This Congregation meets at:

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This Congregation meets at Sunday Bible Class
at 1000 am. Sunday Worship Service at 1100
am. Sunday Night Worship service at 600
pm. Wednesday Night Bible Class at 700 pm.
Please be so kind to turn off your cell phone.
Lets be reverent. We are worshipping God.
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The Reading
Judges 4
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1 Corinthians 1124
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February 4/2007 Lesson 22
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We already studied

• Adam 7. Isaac. 13.Joseph
  22.Phineas
• 2. Cain 8. Jacob. 14. Aaron
  23.?
• 3. Abel 9. Esau. 15. Nadab and
  Abihu
• 4. Enoch 10. Reuben. 16. Moses
• 5. Noah 11. Simeon. 17. Joshua
• 6. Abraham 12. Judah 18. Caleb
• 19.
  Gideon
• 20.
  Samson
• 21.
  Jephthah

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Lets Talk about Judges 41-23.
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• Who was Barak?
• Barak was a soldier from Kedesh, from the tribe
  of Nephtali. A military man who rescued Israel
  from the hands of the Canaanites.
• The meaning of His name is lightning
• He was the son of ABINOAM (Judges 46)
• We dont know much more about him but that he
  was faithful unto God.

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Was Barak a man of Faith? Hebrews 1132 32 And
what more shall I say? For the time would fail me
to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and
Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the
prophets
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Make war against Jabin!
Judges 41 1 When Ehud was dead, the children
of Israel again did evil in the sight of the
Lord. God always punished sin! There is no way
that we will receive blessings from God when we
are doing evil. This is exactly what happened
with the people of Israel. What was the
consequence of their sin? God delivered his
people to be punished by pagan people. In this
case, Jabin, the king of the Canaanites.
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Judges 42-3 2 So the Lord sold them into the
hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in
Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who
dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. God has a limit.
There is only so much that he can take from us.
Sometimes we think that because we are His
people, God will tolerate sin in our lives.
Thats deceiving ourselves. God will not tolerate
sin from anybody. The example here is that even
though Israel was his son, He did not spare the
rod from him. God listens to our cry when we
recognize that we are living in sin and that we
are doing evil in the Lords sight. It is until
then, when we recognize out transgressions, when
God is willing to stretch His Arm to help us.
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Judges 43 3 And the children of Israel cried
out to the Lord for Jabin had nine hundred
chariots of iron, and for twenty years he harshly
oppressed the children of Israel. Harshly
oppressed the children of Israel.
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The writer again is very descriptive and very
specific to tell us that they were treated
without mercy they were treated like real
slaves. 450 years in Egypt were not
enough. They were oppressed in the days of
Gideon. In the days of Samson. In the days of
Jephtah Now again this time in the days of
Barak. Why is it that we dont learn our lesson?
Sin is cruel, sin punishes, and sin brings
consequencesWe seem to forget so soon!
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Barak was NOT the Judge of Israel at that time,
but a woman with the name of Deborah. She is the
Judge and through her God would liberate his
people from Jabin king of the Canaanites. Apparent
ly, this woman Deborah is the one who had all of
the power at that time because the Spirit of the
Lord was on her. Judges 44 4 Now Deborah, a
prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging
Israel at that time. Deborah is Judging Israel
and they cried to the Lord, later they came to
her for help and this is what happened.
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Judges 45 5 And she would sit under the palm
tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the
mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel
came up to her for judgment.
How is Deborah planning to help the children of
Israel? Well, obviously she cannot go to war, but
she would select a warrior that could fight on
her behalf. This is how our man Barak comes to
the record.
Judges 46,7 6 Then she sent and called for
Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali,
and said to him, "Has not the Lord God of Israel
commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor
take with you ten thousand men of the sons of
Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun 7 and
against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander
of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his
multitude at the River Kishon and I will deliver
him into your hand'?"
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Even though Barak is selected to become the
liberator of Israel, this is how he responded to
Deborah when she sent for him. Judges 48-10
8 And Barak said to her, "If you will go with
me, then I will go but if you will not go with
me, I will not go!" 9 So she said, "I will surely
go with you nevertheless there will be no glory
for you in the journey you are taking, for the
Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman."
Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to
Kedesh he went up with ten thousand men under
his command, and Deborah went up with him.
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Is Barak afraid? No, but the reality is that
Barak knew that the Spirit of The Lord was on
Deborah. All that he is asking for is assurance
that God would deliver Jabin into his hands. Come
with me so that you can tell me when it is the
right time to attack. That is all he is asking.
