Deborah
The story of Deborah in Judges is a powerful one. Whenever I look at that story, there are three powerful truths that scream out at me:
Women Are Powerful
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, arose as a mother to Israel. She was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” Judges 4:4-7
The book of Judges starts off with a high value of women. We see from the outset, that God’s people are in love with Him, and in that environment, women are treated with equality. The fourth judge listed is Deborah, a woman. She’s named as their prophetess, mother, and judge. As a prophetess, she has the voice of God. As their mother, she has compassion for the people, working to see them prosper. As their judge, she works to bring justice and equity to all.
With her high position, she calls for Barak. And as a faithful man of God, he answers her call traveling one hundred miles across the country. This journey would have been at least five to ten days round trip, going without knowing what she wanted. Then when he learns he’s to make war against Jabin’s army, he shows how much he values the voice of God by asking her to join him.
Towards the end of the story in Judges 5:24 we see Jael, the heroine of the story, is praised as the "most blessed of women" a title shared only with Mary the mother of Jesus.
Through all of this, we see women uplifted, honored, and treated as equals.
On the other hand, the surrounding nations do not treat women as equals. Deborah’s song tells us that they treated women as trophies to be won in battle and that their value is solely in their ability to bear children.
As Judges progress and the Israelites run further and further away from God, their view of women begins to mirror the culture around them more and more. By the end of the book, the people have lost all sight of the value, capability, and worth of women. It is the high value of women at the beginning of the book that the author wishes to highlight by telling the story in this way. When the people followed God, women are highly esteemed, but as Israel ran from God the dynamic changes for the worse.
You Put in the Work, God Will Bring the Challenge
The second thing we see in Deborah’s call to Barak is a command from God that could be rewritten as: “You bring the people, I’ll bring the enemy.” Barak was commanded to gather the people from all over Israel, and God promised in response that Sisera would not evade his clutches.
I believe this call is true for each of us today. There are many challenges God intends to bring before us, and He wants us to put in the work by meditating on His word, actively acting in response to the truths of Scripture all in an effort to please Him (Colossians 1:9-10). When He sees us putting in that kind of full-being effort, He brings before us many challenges that give us an opportunity to share who he is with those around us.
Sing His Praise
“Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:” Judges 5:1
Thirdly, we can note that the second half of Deborah’s story is the song she and Barak sang when word of Jael’s victory over Sisera came to them. They sing the details of what happened and give us all kinds of insights into the story. Many of those insights we don’t see in the narrative version of the story.
I can’t read this without thinking of Miriam singing on the banks of the Red Sea when Israel fled Egypt. Or David’s many Psalms about the events of his life. Or the commands that we should sing:
“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:18b-19
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” James 5:13
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16
I think we often read these commands to sing in light of our liturgy… we think we’re called to sing in church. But the words “in church” are not part of the command! We’re called to admonish (correct) one another with song. We’re called to make music to each other because of the outpouring of the Spirit within us. How different would our church be if we lived this out?
I know the first time it happens, we’ll be caught off guard. It’ll feel weird, and because of that, it’ll be memorable. And in it being memorable, that encouragement or admonishment will stick with us and come back to mind more often than just a normal conversation!
Taking these three truths together, let us seek to uplift the women around us, showing them the respect they deserve as fellow co-heirs to the kingdom of our great God. Let us strive to put in the toil and effort necessary in our walks with God so that we can meet the challenges God intends to put before us. And let us seek to praise God and sing songs of encouragement and warning to each other.
James Fields
Biblical Counselor
