Judges Chapters 4 & 5

Central Themes

170 years after Joshua led the people of Israel into the promised land, they still haven’t taken all the territory allocated to them by God and have even lost some of the territory they once held.
The people of Israel are caught in a cycle of disobedience, suffering the consequences of that disobedience, crying out to God, being rescued by God and then becoming disobedient again.
Many of the people of Israel have compromised so much with the local pagan tribes that they are almost indistinguishable from them.
Deborah – known throughout the tribes of Israel as a prophetess – announces the end of this cycle of suffering and calls Barak to his duty.
Barak is willing to fight but does not have confidence that the people will follow him.
Barak takes on a very powerful enemy, but in the end, God does all the hard work.
Jael takes matters into her own hands.

(Probably too many, but you can pick and choose):

Why do you think the Israelites kept compromising with the surrounding tribes/nations?
Why do you think God kept allowing them to suffer the consequences of their rebellion?
Why do you think God sanctioned the killing of Sisera and all his troops?
Why do you think God chose Deborah as his mouthpiece in this story?
Why do you think God chose to use Barak to go up against the Canaanites?
Do you think God allows us to suffer the consequences of our wrongful behaviour today? | Why/Why Not?
Do you think you have compromised with the world in any way? (No need to share publicly)
Is God calling you to serve him but you don’t feel completely confident?
What can we learn from Deborah?
What can we learn from Barak?
Was Jael right to kill Sisera? | Why/Why not?
Have you got a testimony of having to face overwhelming odds and God then delivering you?