Barak: Hesitant Faith, Extraordinary Victory

Faith doesn’t always show up as fearless. Sometimes it shows up as a shaky “yes” that needs a push, a reminder, and a friend who won’t let you quit. We dig into the story of Barak from Judges 4, and we can’t talk about his faith without talking about Deborah, the prophet and judge God uses to speak, lead, and stand beside him when the pressure is real. If you’ve ever known what God asked you to do but still hesitated, you’ll see yourself in this one.

Transcript

Welcome And Series Setup

Hodaiah 0:00

Hello once again, everyone. Welcome to the Ordinary Doing Extraordinary Podcast. My name is Hodaiah, and with me is my wife, Dominique. Hey everybody. Today we'll be diving into episode 13 as we continue this journey through the Heroes of the Faith series. It's crazy! We're already on episode 13. Yep. Feels like it wasn't even long ago when we began this journey.

Dominique 0:23

Right.

Hodaiah 0:24

It's been a blessing and it's been filled with so much knowledge. Episode 13 will discuss the story of Barak primarily, but because of her importance, we'll also include Deborah, a woman who was a prophet and judge of Israel. And with that, come on man, let's go. So our anchor verse is gonna come from Hebrews 11, verse 32, and that states, and what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell you about Gideon and Barack. But kind of like we said in our last episode, time may have been too short then, but as for ODE ministries, we have some time and we have something to say. Yeah. Yo, Dom, talk to him.

Dominique 1:11

Yeah, yeah, we got time today.

Hodaiah 1:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dominique 1:14

All right. But interestingly, we will not be taking up a lot of time today.

Hodaiah 1:19

Call it a mini. Call it a mini.

Dominique 1:21

A mini episode. So here we

Barak And Deborah’s Story Summary

Dominique 1:23

go. Uh, we'll start with the summary of Barak's story, which is found in Judges chapter 4. So as Hodaiah was saying, Hebrews 11 32 specifically mentions Barak, but we also have to talk about Deborah in this episode because she was an important part of his story. Now, during this time, the Israelites had done evil in the Lord's sight, and he sold them to King Jabin of Canaan. They were oppressed harshly for twenty years. Deborah was a prophetess who was judging Israel at that time. She summoned Barak and reaffirmed and reminded him of something the Lord had commanded him to do. Go and deploy troops and get ready to fight against Sisera, the commander of King Jabin's army. I doubt Barak really forgot the word of the Lord. He just needed a little push, you know, to get to get through, to go through with it. Now Barak responded by telling Deborah he would only do what God commanded if she went with him. Deborah agrees and tells him that a woman would take the honor of victory over Sisera. So ultimately, Barak wouldn't get that honor. Deborah went with Barak and summoned thousands of soldiers. Sisera was told that Barak was getting ready to fight against him, so he summoned his soldiers and his 900 iron chariots. At the encouragement of Deborah, Barak came down from Mount Tabor to attack Sisera and his troops. The Lord stepped in and threw Sisera and his troops into a panic, and his army was killed by the sword. Sisera then fled to the tent of a woman named Jael. He thought he would be safe there since there was peace between King Jabin and Jael's husband, Heber. Jael gave him the impression that he would be safe with her. She brought him milk, sort of like a mother caring for a child. He fell asleep like a baby. Now as he slept, Jael got a tent peg and hammered it into his temple. Like the Bible really goes there sometimes. This ain't no nighttime lullaby type of story, you know what I'm saying?

Hodaiah 3:36

Tell it to the kids.

Dominique 3:36

He couldn't, you know, that's a lot. Sisera thought he could trust them.

Hodaiah 3:42

Thought it was safe.

Dominique 3:43

It ain't safe. It ain't safe. It ain't safe. You know what I'm saying? Okay.

Hodaiah 3:47

Like KB said.

Dominique 3:48

Right. Sisera died indeed at the hands of a woman named Jael. Deborah begins to praise the Lord with a song of victory in chapter 5. At the end of chapter 5, we read that the land had peace for 40 years after these events.

