March 18

Judges 4-5 Reluctant Leadership

Judges 4:9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman."

Deborah (whose name means “honeybee”) was both a prophetess and a judge (she was leading Israel).

The Bible records several women who held national leadership positions, and Deborah was an exceptional woman. Obviously she was the best person for the job, and God chose her to lead Israel. God can choose anyone to lead his people, young or old, man or woman. Don’t let your prejudices get in the way of those God may have chosen to lead you.

How about Barak? Was he a coward or just a guy with shaky faith? We don’t know Barak’s character, but we see the character of a great leader in Deborah, who took charge as God directed. Deborah told Barak that God would be with him in battle, but that was not enough for Barak. He wanted Deborah to go with him. Barak’s request shows that at heart he trusted human strength more than God’s promise. A person of real faith steps out at God’s command, even if he or she must do so alone.

So how did Deborah command such respect? What accounts for her leadership?

1. She cared about the people. She wanted justice which many times goes in favor of rich and powerful people. She was the original Judge Judy in that people came to her to have disputed cases adjudicated. This is amazing because the structure of culture was decidedly patriarchal.

2. She was in touch with God. God spoke to her and she relayed the message to Barak.

3. She was not afraid of the iron chariots. If you remember from the recent past, this was an issue for the tribe of Judah. She had her eyes focused on God and not the chariots.

4. She was motivated to action by the decline in her country. In her song in chapter 5 she reveals her passion for victory. The nation was so crippled by their enemies that people had to sneak about on winding pathways; they would not drive on route 95. These enemies also brought in new gods and yet 40,000 men did nothing about it. They abandoned their position as leaders and as a result, up to the plate steps this “soccer mom” or in 2010 terms a “hockey mom.”

The story of Deborah and the courageous woman, Jael, demonstrates what God can obviously do through women. They are certainly capable of doing whatever task needs to be accomplished. Yet the reason for her having to step up to the plate was that the men had neglected their role as spiritual leaders.

The question for both men and women is: Am I fulfilling to the best of my ability whatever role God may have given me?