) Barak was isolated! He was alone. But everything changed with the arrival of the messenger from Judge and Prophet Deborah. The trip from Kedesh to Bethel would have been on foot over rough and mountainous terrain. It was a long way!

Once at the Palms Deborah conveyed God’s command to Barak: “Assemble ten thousand warriors...at Mt Tabor” and take out Sisera and his 900 high-tech chariots. “There I [God] will give you victory over him.”

It’s at that point that Barak really reveals his true isolation. “I will go, but only if you go with me...”

Look at that. God had just chosen Barak. God had commissioned Barak to lead an army into victory. God had specifically told Barak that HE (note that, “HE”) would give Barak victory over Sisera.

And what’s Barak’s response? He doesn’t respond to God – he talks to Deborah. Nothing here about Barak saying, “OK, LORD, I will do what you say.” Nothing here about Barak talking to God at all...he talks to Deborah instead.

“Deborah, I’ll go if you go.”

Barak’s isolation wasn’t about location it was about position. He felt isolated from God. He wasn’t trusting God at this point – he was trusting Deborah!

This happens a lot! We put far too much trust in people and not near enough trust in God. People can fail – God can’t. I would dare say that most of the discouragement in your life has it’s roots in PEOPLE, not God.

We find ourselves disconnected from God and as a result we grab onto people. We expect people to supply our needs, build our courage. We expect people to solve our problems and take on our enemies. But it’s God who is the supplier of all our needs. He is the source of our confidence. He is the only one who can help us face our demons and deal with our problems.

We isolate ourselves from God and put people in His place; as a result, we end up on the bench, second string.

Isolation drains our courage and confidence.

INTIMIDATION does the same thing! Isolation and intimidation.

Barak didn’t connect with God and as a result he starting looking at the wrong things...

900 chariots. We’ve already described these chariots a few weeks ago. These were the ultimate fighting machines of their day. Sisera ruthlessly oppressed Israel for twenty-years using these weapons and his warriors to intimidate Israel. No one stood up to Sisera and his king, Jabin. No one had the courage to bring an army together to take on the enemy – they were all intimidated.

Why is it that we are so quick to see the enemy and shrink in intimidation instead of looking at our Ally and swelling with the confidence that comes from knowing we can’t be defeated if He’s fighting for us?

We intimidate way too easily. We fall back and quit far too soon.

Barak knew what he was up against and he refused to go, he refused to lead unless Deborah went with him. He needed someone to look to because he wasn’t looking to God.

He didn’t understand, “If God be for us, who can ever stand against us...”

As a result, Barak was a second string player. Look at how Deborah responds...

9“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the LORD’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

OK, I’ll lead, you follow – but you loose the honor and blessing.

You need to think about this for a minute. What does God have to do to get you into the fight?

God has a plan, a battle to be fought and a victory to be had. One way or another He’s going to accomplish His plan. The question is, where will you be when the victory is won? Will you be sitting on the bench, hanging to the back, or will you be the one God honors with the victory!

We’re about to see a major change in Barak’s position, but I want you to pause and think about that last question for a moment longer – Where will you be when the victory is won? Do you want the honor status? Would you like to be on the first string list or are you going to setting for the bench, second string.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to settle for second string. I don’t want to sit and watch others with the victories in their lives while I just watch. I want to do whatever it takes to be first string for God.

As we read the rest of the story it appears Barak’s heart changes as well...

At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him... When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, he called for all 900 of his iron chariots and all of his warriors, and they marched from Harosheth-haggoyim to the Kishon River. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the LORD will give you victory over Sisera, for the LORD is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. When Barak attacked, the LORD threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot. Then Barak chased the chariots and the enemy army all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera’s warriors. Not a single one was left alive.

Did you read that last line? “Not a single one was left alive.”

Barak and his army took out 900 high-tech chariots and who knows how many thousands of soldiers and not one was left alive.

The only one left alive was Sisera and he ran off like a whipped school boy, hit in a lady’s tent and drank warm milk. In the end, Sisera fell asleep and the woman (Jael, the wife of a guy named Heber the Kenite – not even an Israelite) drove a tent stake through his temple killing him. A woman kills the general of King Jaban’s army!

God gives Deborah and Barak victory over the most powerful army in the region and then little Mrs. Heber drives a nail through Sisera’s head.
Victory! From second string isolation and intimidation to first string victory...what changed?

What made the difference? We could easily answer  the question in one word obedience, however then another question would follow: how did they obey God’s command?

We know God is looking for heroes who will trust Him with their failures. (Barak and his people had failed for over twenty years!)

We know God is looking for heroes who will trust Him in the valleys. (No one had been able to take on the chariots in the valleys before.)

And we know God is looking for heroes who will volunteer. (And Barak was a reluctant volunteer.)

What we see now is simple obedience. God is looking for heroes who will simply obey and allow Him to bring the victory!

I want you to notice the four phases of Barak’s obedience as we finish up this morning!

FIRST, Barak led his army to GOD’S PLACE.

Do you want to be a first string hero? Find God’s Place!

Why Mt. Tabor? First Deborah calls for Barak to make a 60 mile trip to see her at the Palms, then both of them travel back to Kedesh and start to assemble an army. Then, they lead the army another five miles west to Mt Tabor – and then climb 1,700 feet up a mountain and get ready to fight!  Most of that makes no sense to me. I would have marched around Mt Tabor and headed toward Haroseth (where most of Sisera’s army was located) and started fighting!

Why stop and climb Mt. Tabor?

