Character Studies #7 - Deborah

“Deborah – Prophetess, Judge, Warrior, Singer and Homemaker Too!”

Photos in God’s Album Series

—Deborah—

Judges 4 & 5 

INTRODUCTION:

Ladies, do you ever feel frazzled, with all your different roles and your different “hats”?

·       Wife, mother, career woman, car-pool coordinator, Sunday school teacher, PTA Fundraiser Chairman, etc.

·       Does your life get hectic, and do you feel burdened with responsibilities and with people looking to you for answers?

TRANSITION:

THEN YOU WILL APPRECIATE DEBORAH. She had two sides, hard and soft:

·       Her hard side:

o   She was a strong, competent woman of great determination and courage.

o   She was a woman of action with a strong character and personality.

o   She was a woman with proven leadership skills.

·       Her soft side:

o   She was a mother and a wife with a gentle side.

o   She was a woman of great faith and godly wisdom.

o   She was a poet and singer able to express her deepest thoughts in beautiful and tender language.

o   She was a woman totally committed to God and to His people, Israel. 

In this day of Women’s Movements of all kinds, some on-track and some off, Deborah’s life stands as a model of godly womanhood. She is proof positive that God loves, values, and uses women to do His work. 

NOTES on the Text:

I. Deborah, the PROPHETESS: (Judges 4:4)

·       Deborah arose as one of 12 leaders that God raised up to give stable leadership to His people, Israel, during a very difficult time in their history.

·       This period, which we call the Time of the Judges, covered several hundred years, and was marked by seven (7) repeated cycles of five (5) similar events:

          RELAPSE – 3:7

          RUIN – 3:8

          REPENTANCE – 3:9

          RESTORATION – 3:9-10

          REST – 3:11

·       Deborah was the 4^th JUDGE (also called “deliverers”) that God raised up (cf. 2:16-19)

1.    Othniel (Caleb’s younger brother) – He delivered them from the King of Mesopotamia, followed by approximately 40 years of rest.

2.    Ehud – He led Israel to victory over the Moabites, followed by approximately 80 years of rest.

3.    Shamgar – He saved Israel from the Philistines.

4.    Deborah – Now the Israelites need another leader to help free them from their enemies. Look at Judges 4:1-3. Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord now that Ehud was dead. ² So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, King of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. 

You will notice that these were the same stinkin’ Canaanites that Joshua fought and defeated at Jericho and Ai, etc. in the power and strength of the LORD. Things had started out so well! Those early victories were wonderful and encouraging! The Jordan was crossed, and their enemies were defeated. They were in the Land of Promise. HOWEVER, while Israel was conquering physically, without them even knowing it, she herself was being conquered mentally and spiritually by the very nations she was subduing. But HOW?

Israel became enamored of her enemies and came to accept compromise, partial obedience to Gods commands, adopting the culture, idolatry, and sin of her enemies. Israel refused to drive them out of the land as God had commanded. In fact, she tried to imitate them, to live like them. She lowered her moral standards and ignored God’s repeated warnings. The battle was lost in their hearts and minds long before Israel was defeated physically. 

Old battles fought and won, sometimes must be refought! Old enemies can rebuild their army under our noses if we are not watchful. Overconfidence and lack of moral vigilance can be the seeds of our spiritual downfall.

·       For example, old habits, if not kept in check, can show up and attack us again (the tobacco habit, alcohol, overeating, pornography, etc.).

·       This knowledge must have made Israel’s servitude even more painful and humiliating.

Deborah is called a “prophetess” (verse 4)

·       A prophet is one who speaks to the people on God’s behalf, dependent upon a supernatural gift from God to enable that person to be God’s mouthpiece.

·       This meant that Deborah had to hear and understand God’s voice to be able to communicate the message to others. Not all the other judges were prophets too. Most of them were not.

