Our Jesus owns everything - the world, sun, moon, stars - everything. He made them all, and they all obey His commands. Now think about this: “Our Lord Jesus Christ. . . though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)). He gave up everything when He came to earth, knowing He was going to die on a cross so sinners could be saved from their sins and spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Sisera was not like that. He was a powerful captain, and he had nine hundred chariots of iron all ready to carry his soldiers thundering into battle. With all that power, of course he was a winner . . . or was he?
Sisera’s army was very cruel to God’s people, the children of Israel. For twenty long years Sisera and his army persecuted them, making their lives very hard.
We might wonder if God saw what was going on and if He cared. Oh yes, God saw every detail, and He very much cared. He cares for every single person who is going through a difficult time, and He cares for you too.
The children of Israel cried to God about Sisera and what he was doing to them, and God heard their cry. And sometimes this is why He sends troubles into our lives, so that we will turn to Him. Often when life is going smoothly, we forget all about God. But when a problem comes to us and we can’t figure out a solution, God always has the answer. Do you turn to Him for those answers?
God had the answer for the children of Israel too. He sent a message to a lady named Deborah, a prophetess for God’s people. We don’t have prophets and prophetesses today like they did then, because God has given us His Word, the Bible. He wants us to read it to find His wisdom and answers to our problems. He says in Psalm 119:105105NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105) that “[His] word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
God gave Deborah a message to give to Barak. She told him God said to get together ten thousand men and go to Mount Tabor. God was going to bring Sisera and his army to that same mountain and was going to give them into Barak’s hand. Barak believed this message from God, but he was afraid. He said to Deborah, If you come with me, I will go.
Perhaps you understand how he felt. You would like to be saved from your sins, but you don’t want to take that step alone. Don’t worry; you won’t have to. Jesus will be with you the whole way.
Deborah went with Barak to meet Sisera’s army at Mount Tabor. Sisera did not know that God had anything to do with all this, and he may have smiled as he said good-bye to his mother and went off to what he thought would be an easy victory with his nine hundred chariots plus many more soldiers.
Deborah told Barak, Go now! The Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?
The battle was short and the victory was sudden! Sisera was so afraid that he jumped out of his chariot and ran away on foot. He came puffing and thirsty to the tent of a woman named Jael. She let him come in, gave him a drink of milk, and provided him a place to sleep with a blanket to cover him.
But Sisera was still scared. He said to Jael, If somebody comes, tell them there is no man here. Then he fell into a deep sleep. Jael knew Sisera was an enemy of the Lord, and very softly she took a tent peg and a hammer and pounded the nail right through his temples into the ground.
It wasn’t long before Barak came running to catch Sisera. Jael went out to meet Barak and said, Come and see. And she showed him that Sisera lay dead in her tent.
Sisera’s mother may have watched for her victorious son, but he never came home. What a miserable ending for all his selfish pride! And his last words were telling someone to lie for his protection. He had caused twenty long years of persecution, but the end came exactly how and when God planned it.
Will you come to our wonderful Lord Jesus right now? It was for our sakes He became poor that we through His poverty might be rich. Our Jesus is raised from the dead and is far above all nations and kingdoms and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named. And still He cares about you and wants to make you His own - His very own - that you might be with Him forever. The end will come, exactly when God has planned it. Then, will you be saved forever? or lost forever?
Make your choice right now!