Women of the Bible Part 7

Deborah.

HER NAME MEANS.

"Honey Bee"

Her Character: Her vision of the world was shaped not by the political situation of her day but by her relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d. Though women in the ancient world did not usually become political leaders, Deborah was just the leader Israel needed - a prophetess who heard G.o.d and believed him and whose courage aroused the people, enabling them to throw off foreign oppression.

Her Sorrow: That her people had sunk into despair because of their idolatry, forgetting G.o.d's promises and the faith of their ancestors.

Her Joy: That G.o.d turned the enemy's strength on its head, bestowing power to the weak and blessing the land with peace for forty years.

Key Scripture: Judges 4 - 5 Monday HER STORY.

Jericho, gateway to Canaan, had lain in ruins for two hundred years. From there, the Israelites had swept across the country like a storm of locusts, devouring everything in their path. But the native peoples had somehow managed to survive, and like well-rooted weeds, their idolatry spread until it began to strangle Israel's faith.

Rahab and Joshua were the palest of memories now, and the slaves-turned-warriors were once again underdogs, oppressed for twenty years by a coalition of Canaanite rulers, whose chief warrior was Sisera. His nine hundred iron-plated chariots terrified the illarmed Israelite people, threatening to sweep over them with invincible force. Small wonder no one challenged him.

Sisera must have felt smugly secure, especially since Israel was now led by a woman. But his military calculations failed to account for one key variable: the strategic power of that woman's faith. Deborah was a prophetess who held court under a palm tree several miles northwest of Jericho. Though much of Israel was divided and dispirited, she refused to lose heart. How could she forget G.o.d's faithfulness, living so close to ruined Jericho?

She summoned Barak, a Hebrew from the north, and told him plainly: "The Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.' "

But, like every other man of Israel, Barak was terrified of Sisera, and he refused to comply unless one condition was met: Deborah must accompany him in battle. She would be his talisman in the fight. "Very well," she replied, "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."

Hearing of the plot, Sisera led his troops and chariots to the Kishon Wadi, a dry riverbed, determined to crush the uprising. But his very strength turned against him as rain swelled the valley to floodtide. Suddenly, nine hundred iron chariots became a huge liability. No matter how furiously the soldiers flogged their horses, urging them onward, oozing mud held them. They became easy targets for Barak's troops sweeping down from Mount Tabor, putting every man but Sisera to the sword.

Once again, G.o.d had heard his people's cries and had sent a deliverer-this time a woman whose faith stilled the nattering voices of doubt and timidity so that the people could hear the one Voice that mattered. On their day of victory, Deborah and Barak sang this song: When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves - praise the Lord!

Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!

I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel. . . .

Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.

Judges 5:2 - 3, 7 Indeed, a mother in Israel had arisen, a woman whose strong faith gave birth to hope and freedom and a peace that lasted forty years. Never again would the Canaanites join forces against Israel. Like an ancient Joan of Arc, Deborah arose and called the people to battle, leading them out of idolatry and restoring their dignity as G.o.d's chosen ones.

Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.

WOMEN AS LEADERS.

While women leaders were uncommon in Israelite society, they were not unheard of. In this time of the judges, when Israel was spiritually malnourished, in a state of civic disorder, and oppressed by its enemies, Deborah stepped up to the challenge. Her leaders.h.i.+p role probably evolved gradually, as her wisdom became known. When G.o.d spoke to Deborah, she immediately responded by calling to Barak to lead the people in a battle against their oppressor of twenty years. Barak's reluctance to go without Deborah starkly revealed Israel's lack of strong male leaders.h.i.+p.

Deborah was the only female to hold the position of judge in Israel, but she was not the only female prophet noted in the Bible. Several others are listed: Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36), and four unmarried daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:9).

Scripture describes Deborah as "a prophetess, the wife of Lappi-doth." Interestingly, when Deborah described herself, she didn't use terms like prophet or wife or judge or general or leader or any other term of influence and power. She described herself as "a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7). Her position was one of mother not only to her own biological children, but mother to all the children of Israel. Though they had forgotten not only who they were but also whom they served, their mother Deborah reminded them and led them in a victory procession to peace.

