A Series on Women in the Bible
(Use
the link below to read the verses.)
Judges 4:1-9
[God worked in and through the lives of countless women in the Bible. These women played significant, if not critical roles in the Lord’s plan of Redemption. In this series, we will look at the faithfulness of some of these God fearing women.]
The ancient Middle
Eastern culture was similar to this. Men, who were the strong silent type, were
the norm. Among them was Moses, who led Israel to the brink of entering the
Promised Land, and Joshua, who finished the job.
But Israel was not
just to inhabit the Promised Land, they were to conquer it. You see, the
Promised Land belonged to someone else. People who had their own history, culture,
customs and gods that they worshiped. And, they weren’t ready to give all those
things up; not without a fight!
And when the
people of Israel lived among those who they were supposed to have conquered,
they adopted their customs and culture. They intermarried and worshipped their
gods. In short, they turned their backs on the God of their Fathers. In order to
lead them back to Him, the Lord sent judges.
This is the
context and the culture when Deborah became the judge, leader and prophet of
Israel. It was her job to lead the people back to the Lord. But what would it
take for a woman to break through a cultural wall like this? To step into the
world of the “strong silent type”, and rule with authority?
4 Now
Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at
that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of
Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and
the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. NIV
The name Deborah
means “bee”; like a honey bee. According to my NIV study Bible, “Deborah
dispensed the sweetness of justice as she held court, not in a city gate where
male judges sat, but under the shade of a honey tree.”
Although she
wasn’t a warrior, she called on Barak, whose name meant “thunderbolt”, to lead
the battle against Sisera and the Canaanites. She even accompanied him into
their victorious battle. This was a major step in defeating the Canaanites. As
a result, Deborah brought peace to Israel.
31 “Lord,
may all your enemies die like Sisera!
But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its
power!”
Then there was peace in the land for forty
years. NLT
The Lord works in unexpected ways. In a culture dominated by leaders of the strong silent male types, He chose Deborah. In a world filled with conflict and chaos, He didn’t choose a warrior, He chose Deborah. In a time when Israel had wandered from the Lord, He chose a woman to lead them back to Him.
The Lord takes
ordinary people, and has them accomplish extraordinary, unexpected things. How
is the Lord at work in your life in unexpected ways?
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