Deborah was one of the most powerful and influential women outlined in the Bible. It has been suggested that Deborah’s prominence resulted from her religious fervor. She provides one of the Bible’s earliest examples of charismatic leadership.
It was Deborah who summoned the general Barak to gather an army to battle the Israelite’s’ oppressor, Jabin, the Canaanite king Hazor. She even told Barak where to lead the army against Jabin’s general, Sisera, and predicted the outcome of the battle, an outcome that would depend not on Barak’s military skills, but on the intervention of the Lord
Study shows the Israel was oppressed as they slide back into sin by doing evil again in the sight of God. Israel had what is considered the common adverse of long peace (according to Matthew Henry Commentary). The land had peace for eighty years, and this time should have been long enough to see them well established in their religious faith. But the opposite happened; the long period of peace made them secure in themselves, rebellious, and immoral.
Doesn’t that sound like “us”. God blesses and we become comfortable, settled and forget God or/and the things of God. Well, Israel paid the penalty for their sin as this oppression was even worse than what they had faced before. It was the Israelites own laziness, cowardice, and unbelief that allowed sin to enter in and their distress was so severe, they saw no relief and it drove them to cry unto the Lord.
Did you know God will allow our situations to cause a distress to get our attention and focus back on him? Sometimes we look at the stress and trouble in our life as challenges to hinder us and in reality, they could struggle that draws us closer and back to God.
But just God the good, good Father he is, the time of redemption had come when Israel would be rescued from the hands of Jabin and God used Deborah to be instrumental in their release. The preparation of the people for their rescue was done by the prophetic behavior and leadership of Deborah.
Deborah’s name means ‘a bee’ and her name corresponded to the diligence, wisdom, usefulness to the people, her sweetness to her friends, and her sharpness to her enemies. The rabbis she employed herself in making wicks for the lamps in the tabernacle. It is also said that she was an enlightened or magnificent woman, one who was extraordinarily wise.
We learn and are told a few things about Deborah:
1. She knew God intimately. She was a prophetess.
a. She judged Israel, not as a princess by any civil authority given to her, but as a prophet and as God’s mouthpiece to them. It was said she dwelt or sat under a palm tree and held court in the open air under the shadow of the tree. This was sign of justice she administered there. Such justice would grow and prosper even when it was opposed, just as palm trees grow under stress.
2. Since she was a woman, she was not herself qualified to command an army, but she named one who was qualified, Barak. He could do nothing without her mind, and she could do nothing without his hands. Somebody say, Team work and collaboration! But together they both made a complete rescuer, and the rescue they carried out was complete!
Deborah knew the value of an assist. In professional basketball, an assist is defined as the last pass to a teammate that leads directly to a basket or field goal. However, NBA elaborates by saying that the player receiving the pass must move immediately toward the basket in scoring motion.
Did you catch that?? The teammate passes the ball and the other teammate has to move immediately toward basket in scoring motion. Somebody say team work! In basketball the higher number of assists allows to player to look and have more value to the team player. This shows that he/she is not selfish but is willing to do what is needed for the overall and that is the win!
Somebody say, We win!! We win together and Deborah and Barak are evidence of that. By God’s direction, Deborah orders Barak to raise an army and fight Jabin’s forces. Judges 4: 6-7, “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam form Kedesh of Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you; Go, take with you ten thousand of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.”
Deborah gave orders to Barak but the orders she gave came from God. True team playing is following instructions from the leader even when you’re a leader!
3. Deborah knew how to assist.
a. The meaning of Deborah’s name, ‘a bee’ which means; diligence, wisdom, usefulness to the people, her sweetness to her friends, and her sharpness to her enemies, is identified in her ability to assist!
God does not see gender or age, condition, or ability he will use who he will get the job done and if we are open to God then we cannot go back to our traditions and religion or what we know or are used to. God is doing a new thing and will use who he chooses we must be okay with that whether it is woman, man, boy or girl!
Team playing is not worrying about who is leading it is supporting the team.
Can you and I assist like Deborah even if we are leading?
Do you have the grace to provide usefulness to people?
Deborah’s strength wasn’t in her position although she held both a powerful and influential position. Her strength was in are ability to assist by being useful to people, building them up and getting the job done.
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