Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, He was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. — Judges 2:18

Women of the Bible Speak: Deborah

Today's inspiration comes from:

by Shannon Bream

Judges 4:1-5:31

The Book of Judges is a challenging one, in part because it shows the reality of God’s children wandering away from His truths, from His promises. It’s a hard book to digest because up until now, we’ve already seen such amazing victories and blessings. God provided a way for the Israelites to conquer and enter their promised land. He knocked down the walls of Jericho before them. He gave them their share in a land flowing with milk and honey. He renewed His covenant with them forever, and they swore top follow Him and His laws to the end of time and beyond.

Wouldn’t it be nice to end the story there, to witness the people of Israel remaining as devoted to God as they had been in their triumph at Jericho? But the story of the people of Israel is also our story, and we know that our spiritual lives don’t work that way. It’s simply not possible to live all our days in the space of those “mountaintop” moments. As the daily demands of life press in on all sides, we can forget just how closely we walked with God in the midst of our toughest challenges, how faithful He has always been and how much we need to cling to His integrity and His promises. The world is constantly trying to lure us away with something else, with temporary fixes that take our eyes off God’s steady goodness. Let’s face it, just like the Israelites, we’re all guilty of becoming untethered from the One who has always been and always will be.

The Book of Judges is the account of that wandering, the story of how Israelites had all the gifts God could possibly give it and squandered them. It’s also a reminder that God was always there, always giving the Israelites chances to come back, always showing them the path home — just as He does for us today. Each time the people strayed and wound up being oppressed at the hands of their enemies, God provided a judge to give them leadership and guidance, to point them toward repentance and deliverance.

One of the guiding stars God offers His peo9ple in the Book of Judges is His prophetess Deborah. I have to tell you, she’s one of my favorites. For me, the words of her story leap off the pages of my Bible. I find her brave and inspiring, and I’m pretty sure I would have followed her into battle. This was a woman with guts and wisdom, a role model for the ages.

In the pages of the Bible, we see women playing all sorts of roles and living rich, complex lives. But it’s not often that we see a woman as a war leader, much less the sole authority of an entire nation. Deborah took up the mantle of governance and led her nation to victory in the midst of some very dark days. Her name means “bee” — and how appropriate! She stung her enemies but brought sweetness and refreshment like honey to her people.

When we meet Deborah, the people of Israel are under the thumb of Jabin, one of the Canaanite kings. Jabin’s top military commander, Sisera, had “nine hundred chariots of iron,” which means he outmatched the children of Israel militarily by a mile. It wasn’t even close.

A word about all the chariots: for people in the remote hill country of Israel, acquiring the materials to build chariots would have required trade. The metal and the skill needed to make a sturdy war chariot would have meant their trading with one of the bigger powers: Egypt or Syria or even local kingdoms like Moab and Edom. Chariots (like the horses necessary to drive them) implied wealth, and connection with the great cities. Israel didn’t have either of those. So, the thought of Israel going into battle against a heavily fortified force like Jabin’s would have seemed ludicrous.

That’s the context in which Deborah arose:

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, 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. — Judges 4:4-5

Deborah was a woman with guts and wisdom, a role model for the ages.

The office of judge required more than just the handing down of pronouncements in legal disputes. At the time, it was viewed as a spiritual role as well, and most certainly a position of leadership. The people would have come to Deborah for the settlement of any difficult questions or cases, probably everything from property disputes to homicides. As the nation’s leading authority, Deborah (like Moses) was expected to rule on various civil matters. She guided her people in more than one way. She was so famous in ages to come that the writer of Judges called the tree she sat under “the palm of Deborah.” Think of how many generations the people of Israel must have kept that place in loving remembrance of one of their bravest and most unique leaders.

Deborah saw the dire situation of her people and decided to act at God’s direction. She summoned the warrior Barak, the son of Abinoam, delivered some truth straight from the Source, and she didn’t sugarcoat it. She didn’t say to him, I really need your help here. Deborah spoke with authority: “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and ten thousand from the tribe of Zebulun’” (Judges 4:6). God and Deborah had a plan: to draw Jabin’s general, Sisera, out to meet the challenge of Barak and his men. But Barak didn’t immediately get on board with this daring stratagem.

Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” — Judges 4:8

Like any informed Israelite, Barak knew they were badly outgunned, and it doesn’t appear he was excited about taking on Sisera and his vast array of military armaments. How many times have we reacted like he did? Lord, I know you’re telling me to do X, but I’m really ill-equipped. You can’t mean that, can You?

Not so for Deborah. She knew she’d heard from God directly, and she was just delivering the message. She had total confidence in what He had instructed her to do.

And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” — Judges 4:9

Boy, is that an interesting twist in the story! Not only is Deborah a bold and brave leader, but she prophecies that yet another woman will take down Sisera: Jael. Barak’s reluctance cost him a piece of the victory.

Despite his hesitation, Barak rallied ten thousand me from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, and along with Deborah, they headed to the battlefield. I’ve often wondered what Sisera thought of these underdogs. Did he view them as foolish to attempt to confront his massive, well-equipped army?

Once Sisera had them in place, Deborah confidently proclaimed:

“Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” — Judges 4:14

And with that, Barak and his men headed into the fray full steam ahead!

Excerpted with permission from The Women of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream, copyright Fox News Network LLC.

Ready to Dig Deeper?

Deborah was not only a brave and bold woman of God, she was also a faithful warrior for Him. Did she fear? Maybe. But, she followed Him no matter what! Let’s pray today to be people of faith like Deborah.

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The ultimate resource for The Women of the Bible Speak Online Bible Study! This workbook connects the stories of old to each of our modern experiences. In these 16 lessons, you’ll be challenged to consider the parallels between each woman’s story and your own. You’ll reflect on how God worked in their lives and uncover how He’s working in yours, today. Each lesson invites you to reflect, connect, reveal and pray. This workbook includes a bonus Pairs section, where you’ll be challenged to find commonalities between the women in pairs.

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The best-selling companion book to the workbook. In The Women of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream opens up the lives of sixteen of these Biblical women, arranging them into pairs and contrasting their journeys. In pairing their stories, Shannon helps us reflect not only on the meaning of each individual’s life, but on how they relate to each other and to us.