·       Deborah was recognized by the people to be God’s anointed servant, not because of her human credentials but because of God’s obvious working in her life.

o   She had no royal lineage. She was the wife of an obscure man. She was of a humble household unknown to the people of Israel. She was hampered by responsibilities as a wife and mother with domestic duties. Those looking for a natural leader would almost certainly pass her by.

HOWEVER, her direct contact with God made all the difference and it was her relationship with Him that kept her on track in all her other areas of responsibility. That is true of you and me too. When we give Him FIRST PLACE the other aspects of our life become manageable and successful (cf. Matt. 6:38). 

II. Deborah, the JUDGE:

·       Now we see a new cycle of those “R” words but with the same old story (4:1-3).

·       They had suffered 20 years of “severe oppression.” It took 20 years of “hell” before they hit bottom and finally cried out to God! (BTW, how long did it take you? Asking for a friend.)

·       Deborah was judging Israel during this time.

·       She was recognized and honored for her godly wisdom (like Solomon years later).

·       She was much in demand to arbitrate disputes and give advice.

·       She sat to hear cases under a certain date palm tree (which came to be known as, “Deborah’s Tree”) located close to her home in the hill country of Ephraim, between Ramah and Bethel in the same region that Samuel later called home. 

N.B. Women are often good counselors, by nature: sensitive, empathetic, wise, insightful, intuitive, able to see past the words right to the heart. BUT Deborah was all this and more because of God’s special enabling and anointing. 

Examples:

·       Had Julius Caesar listened to his wife, Calpurnia, he would not have been murdered.

·       Had Pontius Pilate listened to his wife’s warning he would have been saved from condemning Christ to death. 

Deborah judged Israel when their national spirit was at a low ebb. The oppression of the Canaanites was great. The Israelites had not only lost their freedom, but also their courage and hope for deliverance when God sent them Deborah. Her oratory and fresh word of hope from Jehovah called the people to gather around her and to fight for their national freedom and honor, or else die in the attempt.

The source of Deborah’s power and wisdom was her time spent with God. This is true of us as well. She had a clear message from Him (cf. 4:6). 

III. Deborah, the WARRIOR:

Deborah’s name means “bee,” those cute little critters that make honey. But remember Muhammad Ali, the boxer who “Floated like a butterfly, but stung like a bee.” That was Deborah too! 

Deborah was not merely a talker, but a doer as well, a woman of action. She was decisive and bold when she heard from God. She quickly sent for Barak, a well-known and highly respected military leader who was living up north in Kedesh-Naphtali, one of the ancient Cities of Refuge, located close to the Canaanites. 

There was a leadership vacuum in Israel at that time. There were armies of trained warriors but no one to be Commander-in-Chief. Moved by God, Deborah stepped into that role. 

Verses 6-7: She recounted God’s message to Barak. Notice that she did not presume to pretend to be a military strategist. She merely delivered God’s prophetic word. The strategy she outlined made no sense at all apart from God’s promised intervention, because even with 10,000 warriors, Israel was still hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. 

Sisera had more men and more weapons of war, including 900 2-horse iron war-chariots. Israel had none of these because she had not yet entered the Iron Age. 

God told Deborah that He would draw out Sisera and would give him and his army over to Barak. You may remember when God sent a similar message in 2 Chronicles 20:14-17. 

Barak agreed to muster the army for battle, but with one condition... He said that Deborah had to go out with the army. Maybe he was superstitious and wanted her as a type of heavenly good luck charm. Maybe he wanted to see if she was truly sure of her message from God. 

Notice the irony here and the contrast between Barak and Deborah:

·       She was strong in the hope of the LORD.

o   He was weak through dread of Sisera.

·       She was brave and hot with indignation.

o   He was pale with fear.

·       She sat in dauntless majesty giving directions.

o   He trembled while awaiting orders.

·       She said: “Lead your army. Let’s go!”

o   He said: “I dare not go alone!” 