Perhaps you're not in an influential position of authority-you can still be a mother to your children and the children in your neighborhood and lead them in the right direction. Perhaps you have little power in your job or position-you can still be a mother to those around you and inspire them to righteousness. Perhaps your life allows little time or opportunity for significant positions of leaders.h.i.+p -you can still be a mother in your sphere, whether big or small, wielding influence far beyond your lowly position.You can be like Deborah, used of G.o.d to be a mother in Israel.

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read Judges 4:1 - 10; 5:7.

1. What do you think life was like for a family in Israel at this time (Judges 4:1 - 3)?

2. What was Barak afraid of? Why would having Deborah along alleviate those fears?

3. In Judges 4:9, Deborah talks about honor going to a woman instead of to the men. When a woman succeeds today, how do the men around her typically respond? Why?

4. Which of Deborah's characteristics would you most like to have? What would you do if you had that characteristic?

5. What can you do to become more like Deborah?

Thursday HER PROMISE.

G.o.dly Deborah has been an encouragement to women throughout the centuries. When women feel confined or mistreated, when they are unsure of what is right or which way to proceed, when they are entering unknown territory, when they feel overlooked or ignored - they gain stability and help from remembering Deborah.

Whatever Deborah had is available to you today. Her wisdom is discovered in the Scriptures. Her confidence in G.o.d is found in a relations.h.i.+p with him. Her bravery is achievable when you put your trust in G.o.d and his promises. Her inner strength and calm leaders.h.i.+p are characteristic of confidence not in herself but in her G.o.d. All Deborah offered to Israel she offers to you as an example of a woman willing to be used by G.o.d.

Promises in Scripture Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.

-Judges 5:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our G.o.d.

-Psalm 20:7 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant?

Let those who walk in the dark, who have no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their G.o.d.

- Isaiah 50:10 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!

I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel.

-Judges 5:3 Reflect On: Judges 4.

Praise G.o.d: For speaking clearly to his people.

Offer Thanks: That G.o.d gives prophets to the church, women as well as men.

Confess: Anything that makes you reluctant to listen for G.o.d's voice.

Ask G.o.d: To help you discern his voice.

Lift Your Heart It's difficult, even unpleasant, to listen to two pieces of music at once. Likewise, it's hard to listen to G.o.d's voice at the same time you are listening to voices of confusion, discouragement, and condemnation. Deborah's peace and confidence as a leader stemmed in part from her ability to hear G.o.d clearly. This week ask the Holy Spirit to help you distinguish G.o.d's voice from all the background noise. Ask for grace to discipline your thoughts in order to hear G.o.d better. As you pray, put on some quiet background music to remind you to tune in to the one Voice worth listening to.

Lord, I want to hear your voice. Help me to recognize and resist all the phony voices that masquerade as yours. Help me to distinguish yours from all the others. Make me a woman who both listens and speaks your Word.

Jael.

HER NAME MEANS.

"A Wild or Mountain Goat"

Her Character: Decisive and courageous, she seized the opportunity to slay an enemy of G.o.d's people.

Her Joy: To be lauded by Deborah and Barak for her part in a decisive victory.

Key Scripture: Judges 4 - 5 Monday HER STORY.

Jael watched uneasily through the flaps of her tent as clouds swept the blue from the sky and rain fell like a shroud across the horizon. Sisera, she knew, had marched to Tabor. But what good were iron chariots in a flooded valley? she wondered. Yet the Israelites were poorly armed, with little chance of prevailing. Still, she remembered the stories of Moses and the people he had led across the wilderness. Had their G.o.d, she wonderd, been asleep these many years?

The sight of a man running, then stumbling toward her interrupted her thoughts. A soldier fleeing? Was he Israelite or Canaanite? His ident.i.ty might reveal the way the winds of battle were blowing. She went out to meet him, surprised to find that Sisera himself was approaching, dirty and bleeding.

"Come, my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid," she welcomed him.

"I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." Instead Jael opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink.

"Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.' "

As soon as Sisera fell into an exhausted asleep, Jael picked up a tent peg and hammer. Her arm was steady, her aim sure. Hadn't she been in charge of the tents all these years? Quickly, she thrust the peg through his temple and into the ground. Like a piece of canvas fixed in place, Sisera, the great general, lay dead, slain by a woman's hand, just as Deborah had prophesied to Barak.