Faith In Action

Hodaiah 4:10

Guys, let's jump into our faith in action. Although Barack hesitated at first, he eventually moved forward in obedience to God's command, strengthened by Deborah's encouragement. Sometimes getting encouragement from a friend or even from a random stranger is all we need to move forward in obedience. So how do you encourage people? Is there someone in your life who needs that encouragement to move forward? A scripture that comes to mind is Proverbs 17 :17, that states, a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. This makes me think about the importance of Christian community, having those people around you who will encourage and motivate you, and you doing the same for them. Lift each other up. We are not meant to walk this Christian walk alone.

Dominique 5:07

Absolutely. Now Deborah showed her faith by delivering God's word to Barak. Some translations phrase it in a way that it sounds like a reminder. So the CSB says in Judges 4 :6, hasn't the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you? Go deploy the troops on Mount Tabor. Now the NIV says, The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, go take with you 10,000 men. So whether she was reminding him or reaffirming to him what God had already said, she still showed her faith by delivering God's word.

Hodaiah 5:43

Yes. Next, Deborah continued to walk in faith by going with Barak into the battle, serving as a visible reminder of God's presence and promise. Deborah was considered to be a prophetess and judge of Israel. Her presence with Barak was powerful and gave Barak confidence that the Lord was with him. Men and women of God, our presence matters. Some of you may feel like your presence is of no importance, but if only you could see the light you are in the spiritual realm. If only you could see the battles that your prayers are fighting in the spiritual realm. Just like the presence of Deborah mattered, your presence matters, child of God. The devil tries to make you feel like you are irrelevant, but you matter.

Dominique 6:34

Yes, you absolutely matter. Yep. Now before the fighting began, Deborah reminded Barak that the Lord had already gone ahead of them. Their victory wasn't in their swords, but in God. God had already handed Sisera over to them in victory so they could go into battle confidently.

Faith Challenges

Dominique 6:53

Now we're gonna get into some of our faith challenges. Barak didn't immediately obey God's command to take the lead in fighting. His hesitation showed a struggle to fully trust God's promise. How many times have we hesitated in moving forward, despite knowing that God will be with you? I surely have. Matter of fact, I've been hesitating on some things as we speak. So this is just as much of a lesson for me as it is for you.

Hodaiah 7:23

Barack insisted that Deborah go with him, revealing his fear of stepping out alone. I mentioned the scripture Proverbs 17:17 earlier in our discussion. I now want to link that scripture to Proverbs 27:17. I absolutely love linking these scriptures. It states, iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. Deborah encouraged Barak. She told him God's promise of coming victory and then took the step of faith of going with him to war. My God, be that kind of friend. Men and women of God, be that friend that sharpens your brother or sister. This Christian walk is not meant to be walked alone. Nope. Be there for each other. Lift one another up. Husbands and wives, lift each other up, sharpen each other. Iron sharpens iron.

Dominique 8:22

Absolutely. Jesus. Yes. Facing Sisera's powerful army of 900 iron chariots could have easily overwhelmed Barack with doubt. But faith required him to move forward anyway. I'm sure that 900 chariots and all of Sisera's troops looked terrifying. Like they had to keep moving forward despite what they saw. They said we're gonna pull up.

Hodaiah 8:50

Like, oh man,

Dominique 8:51

We're gonna pull up with the chariots.

Hodaiah 8:52

It ain't looking too encouraging, boys. It's just it starts to sink in. Like it don't look too good, man.

Dominique 8:58

That's when that trust in God comes in big time, boy.

Hodaiah 9:02

Everybody else looking at you like, hey, bro, are you sure about this? Yeah. We're going to war.

Dominique 9:08

Yeah.

Spiritual Takeaways And Closing Thought

Hodaiah 9:10

All right, guys. Next are our spiritual lessons and takeaways. Our first one, be obedient to the Lord. Delayed obedience sometimes makes the journey harder.

Dominique 9:21

Yes, yes. It will. When we hesitate, God often sends reminders and encouragement, just as he did through Deborah. He doesn't give up on you because you hesitated. That's a big thing to remember. God doesn't give up on his people, he keeps calling us back to what he's already spoken. Yeah. It kind of reminds me of Jonah's story, you know. Jonah was running away from the word of the Lord, but God didn't leave him alone. Matter of fact, he took very drastic measures to say, you're gonna go to Nineveh.

