Deborah

READY

"And she said, 'I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.'" Judges 4:9 NLT

SET

If you want a role model for you and teammates in Christ, Deborah just might be your woman.

Deborah is not a modern character. You have to travel back to about 1216 BC to see her show up in history. But wow. Show up she did. Deborah had many talents. She was an honorable judge, a prophetess, a warrior, and a genius leader and demonstrated her creative side by being a singer-songwriter.

During her time, men mostly held positions of leadership. In fact, even in Scripture, there are very few times where a woman is known as something other than a wife or mother. That is not to say that those roles are less than others, but there are few biblically historic women who had jobs other than being a mother or a wife.

Take a stroll through Judges 4 and 5. In her role as a judge, her office was beneath a palm tree in Ephraim. When there was a dispute or argument, the people of Israel knew to ask wise Deborah for a ruling. But she also had the responsibility as commander-in-chief. Barak, her right-hand man, was her employee. When Sisera, the general, needed to be crushed, Barak was asked to go fight with his 10,000 soldiers. His response? “'If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.' And what did she say? 'I will surely go with you'” (Judges 4:8, 9).

The approaching army with its 900 chariots was defeated. But think about the courage Deborah had. She was surrounded by violence and rulers on every side. And yet, she was confident enough in her God-given role to create a plan for battle and ready to be a part of the fight. She and Barak were able to work together to compose and sing a song about the events and the faithfulness of God.

Whether we aspire to be a coach, businesswoman, or stay-at-home mom, we can be as equally courageous and confident as Deborah when we fulfill the roles God assigns to us, whatever that may be!

Be a good listener. Make good decisions. Plan well. Take action. Lead by example. Be a team player. Be creative. And most importantly, honor God with your whole self.

GO 

1. What character traits do you see in Deborah as you read through Judges 4 and 5?
2. Can you guess what her attitude might have been to have him be willing to follow her lead?

WORKOUT 

Judges 4:10-12

OVERTIME 

“Father God, thank You for making me the way You wanted me to be. Give me the wisdom to understand the role You have created for me.”

Rebekah Trittipoe