Deborah: name meaning 'bee,’ emblematic of industry, patience, sagacity and usefulness. 

Find Deborah’s story in Judges 4 & 5: 'Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.' 

Growing up, I was taught that having Deborah as a judge was a punishment to the Israelites because it was a shame for women to rule over a people. As I have read and studied this short story I now see things in a different light:

We start out seeing Deborah as a married woman who has been called to judge the people. To be a judge, one must know the laws of God and have a good deal of wisdom to settle disputes and sometimes even dole out punishment. 

This contradicts the idea that women have no place in the leadership of the body of Christ. We mistakenly assume that in that time women had no place in society other than giving birth, caring for offspring and cleaning the tent. Here we see a completely different picture: a woman who is married and yet is still operating in a role of leadership and even power. She stands in her gift as a prophetess and speaks the truth as God reveals it to her. 

Enter Barak

Now, here is a man called by God to rescue His people from two decades of oppression. He calls him to raise up an army and specifically tells him where to go to gather his troops. No planning is lacking, but here is where it gets interesting. He says he will not obey God unless Deborah will go with him! He does not seem to notice that the Lord God Almighty will be with him, to fight on their behalf. No, that apparently is not enough. It seems he fell short of being who he was created to be and therefore lost out on the glory that comes from reflecting Christ in our lives.

Deborah steps out

Even though Barak didn’t trust God completely, Deborah still went with him; she didn’t refuse. Her incredible ability to trust God is highlighted when placed next to Barak’s struggle. We can learn from Deborah to step out boldly. Let us not allow fear to tell us that someone else would be a better choice to reach out in love to that person, or buy that homeless man a sandwich. It might seem that someone else is better suited to talk with a lonely street person, but the reality is we are capable of much more than is comfortable for us to imagine. 

Deborah stands out

Deborah dispensed justice under a palm tree (a significant landmark as they were rare in those days). She stood out. So often we long to conform; Deborah dared to be different. As a judge, she had to make decisions that would inevitably make her less popular at times. We can learn from Deborah to obey God unquestionably. She marched into potential danger because she believed what God said (Judges 4:10). 

Walking in the light

We might not be called by God to enter a physical battle, but He often calls us to step into the unknown. His glory reflects off us a little as we obey each day. Let’s learn to ‘walk in the light as He is in the light,’ bringing God’s justice and mercy to a broken world (1 John 1:7).

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