In Judges, chapter four, verse fourteen, The fearsome Canaanite general Sisera is on his way to battle with his nine hundred iron chariots, as stated in verses one through three. The Israelite army, led by God’s hand-picked deliverer Barak, waits for them on Mount Tabor. Barak had insisted that the prophetess of the Lord come with him to raise the army and to fight in verses four through ten. Now Deborah speaks on behalf of the Lord and identifies that the time to head into battle against Sisera is right now.
Deborah’s insistence might be more than just encouragement. Barak’s army positioned themselves on the high ground of Mount Tabor, yet they “went down” to engage Sisera’s army. That might suggest an unexpected advance: the Canaanites would have expected the Israelites to hold that higher position. It also ties to details given later in verse twenty-one, that a sudden flood of the River Kishon may have captive the Canaanite army. Deborah may be commanding Barak to send his troops at a supernaturally revealed moment that catches the enemy at their most vulnerable.
The prophetess also assures Barak that God has guaranteed his victory. She asks Barak, “Doesn’t the Lord go before you?” The implied answer is that, of course, the Lord goes before them. The battle is the Lord’s and not ours. Barak and his army must obey and engage. And so, they do. Barak’s troops follow him down from Mount Tabor to battle with the Canaanites on the plain. The results are dramatic in verse fifteen.