Several years ago Terrie and I had the opportunity to visit Israel and one of our stops was at Mt Tabor overlooking the Jezreel Valley. (To get an idea of how high it is the difference of elevation from Beaumont to Redlands is about 1300 feet and trip is about seventeen miles. Mt. Tabor is about 1500 feet from the valley floor and the drop happens in probably less that a quarter mile. It’s steep and high!)

Mt. Tabor holds a lot of significance in the New Testament – it is known as the Mount of Transfiguration. During his lifetime, Jesus took Peter, James and John (three of his closest followers) up to the top of the mountain and there Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah – both Old Testament prophets long since dead. What  Jesus was doing was showing his followers what eternity was going to be like! God spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, I am fully pleased with him. Listen to Him.” (Mt 17:5)

Mt. Tabor was where God spoke directly to His followers about Jesus! God the Father validating God (Jesus) directly! Mt. Tabor was where God wanted to meet with Barak and his army.

Here’s a key truth: God wants to meet you and He has a place in mind. In our case it’s not a mountain – it’s a place in our souls. God’s wants to meet with us in our hearts. He wants us to meet Him there and He wants to speak with us, prepare us for battle.

Far too often we head into the battle fully unprepared. We’ve by passed our spiritual Mt Tabor and just gone into the fight – and felt defeat.
Find Your Mt Tabor – Find God’s Place and Meet Him There!

I believe the turning point in Barak’s life came, not when he followed Deborah, but when he gathered his army at Mt. Tabor. He met God and prepared for the battle.

Something else about Mt. Tabor – there was no hiding once they climbed the mountain. Barak and his army were fully exposed for everyone to see.
You meet God and there is no more hiding. When you obey God you start to come out into the open. Others can see you and (as we’ll see more fully in a moment) others begin to follow you!

You will also be visible to the enemy and there will be a battle. Make no mistake – Satan will not give in easily – but God is on your side and victory is assured.

The first thing that happened was that Barak went to God’s “place”.

SECOND, Barak gathered an army.

This is a quick point, but one that you need to get – seldom does God as you to fight alone. Barak was no longer isolated – there were 10,000 soldiers with him.

One of the downfalls of Christ followers is that they attempt to go it alone. It doesn’t work. That’s why the church is so important for your spiritual journey with Jesus Christ. He’s brought others into His church to help you grow, to help you through the battles and to victory. That’s why we encourage everyone to find a growth group and get into it. You need an army around you!
Barak found God’s place, gathered an army,

Third, Barak accepted the battle as God’s work.

Look at verse fourteen again:

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the LORD will give you victory over Sisera, for the LORD is marching ahead of you.”
“For the LORD is marching ahead of you.” 

God never, never, ever sends you into battle alone. He never, never, ever sends you into battle without going ahead of you. When you face the frustrations of this life, when you hit the temptations of every day, when stuff gets thrown at you – you have to realize, you have to understand that God is in front of you and you can stand confidently behind Him

That’s what obedience is. Obedience is standing confidently behind God’s commands. Doing what God asks of us is taking the safe way out. God calls us to obedience because obeying God is the only protection we have from Satan and his army. That’s a whole new twist on doing right, isn’t it? When I look at doing right or doing wrong I need to realize that if I choose wrong I’m moving away from God’s protection! When I do right I’m allowing God to stay in front of me and protect me.

Barak needed to fully understand that the battle was the LORD’s – not his.

The battle is God’s work – obedience is ours!

Find God’s place, assemble an army, accept the battle as God’s, and...

Finally, Take the LEAD. (5:2)

After the battle is over and Sisera is dead there is huge celebration! Not only is the enemies army demolished, but it says in verse 23:

So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.

(Winning the battle makes us stronger. The strong we get the closer we get to destroying Satan’s influence in our lives.)

At the celebration Deborah and Barak sing a duet. Chapter five of Judges is nothing more than a song – a duet sung by Deborah and Barak. The first stanza of the song is powerful...listen:

“When Israel’s leaders take charge and the people gladly follow – bless the LORD!” (5:2)

Twenty years the Israelites lived under the oppression of Jaban and Sisera. For twenty years God was waiting for a hero who would simply obey. When Deborah and Barak stepped up, when Barak moved from a second string mentality to a first string player – victory happened.

When Barak took the lead and people followed – God blessed! That’s what God was waiting for all along – someone who would take the lead and gather His army.

God is looking for obedient leaders.

Don’t wait on the bench for someone else to do what needs to be done. Step up and take the lead.

We’re looking at a big battle throughout the rest of this year at FamilyFellowship. We’re facing an enemy that would love to see us disintegrate and fall apart as a church. He doesn’t want us to succeed at reaching our community for Christ. He doesn’t want to see us gain victory over the moral, financial, and other difficulties we’ll face individually or as families. Satan would love to see us shut down.

On the other hand, we serve a God who goes before us. All God is asking is that we obey him and follow His lead. We are to be leaders who follow the LEADER.

God is looking for heroes who will step up and lead with their hearts, with their time, and with their wallets.

God is looking for heroes in ToddlerTown and PreschoolPark.

God is looking for heroes for our kid’s Rooftop Worship.

God is looking for greeters and café volunteers who will be heroes. He’s looking for SWAT team members who will be heroes. ...for growth group heroes...for heroes who will take the lead and bring their neighbors to church.

God is looking for obedience heroes who will leave their second string mentality behind and lead.

God’s looking for you...waiting for you to lead.

So...

Where will you meet God? Where is God call you to meet Him?

Who do you need in your army? Whose army do you need to join!

Are you obediently standing behind God’s comment.

Are you ready to take the lead?