You know, God is with you and he will tell you
when! This is kind of like the time where God
called Gideon and Gideon tested the Lord twice
just to make sure that yes, the Lord was with
him. This was quite natural, and quite
reasonable, and this is not an impeachment
whatsoever, of Barak's faith.
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Judges 411-13 11 Now Heber the Kenite, of
the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses,
had separated himself from the Kenites and
pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at
Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh. 12 And they
reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam
had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered
together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots
of iron, and all the people who were with him,
from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.
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Sisera is the commander of Jabin, king of the
Canaanites. Dont forget that they are ready to
fight and Barak is finding his position in order
to be ready for war. Someone went and told Sisera
that Barak was ready to fight. So Sisera also
prepared himself. Do you need faith to do that?
Of course you do! You need to believe that God
will deliver Jabin into your hands. The army of
the Canaanites is big and this is probably the
other reason why Barak wanted to take Deborah
with him.
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Judges 414-16 14 Then Deborah said to Barak,
"Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has
delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord
gone out before you?" So Barak went down from
Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his
chariots and all his army with the edge of the
sword before Barak and Sisera alighted from his
chariot and fled away on foot. 16 But Barak
pursued the chariots and the army as far as
Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera
fell by the edge of the sword not a man was left.
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Do we recognize when God is with us? Do we
recognize when God is fighting on our side?
Barak, even though he was a man of faith, needed
Deborah to tell him when to attack, under the
protection of the Lord. Many of us dont
recognize when God is on our side and that is
when we need our brethren to tell us when to
attack Satan, and the wiles of fire that he sends
upon us!
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Romans 832 31 What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us, who can be against
us? Isaiah 4915 15 "Can a woman forget her
nursing child, And not have compassion on the son
of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will
not forget you. Hebrews 610 10 For God is not
unjust to forget your work and labor of love
which you have shown toward His name, in that you
have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
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The rest of the story is there to tell us about
how Barak persecuted Sisera until he died. Barak
is in the Bible for a reason. The man who was
encouraged by a Woman. The valor of this man of
God came because of the encouragement that he
received from Deborah. Judges 414 14 Then
Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day
in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your
hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" So
Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten
thousand men following him.
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God always finds ways to encourage us to follow
in His ways and to be faithful in His name. When
the Children of Israel came to Deborah crying for
help she called Barak and said UP for this is
the day which the Lord has delivered Sisera into
your hand. We have many Sisters who help us when
we are timid or wavering if we should go or not.
Many of our sisters know and understand the role
of every Christian and they come and encourage us
to get up and fight for the Lord. 1
Thessalonians 514 14 Now we exhort you,
brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the
fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with
all. Many of our sisters in this congregation
have the virtue that Deborah had, when it comes
to encouraging the men when we are down and weak
in faith.
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"BY FAITH BARAK".
Many Christians underestimate Barak for not being
a man like David or Moses or NoahBut you know
what? Being in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 is
a great blessing. In that chapter, only the true
men of God who by patience and perseverance
continued their lives without looking back.
Thats exactly the case of Barak Hebrews 1132
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would
fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson
and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the
prophets
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Faith is the virtue that keeps these people in
the records of life.
Hebrews 116 6 But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Romans 117 17 For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith to faith as it is
written, "The just shall live by faith.
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Faith is the virtue that keeps these people in
the records of life.
Galatians 37 7 Therefore know that only those
who are of faith are sons of Abraham. Philippians
127 27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the
gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see
you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs,
that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Hebrews 1139 39 And all these, having obtained
a good testimony through faith, did not receive
the promise,
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Do you want to be in that book of faith? Follow
then, these great men of faith and copy the good
virtues that they showed unto God for the
preservation of their souls. Are we learning?
May the Lord bless us so that we can continue in
his path.