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Deborah and Barak deliver Israel

Deborah and Barak battle against Sisera's army.
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Polish, Hindi
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For 20 years the people of Israel had been worshipping idols instead of God. As as result God let them be oppressed by their enemies led by General Sisera and King Jabin of Canaan. These enemies stole their iron and tools so they had few weapons. They raided to steal their crops and treated them cruelly. <br/>When they could take this no longer they cried to the Lord to deliver them. – Slide 1
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God had raised up a good and wise judge called Deborah to teach them His laws and help them know what was right and wrong. She held court under a palm tree in the hill country of Ephraim. <br/>One day she sent messengers to Barak who lived in the north of Israel to ask him to come and meet her. – Slide 2
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When Barak arrived she told him, ‘The Lord God of Israel wants you to go to Mount Tabor and take 10,000 fighting men with you. God is going to bring General Sisera with all his chariots and troops to battle with you – and you will have victory over them.’ <br/>Barak replied, ‘I will only go if you will go with me.’ <br/>Deborah agreed as she trusted God, but told Barak. ‘As you have hesitated about going into battle, the honour for winning the battle would not go to you but a woman.’ – Slide 3
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Barak, Deborah and 10,000 men gathered on Mount Tabor. General Sisera gathered 30,000 well armed men with 900 chariots in the Kishon river valley below them. <br/>Although outnumbered, Deborah declared, ‘Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?’ <br/>Barak led his 10,000 men into an attack. – Slide 4
5
At that moment the Lord sent a huge storm with torrential rain, hail, lightening and thunder. The river flooded and Sisera’s heavy chariots got stuck in the mud. Sisera’s men panicked and were all overcome by Barak and his men. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and fled on foot. – Slide 5
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He ran to find refuge in the tent of a woman named Jael. But when he fell asleep from exhaustion she hammered a tent peg through his head to kill him. A woman therefore became the hero for the victory over Sisera – just as God had said. On that same day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan and he was later destroyed. <br/>Deborah and Barak celebrated the victory with a song of praise to God (Judges 5). The land then had peace for 40 years. – Slide 6
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