Deborah and Barak Deliver from Canaanites
4 Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 The sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.
4 Now Deborah, a [a]prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to [b]sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “[c]Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his [d]many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’” 8 Then 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 She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up [e]with him; Deborah also went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the [f]oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
There’s something about men and honor. That’s not to say women don’t appreciate it, but many that I know prefer to stay out of the spotlight. So I apologize to all the women if this isn’t going to hit home for you, but hang in there!
To rob Barak of the honor in defeating Sisera was a big deal here. Sure, we aren’t supposed to be “in it” for the fame and glory and all that. It’s all about the eternal rewards, right? But emotionally/mentally, honor is important to us nonetheless.
When God asks you to do something, and you know it is the right thing to do, get on with it! Don’t hem and haw, take it on and let God take care of the rest. Now that’s not saying, throw caution to the wind and assume every little idea that sounds good is the right one to follow. If you’re seeking God, and asking for His direction (consistently), you will know when the right thing comes across your path. When you know it in your spirit, go for it!