提要
以笏死後，以色列人的背道又招致迦南王耶賓長達二十年的壓迫。大約一百年前，約書亞曾毀滅了夏瑣城，及當時也稱為耶賓的夏瑣王（書11：11），但他們一定又逐漸的潛返迦南，並慢慢恢復了國力。而以色列卻淪入可憐的軟弱光景中，在以色列人中找不到一位忠心、勇敢的男性領導者，所以上帝興起一位睿智、敬虔、受人尊崇的女士師底波拉，她身兼先知和士師之職。底波拉一定是以法蓮人，因為她住在以法蓮南部的境內，並且起初她似乎只處理民事，後來上帝才引導她參與以色列人的戰事。
底波拉揀選巴拉組織並領導以色列軍隊，對抗耶賓的將軍西西拉。身為上帝代言人的底波拉告訴巴拉上帝的計畫，及上帝會將以色列的敵人交在巴拉手中。然而巴拉對上帝一定缺少完全的信心，他只願意在底波拉也同去的情況下才出戰，因為底波拉的同在就代表上帝的同在。底波拉的回答更進一步說明了當時以色列男性領導者的軟弱（4：9），但巴拉還是鼓足了信心發動戰爭。靠上帝的能力，他贏了漂亮的一仗，也被視為信心的英雄（來11：32）。
巴拉按照上帝的吩咐（4：6~10；參5：18）從北部的拿弗他利支派和西布倫支派中召聚了一萬大軍。上帝知道其他支派的人對此事漠不關心，也尚未預備好順服上帝（參5：15~17）。如同底波拉的預言（14節），上帝將一場大勝利賜給那些順服者。在這場戰爭中，上帝的親手干預顯而易見，我們從第五章還知道，祂奇蹟式的使基順河水氾濫，使敵人的戰車失靈，也把他們「沖沒」了（5：21）。
敵軍的首領還未落網，戰爭就不算結束，西西拉逃到基尼人希百的帳棚藏匿，他知道希百與耶賓王有和好之盟。然而希百之妻雅億一定沒有和他的丈夫一樣被耶賓王說服，她用巧計殺了西西拉，表現出她對以色列和以色列之上帝的忠誠。在巴拉趕到之前，她已經殺了西西拉，為以色列人立了大功。所以她也被視為女英雄（5：24~27）。
基順河大捷使底波拉和巴拉為此譜了一首歌，讚美上帝為祂百姓所行的大事。這首歌充滿感情、押韻、意象、平行句（如5：7、26~27），是一首典型的希伯來詩歌。
詩歌一開始就表達了上帝的大能（5：4~5），然後說到以色列人在外族壓迫下的可憐光景，因為他們「選擇新神」，然而上帝興起一位「母親」來安慰受傷、沒有生氣的以色列人（5：7~8）。雖然以色列人沒有武器，但「百姓」和「剩餘的貴胄」下到城門，上帝也與祂貧乏的子民同去，為他們攻擊大能的敵人（5：10~13）。詩歌中段是讚美前去協助底波拉的支派，譴責那些袖手旁觀，不響應呼召的支派（5：14~18、23）。底波拉繼續生動的描寫這場奇蹟式的勝利（5：19~22）、西西拉如何死於雅億之手（5：24~27）、以及西西拉之母的哀慟……以表現整樁事的結果如何出乎敵人的意料（5：28~30）。最後，底波拉祈願咒詛臨到上帝所有的敵人，祝福降臨那些愛祂的人（5：31）。
|
Overview
A twenty-year period of harsh oppression and bondage from the Canaanite king Jabin came as a result of Israel’s apostasy after the death of Ehud. About one hundred years earlier, Joshua had destroyed the capital city of Hazor and another king named Jabin (Josh.11:11), but they must have gradually crept back into the land and regained their strength. Israel, however, was in a shamefully weakened condition. There was no faithful, courageous male leader to be found among the Israelites, so God raised up Deborah, a wise, godly, well-respected woman who was both a prophetess and a judge. She must have been an Ephraimite, since she judged from the territory of south Ephraim and it seems she only dealt with civil matters until God led her to become involved in the military action that brought deliverance to Israel.
Deborah chose Barak to form and lead an army against Jabin’s strongman, General Sisera. As God’s spokesperson, she informed Barak of God’s plan and told him that God would deliver the enemy into his hand. Still Barak must have lacked full confidence in God, and would agree to go only if Deborah went with him, since her presence represented the presence of God. Her response further illustrates the weakness of male leadership at that time (4:9), but Barak mustered up enough faith to wage war. He was victorious by God’s power and came to be considered a hero of faith (Heb.11:32).
Barak rallied together an army of ten thousand from the northern tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun just as God had ordered (4:6, 10; cf.5:18). The Lord knew that the men from the other tribes were indifferent and not prepared to obey (cf.5:15-17). To those who were obedient, however, the Lord gave a great victory, just as Deborah had prophesied (v.14). God’s divine intervention was clearly seen in the battle: we also learn from chapter five that God miraculously flooded the river of Kishon, which rendered the enemy’s chariots useless and “swept them away” (5:21)
The battle would not be finished until the enemy leader was caught and killed. Sisera fled to hide in the tent of Heber the Kenite, whom he knew to be at peace with king Jabin (4:11, 17). Heber’s wife, Jael, however, must not have been of the same persuasion as her husband, for she showed loyalty to Israel and the God of Israel by cunningly planning a way to kill Sisera. By the time his pursuers reached her tent, she had already killed him, rendering a great service to Israel. She was therefore considered a heroine (5:24-27).
The victory caused Deborah and Barak to compose and sing a song of celebration and praise to God for His divine intervention on behalf of His people. The song is full of emotion and is typical of Hebrew poetry in rhythm, parallelism, and imagery (e.g.5:7, 26-27).
The song begins by expressing the Lord’s great power (5:4-5), then the poor condition of Israel under oppression because “they chose new gods”, yet God chose a “mother” to comfort the hurting and lifeless Israel (5:7-8). Though they had no weapons, the “villagers” and “survivors” came into the gates of the city and the Lord came down with the poor to defeat the mighty (5:10-13). The middle of the song praises the tribes who came to help Deborah, but puts to shame those tribes that sat idly by and did not respond to the call to conquer the enemy (5:14-18, 23). Deborah continues the song by graphically depicting the miraculous victory (5:19-22), Sisera’s death by the hand of Jael (5:24-27), and his mother’s lament – intended to show the reverse of their enemies’ expected outcome (5:28-30). In conclusion, Deborah asks a curse to be upon all the enemies of God, but blessings upon those who love Him.
|
