If you’ve read the book of Judges, particularly chapters 4 and 5, you know that Deborah was a unique woman for her time. She is listed as the only female judge in Israel. During her life, Israel was cruelly oppressed by a foreign nation. For twenty years this Canaanite king pillaged Israel until they cried out to God. God chose Deborah to be the source of their deliverance.
Deborah was a prophetess, as the title of my novel on her life tells us, but she was also a judge. She judged Israel while sitting under a palm tree (my favorite tree). She gave God’s word to Barak, Israel’s army commander and sent him to war with their enemies. Barak would not go unless she went with him, so she did. She didn’t actually join in the fight, as far as I can tell from Scripture, but she went as Barak’s moral support, and perhaps as God’s messenger.
Deborah’s story tells of the battle with the Canaanites and how another woman, Jael, killed the enemy commander. Little details can be gleaned from Deborah’s song that she and Barak sang together once they defeated their enemies.
We know she was married to Lappidoth, but nothing more is said of him. We assume she was a mother because she calls herself a mother in Israel (and it was much more common for a woman to be a mother in her day than not.)
The biggest lesson I think Deborah’s life can teach us is her willingness to obey God’s call on her life. Every other judge listed in the book of Judges is male. We could say this is because most judges were also warriors and Deborah wasn’t likely to have been a type of Wonder Woman and don battle gear and carry a sword. But perhaps in her day, the men weren’t paying much attention to God. Even the army commander, Barak, wasn’t willing to go to battle against the enemy Sisera without Deborah at his side. Now the book of Hebrews does commend Barak’s faith, so he was one who feared the Lord. But for whatever reason, God chose to lead Israel at this time using the faith and willingness of Deborah, a woman.
There are many times in Scripture when God chose to use women in ways that weren’t “normal” for their culture. He spoke to many women and sometimes also spoke to their husbands, sometimes not.
Some examples are Miriam, Huldah, Rebekah, Sarah, Samson’s mother, Deborah (of course). In the New Testament, Jesus first proclaimed Himself as Messiah to a woman (at the well in Samaria), a woman was the first to see Him rise from the dead, a woman anointed him ahead of time for burial because she was the only one listening (and believing Him) when He said He was going to die. Women were his disciples and helped support His ministry, traveling with Him. And He elevated them in the eyes of their culture because He makes no distinction between male and female. All are equal in His sight.
He gives women callings just as He does to men. In Deborah’s case He called her to be both prophet and judge and she obeyed His call. I wonder what might have happened if she’d said no? What if fear or some other reason had kept her from doing what God called her to do in a dangerous time? She took a risk to allow herself to become well known. The enemy could have heard of her just as her own people did.
Yet she obeyed God anyway. And God rewarded her with victory over Israel’s enemies.
I wonder how many of us are willing to follow God’s leading and His call on our lives? It’s so easy to get caught up in the cares and trials of this world. We become entangled in things that are so temporary. I hope we realize that this life doesn’t last and neither do the things in it. Everything fades away eventually.
We cling to causes trying to make a difference in the world, and while it is a good thing to help people in need, we can’t simply help the outer need and forget a person’s soul. Jesus came to heal the hurts of our souls. To bring our soul, our true self, back into relationship with His Father. And part of His calling to us will always include asking us to care about the souls of people. The eternal destiny that lasts will always matter more than the earthly one that is temporary.
Did Deborah recognize that her call went beyond finding relief from an earthly enemy? Perhaps that’s why she is also called a prophetess. She judged people by God’s Word and helped them to seek Him again—something they hand’t been doing for a long time.
Deborah is a great example of one who calls people back to God. That’s really what a prophet does. Some may foretell the future, but mostly it’s a call to lead and to appeal to people to know God as He knows us.
I think Deborah did a great job in fulfilling her calling, whether it was easy for her or not. She obeyed, and that’s what matters.
Next time – Ruth.
~Selah
#behindthesceneswithdeborah #behindthescenes #deborah #theprophetess