Deborah appealed to Barak’s honor and to his vanity, but he was still adamant, so she agreed to go with the army. He raised his army of 10,000 warriors from 5 of the tribes of Israel: Zebulun, Naphtali, Ephraim, Benjamin, and Issachar. 

Verse 14 records that finally everything was in readiness and the word of the Lord came again through Deborah saying: “Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold the LORD has gone out before you.” In other words, “Just follow Him. He will do the fighting.” 

Apparently, God used some supernatural methods to rout the Canaanites and send them running: (cf. 5:20-21)

·       Torrential rains

·       Flash floods in the Keshon River system

·       Hailstones? Meteor shower? (cf. 5:20 “the stars fought from heaven”)

·       Panic attacks (God’s psychological warfare) 

The enemy (including Sisera) ran like scared rabbits, leaving their chariots and gear behind. 

N.B. Verses 23-24, “So God subdued Jabin ... before the sons of Israel.

IV. Deborah, the SINGER:

Judges 5 is her song of joy and praise to God.

·       Chapter 4 = the story told in prose

·       Chapter 5 = the same story told in poetry 

This is a War Song, recounting the story in detail and praising all those involved in the victory, rejoicing in their triumph over the enemy. The song is written in beautifully flowing Hebrew and is a masterpiece of Hebrew poetry attributed to Deborah herself and written shortly after the battle. However, it is filled with “sword points,” including denunciations, scorn, sarcasm, and invective along with praise and joy. I believe that the phrase “the wrath of the LAMB” in Revelation could be applied to Deborah as well. 

V. Deborah, the HOMEMAKER

·       According to Judges 4:4 Deborah was the “wife of Lappidoth” – Who was he?

·       He must have been a remarkable Jewish husband to allow his wife to have the limelight. His position was somewhat like that of Prince Phillip to Queen Elizabeth.

·       He was probably always referred to as “Deborah’s husband,” which would not have been easy on his manly ego.

·       But there is no hint that Deborah ever abused her position of strength and power.

·       She may have looked at her man, Lappidoth, as “the wind beneath her wings.” 

Power is so relative anyway. For example...

·       An old king in Athens, whose queen had a mind of her own, once said: “Our little baby rules the whole world!” Asked for an explanation he said: “Greece conquered the whole world, but Athens conquered Greece. I rule over Athens, but my wife rules over me. She in turn is ruled by our little babe in the cradle!” And of course, he was correct.

Deborah ruled over her people, and the land had peace for 40 years according to 5:31. She wrote a great chapter in the history of her people, even as other great women have done down through the years. Women have been called the “weaker sex” but without justification:

·       Think of the contribution that women made to the USA and to Great Britain during WW II. Women also know how to wage war, as well as the men.

·       Centuries ago, when the clouds of war hung dark and menacing over their land, the women in Sweden gathered on the city walls with rocks and scalding water and repulsed the invading hordes.

·       Touch country and home and you touch a woman’s life. She will know how to defend both. 

CONCLUSION:

Deborah’s chief characteristic was her trust in the Lord. In 5:7 she refers to herself as “a mother in Israel,” and she was just that in the best meaning of that beautiful word. Deborah must have really been a mother, although her children are not named in the text. But in another, broader sense, she acted in a motherly way to the whole nation as she defended her people from harm like a cornered lioness. Yet, she did not rely on own strength or cunning. Her complete trust in Jehovah God, the LORD of Hosts, was the secret of her power. Without that she would not have been what she was nor accomplished what she did. 

The same truth applies to every one of us as well, men and women alike!

·       Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.”

·       Zechariah 4:6, “It is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the LORD!” 

Our trust in the Lord is the fount of our strength. A truly God-fearing man or woman will begin all that he or she undertakes to do in the name of God, recognizing that prayer is the power that moves the universe!

The Scriptures tell us that the fear of the Lord is the best adornment that a woman can possess. Deborah had that adornment, and her life touched not only her own people in Israel, but her example and influence have come down through the centuries even to us today.