The book of Judges: Is the history of the Judges of Israel and is connected with the previous book of Joshua, as a “link in the chain of books.” It describes the history of Israel under different leaderships, governments and their deliverance from other powers for about 410 years of history.
The book of Judges aims to demonstrate that defection from Jehovah incurs severe punishment and servitude. Only by turning back to God can restoration be enjoyed. The activity of the Spirit of the Lord in the book of Judges is clearly portrayed in the charismatic leadership of the period.
This week, I would like to discuss one such charismatic leader of that time, who just happened to be, of all things, a woman! Deborah is a unique character in the Bible. She is the only woman to be a Judge of Israel. Her story takes place between the years 1209 and 1169 B.C. Deborah was raised up by God and she flowed in the gift of prophecy from God and He enabled her to lead with supernatural knowledge, wisdom and revelation.
She was not only a prophetess, but became a Judge of Israel; the equivalent of king. How she came to be chosen for this position is not recorded. But, it is evident in her story that her leadership was honored. She was a woman of faith, flowing in the prophetic realm, getting divine insight in solving disputes, and hearing from God what to do and how to do it. As Judge, she was also leader of the army of Israel.
The story of Deborah takes place during the third apostasy, or falling away from God. After God delivered the Israelites from Egypt into Israel, they went through seven apostasies. The Israelites intermarried with other tribes in the land and turned away from God into pagan practices.
With each apostasy Israel suffers oppression and wars. And with each apostasy, God raises up a deliverer to rescue the Israelites from their oppression. Women in leadership (such as Deborah) have especially been a hotly debated item in the church for many, many years.
The first thing that becomes obvious about the story of Deborah is how much it is like the story of Christ. Over and over again in the Old Testament, we see the Israelites ending up oppressed, often as a consequence of their own actions. And over and over again, we see God send a deliverer to rescue the Israelites.
God seems to enjoy sending deliverers that the people would not expect. They certainly couldn't have expected a woman to deliver them from the Canaanites. Jesus was not the Messiah that the Pharisees expected either.Yet, both deliverers got the job done
As mentioned above, Deborah was raised up by God to be a judge and she was given the prophetic gift to lead her people to victory. But, it did not happen until the nation called and cried out to the Lord for deliverance. During the time of Deborah’s rule, the nation of Israel had been under domination by the Canaanites for twenty years. They had suffered terrible atrocities and finally began to cry out to God for deliverance from this enemy. (Judges 4:3).
Deborah’s story is largely about success against all odds. Though everything about the times and the culture was against Deborah serving as the leader of the nation, she did. Though her army was vastly outnumbered, they won. Though her enemy tried to hide among sympathizers, one he believed to be on his side killed him anyway. Deborah didn't allow the circumstances around her to overwhelm her or interfere with her belief in God’s promises to her.
In Chapter Five of Judges, Deborah sings to the Lord with a grateful heart and gives thanks and praise to God for delivering the Israelites from the Canaanites. Even though she could certainly have bragging rights considering her position for the times, and the success of the battle, Deborah instead gives all the glory to God. She also thanks Him specifically for what He has done for the nation in this song, it was recorded in the annuals of the history of Israel so that we today could receive comfort and courage to face the battles of today.
Deborah’s courage and humility is a role model for all of us. She kept her eyes focused on God and not the circumstances around her. She gave God the glory for the victory and she thanked Him specifically for what He did for her and her country. She reminds us that we all have the potential to do great things for God if we will only listen, trust and obey.
Let's review the three most important points about Deborah that were touched on in this message:
1. Deborah flowed in the gift of Prophecy – which means she shared the heartbeat of God with her people; in other words, she flowed in the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and discernment. And, she spoke what God told her to say.
2. The cry of the people as they humbled themselves and repented reached the ears of God. So, he rose up Deborah to lead them into victory against their oppressors. Then to honor this victory, Deborah wrote a prophetic song giving God the glory for all to sing and remember this great victory.
3. Deborah trusted God even with overwhelming odds against her. It was her faith that propelled her into becoming a mighty women of faith – a hero for the nation of Israel. Her trusting God brought 40 years of peace to the land.
Throughout the book of Judges we see the need for Godly leadership – because without Godly leadership people fall away from God and into sin; and then oppression and destruction. But we also see that if God’s people repent, and humble themselves, he will raise up men and women to lead them to deliverance.
Scripture: Psalm 34:17; Psalm 107:6; 2 Samuel 22:2; Psalm 50:15; 2 Peter 2:9; Psalm 34:4; John 15:7
Now, let's pray...
O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for in thy name's sake. Amen
Until next time...
Have a blessed week!
Bibi
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.