By Andrew Williams – March 7, 2021
Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time. She would sit under a certain palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel would go there for her decisions. One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam from the city of Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord , the God of Israel, has given you this command: ‘Take ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor. I will bring Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, to fight you at the Kishon River. He will have his chariots and soldiers, but I will give you victory over him.’” Then Barak replied, “I will go if you go with me, but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go either.” She answered, “All right, I will go with you, but you won’t get any credit for the victory, because the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah set off for Kedesh with Barak. Judges 4:4-9 GNTD
When Sisera learned that Barak had gone up to Mount Tabor, he called out his nine hundred iron chariots and all his men, and sent them from Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles to the Kishon River. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! The Lord is leading you! Today he has given you victory over Sisera.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with his ten thousand men. Judges 4:12-14 GNTD
INTRODUCTION
In Exodus Chapter 18 we see Moses appointing judges over the people and they would judge the cases that were presented to them. Moses did this on the advice of his father-in-law Jethro, but when you reread the passage carefully we see that only men were appointed as judges.
“And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.” Exodus 18:25-26 NKJV
In Israel’s male centered and male dominated society we rarely ever see women mentioned in positions of authority over men. When we look at the book of Judges we realize that Deborah is the only female judge that is mentioned. In addition she was a prophet, and I believe that she is one of the few female prophets that are mentioned in the Bible. Today on Redirecting Our Focus we will look at Deborah the prophet/judge.
DEBORAH THE JUDGE
“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment.” Deuteronomy 16:18 NKJV
The first question that came to mind is why was a woman appointed as judge? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that she’s not capable! I’m wondering why in Israel’s society where they did not value women so highly, that they actually appointed her as a judge over the people.
If we read the criteria and Exodus 18, we will see that the judge had to be someone who was learned in the law, who was just, who was able to give fair judgment, and would not accept bribes from the people. Judges chapters 4 and 5 do not mention the characteristics of Deborah, but it is fair to surmise that she had these qualities. We know that the majority of the judges in the book of Judges were persons who had relationships with God, and these judges led the people back to proper worship of God.
Deborah used to judge at a specific place and the people would go to her for her judgment there. In looking at this passage we realize that God used her to bring deliverance to Israel by using her next gifting.
DEBORAH THE PROPHET
Again, we do not often hear of female prophets in the Bible. God used her to call for a man by the name of Barak who would then lead the army to win victories over their oppressors. She also prophesied that a woman would be the one to kill the commander of their oppressors army.
Everything she prophesied became reality. When we read the story we see that what she said actually came from God, and we also read that after the victories were won, the Israelites had 40 years of peace.
WOMAN CHOSEN BY GOD
Even in today’s society women are often blamed for what happened in the garden of Eden. There are those who will say that if it wasn’t for Eve, Adam wouldn’t have sinned. Even in today society, women are still marginalized in the church. Depending on the church denomination they belong to they are not allowed to preach, pray, or to lead worship. This Is how they are viewed by men and even by other women.
But what does God think about women? The Bible says that God created man in his own image, male and female created he them. The first thing we need to know is that woman is created in the image of God. The second thing we need to know is that God created woman to have fellowship with Him. The third thing we need to know is that God has a purpose for women.
God uses those who are available to Him and who are willing to submit to Him. That person can be either male or female. I am so happy for this Bible passage, because it shows me that even in a male dominated society from 4,000 years ago, that God chose women to do great things.
Deborah was a prophet and a judge, and she was the one who God used to bring His message for the salvation and deliverance of Israel at that point in time. When we look at the passage we realized that Barak was timid and would not go to war unless Deborah went with him. It is weird to see a man in the Bible behaving this way around a woman, but Deborah was not just any ordinary woman. She was a prophet of God!
Barak’s response to her showed that he respected her because she was both prophet and judge. Barak realized that she had the authority and the blessing of God and he knew that if she was with him, then victory would be assured.
I have been to many churches in my life, and I have spoken to many who attend churches that marginalize women. Now each denomination will quote the many scriptures which they say proves that women should not take up certain responsibilities are roles within the church. But God states in the book of Joel that He will pour out His Spirit on ALL flesh. The Holy Spirit decides how He gifts us.
This gifting is not based on gender, but one’s submission and willingness to be used by God. I love women, I love women who are surrendered to God and who are being used by God. I am so inspired by the story of Deborah the prophet/judge because it shows me that even in that early male dominated society that God was showing them that women are important to Him. As I mentioned before, I am pleased with the honor and respect that Barak showed to her.
CONCLUSION
As we redirect our focus today let us realize that it is God who chooses persons to carry out His will. In this story we see that it is a woman who redirects the focus of the children of Israel to God. It is a woman who encourages and speaks life into the commander of the army. And that the deliverance of the Israelites was accomplished through women, one who heard the Word of God and was obedient to it, and another who killed the leader of the oppressing army.
Finally, when we redirect our focus unto God He will save us. If you are a male or female today, let us realize that it is when we put our FOCUS on God that we can fulfill our God-ordained destiny.
PRAYER
Father God thank You for showing us that You use all of us who are created in Your image, both male and female. Thank You for using Deborah to show us that when we are obedient to You and put our focus on You, that we can return to having right relationship and fellowship with You. Help our brothers and sisters who look down on the role of women in Your kingdom to see their folly, and bring them to repentance I pray, in Jesus’ name ,amen.
