Judges 4: Trust and Betrayal
"ET TU, BRUTE?" These words from the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar sum up the shock and pain of betrayal. The dagger twisted in the back by a trusted friend is a double agony. But it isn't only our friends who betray us. After a recent earthquake, Californians talked about their fears that they couldn't trust the ground to remain firm. A friend who lost hours of computer input during a power failure said he felt betrayed by technology. If friends, nature, knowledge and things all have the potential to turn against us, then where can we turn in a time of crisis?
Warming Up to God
What people and things have you assumed would be there to rescue you if you needed them?
Read Judges 4. »
Discovering the Word
- What gifts and skills did Deborah possess (vv. 4-14)?
- What difference did Deborah's presence make during a godless period of Israel's history?
- Why was it wrong for Barak to ask Deborah to go with him (v. 8)?
- What assumptions did Sisera make regarding his safety (vv. 15-21)?
- How did each of the things Sisera trusted to protect him fail?
Applying the Word
- Consider where each of the leading characters of this story—Deborah, Barak, Jael and Sisera—put his or her trust. Which of them are you most like? Why?
- What has this study helped you to discover about your trust in God?
Responding in Prayer
Ask God to show you where your trust is. Ask him to be the stable foundation of your trust.
For Further Study
Judges & Ruth by Arthur E. Cundall & Leon Morris