Deborah's Decision

Judges 4

There have been times in my house I have heard from my children, “It’s

not my job!” This has usually happened because I asked them to do

something originally assigned to someone else. Although I knew at the time it

was not their job, it still didn’t change the fact that at that moment, I needed

help getting the job done no matter who did it.

In the book of Judges chapter 4, we also read about someone who was

asked to do something not considered to be their job. This person’s name was

Deborah. Deborah was a wife, a prophetess, and a judge and she was being

asked to be a warrior, if you will, and go into a battle not required of her.

Starting in verse six we read how Deborah called for a man named Barak and

said, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march

to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of

Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulin and I will draw out to you, Sisera, the

commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river

Kishon; and I will give him into your hand.’ Then Barak said to her, ‘If you

will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’

And she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be

yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera

into the hands of a woman.’ Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to

Kedash.” As these verses state, Sisera was indeed killed by a woman whose

name was Jael, and Deborah went with Barak as she had said she would. She

also gave the command later in verse fourteen which says, “Arise! For this is

the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the Lord

has gone out before you.”

Deborah obviously had a lot on her plate with being a wife, a prophetess, a

judge, and then agreeing to go into a battle that was not even hers. There was

no reason why Barak needed her to go with him because God had already told

him, all would go well. Yet he felt he needed Deborah there with him, and she

agreed to go. Now she did not actually have to fight with the sword but you

can bet she was fighting in the Spirit, and that is most likely what Barak

needed and wanted. Deborah, that day, on top of everything else she was

responsible for, proved to be a woman of many talents. To be extremely

brave, courageous, and above all, to be kind and loving. She didn’t have to go

with Barak that day. After all, she had enough things to do already, and yet she

still decided to go. She went and allowed God to use her in a situation that

was not an everyday occurrence for her. Through that, God was honored and glorified, and you and I have the privilege of reading about it today.

After reading about Deborah and her many descriptions, one needs to

look at her and say, “Like Deborah, I can do anything and do it as a strong

and courageous woman.” What if today we were to see someone who was a

wife, a high-profile judge, and a prophet, then we saw them accompany a man

into war for a day? What would be thought of her? Some would say she was

crazy. Some would be in pure shock and yet many would admire and look up

to her. You see, for many women sell themselves short because they are

women. The tendency can be that a woman is only to be a wife, a mother, and

perhaps a quiet one at that! This can leave many women feeling something is

missing, and for some, there is. For some women, God created them to

handle a little more on their plate in life, and that is what we see through the

life of Deborah. Not all women are called to many things, and not all women

are called to live a life in public as Deborah did, but all women are called to

something. Being a Godly wife and mother is the highest and most important

calling in life, and one needs to be admired, and above all, respected for it. But

it does not mean that for some, there isn’t more required. What if God wants

to add something to your plate? What if He wants you to teach Sunday school

or help in a shelter? What if He wants you to join the choir or help the local

teens? What if God wants you, on top of being a Godly wife or mother, to go

into a specialized area of ministry outside of your local church and comfort

zone? What if God has called YOU to be a prophet? Then what would you

do? What if He just wants you to freely give your testimony and witness to

your neighbor? Will you? Will you allow God to use you even in a situation

that may not be your main purpose in life, but at that moment you are willing

to help? You see, even like Deborah, she gave Barak his instructions on what

to do, her life was then interrupted to do something perhaps out of her

comfort zone, something that was not on her daily agenda. But again, she

went, and because of that, she demonstrates to us great servanthood and a

willingness to be used.

From The Noble Woman Book by Gina Burns