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The Woman in a Man’s World

Deborah is an anomaly in biblical history.

Although the Bible tells of many strong, admirable women, Deborah is the only one mentioned as a key leader of the Jewish people. Granted, she lived at a time when “leader” was a loose term. It was the period of the judges—roughly a few-hundred years between when Joshua died and Samuel appointed Saul as the first king of Israel.

God Himself was supposed to be the Israelites’ leader, but instead there was a repeating pattern: The people would go astray—everyone just doing as they saw fit (Judges 21:25). So God would allow neighboring peoples to conquer and oppress them. After many years, the people would cry out to God, and He would raise up a “judge” to either help them solve their internal disputes or serve as a military leader to free them from their conquerors (or both). Then there would be peace until the judge died, and the cycle would start again—lather, rinse, repeat.

Deborah was one of these judges. She was a prophetess, which meant the Lord would frequently speak to her, giving her truth to pass along to His people. One day, the Lord instructed her to have a certain man named Barak assemble an army to fight the Canaanites who had cruelly oppressed them for 20 years. She assures Barak that the Lord is guaranteeing him victory.

But Barak hesitates, refusing to go unless Deborah goes with him. His faith was weak, but Deborah’s was strong. Consequently, even though Barak ends up fighting the battle, the glory for the victory went to Deborah and another woman, named Jael (read Judges 4 to learn about her rather gory role). They defeated the enemy, and Israel enjoyed peace for 40 years.

God raised Deborah up and used her powerfully for one reason: her faith. She spoke God’s Word boldly. She didn’t shy away from battle. She didn’t let her identity as a woman in a male-dominated world hold her back. She knew that God would do exactly what He said would do.

God doesn’t discriminate. If anyone has faith in Him, He rewards that faith. So listen to God’s Word today. Boldly act on it. Through Christ, stand firm against the powers of darkness, and the Lord will use you to send the armies of Satan reeling and running, bringing peace to you and to God’s people.

Reflect:

In what areas is your faith weak? What practical steps can you take to bolster it?

What areas of darkness can you pray and battle against today?