Feb 11 - The Lord Goes Before Us
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And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

I. There is a time to be under subjection and a time to get out from under subjection.

A. Ecclesiastes 3 reveals there is a time for everything under the sun.

1. Numbers 14:40 discloses a time that was "past time".

2. Israel should have obeyed the Lord and captured the Promised Land when he told them to, but they disobeyed and that whole generation died in the 40-year wilderness wanderings.

B. Judges 4:1-3 – There is a time when God put Israel under the Canaanites because of their sins, but now is the time to get out from under their yoke.

II. Here are two people – one believing and the other unbelieving.

A. Deborah had been judging the people of God, therefore was closer to God and his will than Barak.

1. It seems to me from reading verses 6-8 that Barak also knew the Lord’s command, but refused to obey that command.

2. Barak lacked courage from God to do what God told him to do; therefore Deborah encouraged him.

B. Hebrews 11:32 – Barak’s name is mentioned in the "hall of faith", but Deborah’s name is not mentioned.

1. It appears Deborah had more faith than Barak.

2. It is not wrong for women to have more faith than men, but it is wrong for women to publicly lead men.

III. Deborah declares to Barak that he ought to go in the power of the Lord because the Lord is going before him.

A. It think it is good to understand that before this day, it was not a good time to try to do the Lord’s business, because it was not yet time.

1. I think we can truthfully say there is a time to put ourselves under the yoke of oppression.

2. Hebrews 12:9 - When God brings chastisement upon us because of our rebellion to him, we should willing submit ourselves to whatever chastisement he gives us.

3. God blessed the Israelites that submitted themselves to the Babylonians and went into captivity while those that refused to submit themselves to the Babylonians and ran away to Egypt were killed.

a. Jeremiah 27:8-11 – God will punish those that refuse to submit to Babylon, and will bless those that submit.

b. Jeremiah 42:10 – God will bless those that do not go into Egypt to escape Babylon, and will punish those that seek refuge in Egypt.

c. The sign of God’s word coming true is Jeremiah 44:29-30. (Pharaoh will fall into the hands of his enemy.)

IV. Acts 26:13-19 – Remember the apostle Paul, who received the commission from the Lord to preach to the Gentiles? But Paul did not immediately go. He waited until it was time for him to go.

A. Acts 9:1-9 – Paul was saved on the road to Damascus.

B. Acts 9:10-19 – Paul was baptized by Ananias, and received healing of his blindness.

C. Acts 9:20-22 – Paul immediately preached Christ at Damascus.

1. Acts 9:20 - Immediately after Paul was saved, he preached Christ in the synagogue at Damascus.

2. Gal. 1:15-17 - Paul didn’t get his doctrines from men, but directly from God in the Arabian Desert. It is likely he returned to Damascus at the end of three years and preached the gospel there. Acts 9:22 fits this explanation, as it reflects the growth of Paul in the truth. His continuing in Damascus after the three years in the Arabian Desert and preaching the truth caused the Jews there to conspire to kill him.

D. Acts 9:23-30 - Three years after Paul’s salvation, he leaves Damascus for Jerusalem. Barnabas introduces Paul to the church, because they have never met him.

E. Peter and James are the only apostles present (Gal. 1:18,19), who accept Paul based on the testimony of Barnabas.

F. Paul spends these 15 days in prayer in the temple (Acts 22:17) and in going in and out (Acts 9:28).

G. While at Jerusalem for these 15 days, Paul continued to speak boldly in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:29) and disputing with the Grecians, who could not answer his arguments, therefore conspired to kill him.

H. Acts 9:30 declares that the brethren (the church at Jerusalem) sent Paul to Caesarea, a sea port city, and compelled him to return to Tarsus, his home city.

I. Galatians 1:21 states that Paul afterwards came into the regions of Syria (this was when Barnabas got Paul to help him with the work in Antioch) and Cilicia, which is the area of Tarsus. In none of these places, did Paul get instructions from men, rather gave instructions to men.

J. Paul willingly left Jerusalem for Tarsus, not because of the danger involved in staying at Jerusalem, but because he had seen a vision from God, declaring that he should leave because the people at Jerusalem would not receive his testimony (Acts 22:17-21).

K. Acts 21:13 - When Paul knew it was the Lord’s will for him to go to Jerusalem, he went, even though his Christian friends begged him to not to go, because they knew the trip was for his own destruction.

L. Acts 11:19-26 – (This text agrees and compares to Galations 1:21) After Paul returns to Tarsus, he remains there until Barnabas comes for him. Reading between the lines, it is seen that Paul and Barnabas remain in contact with each other, and both grow in fellowship and the faith. What Paul does at Tarsus is not recorded and how long he stays there is not known. When the gospel spreads because of the persecution that arises because of the martyrdom of Stephen, Barnabas is sent as far as Antioch to see the grace of the Word of God. The work is great and Barnabas needs help. Therefore he goes to Tarsus to get Paul, and both remain at Antioch for a whole year. It is from Antioch that Paul and Barnabas are called by the Holy Spirit and confirmed by the church to be missionaries to the Gentiles.

M. Acts 15:2 - It is 14 years from the conversion of Paul to Acts 15:1, which compares to Galatians 2:1,2. Paul does not return to Jerusalem until this time, and then only to defend the gospel against Judaizers.

N. Gal. 2:4 makes it clear there will be no circumcision for Titus because the people of Judah would think it was for salvation.

O. This compares favorably to Acts 16:1-3 where Paul had Timotheus circumcised "…because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek."

P. If not being circumcised would be a hindrance to the gospel, then Timothy would be circumcised, but if being circumcised meant the observers thought Paul believed circumcision had something to do with the gospel, Titus would not be circumcised.