Hodaiah 9:52

He kept on bringing him back. No, no matter what.

Dominique 9:55

Yeah, that that whale swallowed him. I mean, can you imagine that? Being in the belly of a fish. I don't even know what that's like.

Hodaiah 10:02

Yeah.

Dominique 10:03

My God.

Hodaiah 10:04

God said he's going to go to Nineveh.

Dominique 10:06

You're going.

Hodaiah 10:07

You're going.

Dominique 10:08

Yeah.

Hodaiah 10:08

Next, when God gives an assignment, step out boldly and with confidence, knowing he goes before you. And last, victory doesn't come from our strength, but from the God who works all things out for his glory.

Dominique 10:25

Absolutely. Now let's get into our closing thought here. Barack's story reminds us that faith isn't always flawless, it sometimes begins with hesitation. But when Barak stepped forward in obedience, trusting God's word through Deborah, the Lord brought an extraordinary victory. God routed Sisera's mighty army, proving that the battle belongs to him. Like Barak, we don't have to be perfect or fearless to be used by God. We just have to be willing to obey.

Hodaiah 10:57

Obedience.

Dominique 10:58

Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. That's Joshua chapter 1, verse 9. Because in God's hands, even ordinary, hesitant faith can accomplish the extraordinary.

Hodaiah 11:17

Absolutely.

Dominique 11:18

Yeah.

Reflection Questions And Closing Prayer

Dominique 11:19

So here are two reflection questions for this week. What steps of obedience am I hesitating to take because of fear or uncertainty? And our second question: Who has God placed in my life to encourage me to move forward in faith like Deborah encouraged Barack?

Hodaiah 11:38

Yes. Definitely some questions to think about and reflect on throughout the week. Now we're gonna be moving into our closing prayer. As always, we're so humbled to have y'all with us. We love you so, so much, but Jesus Christ loves you more. If you can, please bow your head in prayer. Hallelujah, God. We praise you. We lift your name up high. My God, thank you. We submit our hearts, our minds, and our souls to your kingdom will. My God, I pray for all of our listeners. I pray for their families, I pray for all of the children being born in the body of Christ. Holy Spirit, cover their households, cover their families in your divine fire of protection. Lord, I pray for the unbelievers. I pray that the veil will be removed from their eyes and they will see you, Lord. Let them encounter you, Jesus. My God, let us be there for our brothers and sisters in Christ just as iron sharpens iron. Let us sharpen one another. Let us be obedient like Barack and Deborah, Lord. Let us put all trust in you and walk in obedience. Holy Spirit, I rebuke any thoughts of doubt, anxiety, or fear. Yes. I rebuke any witches, warlocks, or any schemes of the enemy. I pray all of this in the mighty, majestic, and matchless name. Amen.

Dominique 13:14

Amen. Amen.

Hodaiah 13:15

Amen.

Farewell And Outro Music

Dominique 13:16

Yeah. That was an excellent prayer to end this episode. And uh...

Hodaiah 13:21

I pray a little bit.

Dominique 13:22

Yeah, pray a little bit. A little bit.

Hodaiah 13:24

Little bit sometimes.

Dominique 13:25

Something about it.

Hodaiah 13:27

Can preach sometime, can pray sometime. Yeah. Because what a minute? What?

Dominique 13:34

What? Pray.

Hodaiah 13:35

Preach and pray.

Dominique 13:36

Yeah, well, we thank y'all so much for listening to this episode. We'll be on episode 14, y'all. We ain't got that many left.

Hodaiah 13:44

Episode 14. Heroes of the Faith Series.

Dominique 13:47

Oh. Yeah. You're gonna do this every single, like all the way to the end, huh?

Hodaiah 13:52

Well, I'll tell you this much. I'm consistent.

Dominique 13:54

Okay.

Hodaiah 13:55

At least I'm consistent with it.

Dominique 13:56

Yes, you are very consistent.

Hodaiah 13:58

No, one thing, I don't care what anybody posts, and you know, in the message there, at least can say this much. He's consistent.

Dominique 14:06

He's consistent. So all right, y'all. Thank you so much for listening. Love you. Love y'all.

Rapper Voice (Music) 14:11

Outro Music Outro Music