Joel M Bradshaw

4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 

8Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.–Judges 4

Did you notice what Barak said? He was given clear instructions from one of God’s prophets and he brought in the word “if.” He simply didn’t trust God’s promises. A lack of trust = a lack of faith.

Obedience should never come with conditions. When God is clear on a matter, your response is not dictated by your circumstances or situation. Barak tied faithful obedience with the situation he found himself in.

You might be tempted to do this. When life is good, you might praise God easier. When life isn’t working out as well as you’d like, you might not. You possibly have this big matter in your life right now that you need to work out. And you very well might be treating God like Barak treated Deborah. As if all of our preconditions must be met before we respond with faith and trust?

It’s easy to think of Barak as wimpy in this chapter. Deborah is impressive, of course. But go to Barak’s heart. Do you put conditions on your faith?

When it comes to the things of God, lose the word IF, and add the word SINCE.–JMB