Was Jael a hero, an opportunist, or merely a treacherous woman? It is difficult to know. She and her husband, Heber, were Kenites, members of a nomadic tribe whose survival depended on its ability to stay clear of local disputes. Her husband had made his peace with the Canaanites despite his descent from Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law. Perhaps ancient ties had no longer seemed expedient, considering the power of the Canaanite rulers. But Jael may have believed in Israel's G.o.d. Or perhaps she merely wanted to curry favor with the Israelites, the day's clear winners. Certainly Barak and Deborah approved of her, singing: Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for n.o.bles she brought him curdled milk.

Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer.

She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.

At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay.

At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell-dead.

Judges 5:24 - 27 Jael's treachery and Deborah's gloating strike us as bloodthirsty, all the more so because we don't usually attribute such behavior to women. But by the standards of ancient warfare, both were heroes. Both were decisive and courageous women who helped G.o.d's people at a critical moment in history.

Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.

BOTTLES.

When Sisera asked for a drink of water and Jael instead gave him milk, she was offering the best of the house. People of the area prized this drink, which was made by putting goat's milk into an old skin bottle and shaking it. The milk then curdled, or fermented, when mixed with the bacteria that remained in the skin bottle from a prior use.

But what on earth is a skin bottle?

Nomadic desert peoples, who were frequently on the move, found skin flasks much more useful than clay bottles, which broke easily. Women sewed goat or lamb skins together with the hairy part of the skin on the outside, then sealed them so they would hold water, milk, wine, or other liquids.

Hagar carried a skin of water into the desert with her (Genesis 21:14 - 15). Jael offered Sisera a drink of milk from a skin bottle (Judges 4:19). Hannah brought a skin of wine along when delivering her son, Samuel, to Eli the priest (1 Samuel 1:24). David carried a skin of wine to his brothers (1 Samuel 16:20). Jesus talked about not putting new wine into old, brittle wineskins (Matthew 9:17).

Christ's decree not to put new wine in old wineskins has, of course, significant meaning for us today. Are your mind and heart like an old wineskin-brittle, hard, tough? Ready to burst when faced with new ideas or new ways of doing things? Or are your mind and heart supple, soft, and flexible like a new skin? Are you open to learning new things about your community of believers? About yourself? About your G.o.d?

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read Judges 4:11 - 22; 5:4 - 5, 24 - 27.

1. What was G.o.d's role in these events?

2. Use three adjectives to describe Jael before she kills Sisera. Pretend you don't know what she's going to do and describe her just from 4:17 - 20.

3. Why do you think Jael did what she did? Do you see her as brave, fearful, desperate, treacherous? How much do you think her life experience in a brutal culture had to do with it?

4. Why do you think Deborah praised Jael for such a savage deed?

5. What do you think G.o.d wants us to take away from the story of Deborah, Barak, and Jael and all of the death woven within it?

Thursday HER PROMISE.

Behind the story of Jael and the death of Sisera is a G.o.d who promised never to forget his people and who holds to that promise. When hope seems dim and the prospect of victory seems close to impossible, G.o.d is at work, bringing about his plan.

The people of Israel during the time of the judges must have worn G.o.d to exasperation with their continual wavering. When times were good, they easily forgot G.o.d and went their own way. But as soon as times got tough, they went running to him for deliverance.

Sound like anyone you know? The story of the wavering of G.o.d's people continues even today. We so easily move forward on our own, thinking we can handle it all, until we run up against something too hard for us. Only then do we run to G.o.d for help.

But what an amazing G.o.d he is. Always there. Always willing to rescue us when we call. Always willing to forgive.

Promises in Scripture When they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compa.s.sion you delivered them time after time.

-Nehemiah 9:28 I love you, O Lord, my strength....

I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

-Psalm i8:i, 3 We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on G.o.d, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.

-2 Corinthians i:8 - ii Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Most blessed of women be Jael....

She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.

At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay.

-Judges 5:24-27 Reflect On: Judges 5.