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"And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight."
(Hebrews 11:32-34, CSB)
If you have not read the past two devotionals, please go back and read Wednesday and Thursday, or go read Judges 4.
Barak's story in scripture is one of wins and losses. He is told in Judges 4:9 that he "will receive no honor on the road you are about to take," when he asks for Deborah the Judge to accompany him in a battle. I would say that is a loss. Barak also sees a great victory when he defeats the army of Sisera. However, in doing so, Barak does not get to ultimately take out the evil commander. This happens in the WILD story of Jael that is found in Judges 4.
Because of what Barak did in Judges 4:8, he receives no honor in what he did in his conquests over the armies of Sisera. Even though Barak defeated the armies of Sisera, he is still told that he will not receive the honor. Barak failed, and all history records his failure. Life can have failing moments. These failing moments can be moments where we fall into sin, where we don't trust the Lord in ways we should, where we give God an "if" to one of His commands, like Barak did, where we just miss the mark in our relationship with God. Now, lucky for us, it does not get written down and preserved for history, like the mistake of Barak; however, Barak's story in scripture does not end there.
If you flip over to the New Testament, you see that Barak's name is included in Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith chapter. Barak's name is mentioned in the same sentence as some of the major winners in the Bible, like David and Samuel. Barak was not defined by his mistake in Judges 4 but given grace and mercy to be included in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11.
How does this apply to you and I?
We ARE going to mess up in this life. We are going to sin. We are going to miss the mark... but these mess-ups, sins, and mistakes do not define the follower of Jesus. God's Grace defines the follower of Jesus, and God loves using the weak and feeble things of this world for a powerful Kingdom of God impact! Barak messed up in not obeying the command of God, but Barak, by the grace of God, is in Hebrews 11. We all mess up, but we are not defined by that mess-up; we are defined by the grace of God, given to us.
I am so thankful for a God who doesn't leave us in our failures and mistakes; He is a God who loves us, redeems us, gives grace to us, and loves using weak and feeble people to accomplish His great plans.
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