This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Judges 4, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, the people of Israel were not listening to God and doing bad things. So, God allowed Jabin, the king of Canaan, to take over and be mean to the Israelites for 20 years. Jabin had a big army, with 900 iron chariots, which made it hard for the Israelites to fight back.
During this time, there was a wise woman named Deborah who was a judge and prophetess. She would sit under a palm tree between two cities and people would come to her to settle disputes. One day, Deborah called a man named Barak and told him that God had commanded him to gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and go to fight Jabin’s army. Deborah told Barak that God would help them win the battle and that Jabin’s general, Sisera, would be defeated.
Barak agreed to go, but he asked Deborah to come with him because he was scared. Deborah said she would come but warned Barak that he would not get the glory for the victory because God would give it to a woman.
So, Barak and his men went to fight against Sisera and his army, and God helped the Israelites win the battle. Sisera tried to run away but ended up hiding in the tent of a woman named Jael, who was married to a man named Heber. Jael offered Sisera a drink of milk and then covered him with a rug. Sisera fell asleep, and while he was sleeping, Jael took a tent peg and a hammer and drove the peg into his head, killing him.
When Barak caught up with Sisera, Jael showed him where Sisera was hiding, and Barak saw that Sisera was dead. After this, the Israelites defeated Jabin’s army, and the people were happy.
Biblical Lessons
- God is faithful to His people, even when they are unfaithful to Him.
- It is important to seek God’s help and guidance in times of trouble.
- We should not be afraid to obey God’s commands, even if they seem difficult or scary.
- God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things.