2024_02_05 Insight Post- Kim Feld
This week’s reading- Judges 4, Judges 5, Hebrews 11:32-34
This week’s reading about Deborah has brought up more questions than answers for me. Deborah has always fascinated me. Scripture tells us she was a prophet, judge, leader, wife, and poet. She was known for her wisdom. Judges chapter 4 tells us that the Israelites went to her to have their disputes settled. She was also the only female judge Israel had. This is remarkable for the culture and time, and I wish we had more information about how this came to be. One commentary I read gave the rather unsatisfactory answer that no men were qualified to hold the position at the time, so a woman was chosen. Indeed, that was an indictment of the men of Deborah’s time, but it also seemed disparaging of Deborah and God. God seems way too purposeful to say, “Well, there are no good men to choose from, so I guess I’ll take that woman.” God can work through anyone and anything He chooses, including a talking donkey (see Numbers 22:21-41). I believe Deborah was purposefully chosen by God to be His woman on the scene.
I admire Deborah’s decisiveness and her ability to listen and follow God. God used her to bring peace to His people for 40 years during a time when Israel was in a repetitive cycle of sin, punishment, repentance, restoration, and repeat. This cycle is the basis of the book of Judges, and reading it is not for the faint of heart. Deborah calls Barak and gives him a command from God to gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to overthrow Jabin and his army. Barak agrees to go, but only if Deborah will go with him. She readily agrees, but scripture doesn’t tell us why he wanted her to go along in the first place. I read different speculations for why this might have been the case – everything from Barak being a coward to Barak wanting Deborah there because of her role as prophet and judge. It seems evident that Barak believed Deborah was speaking for God, and it makes sense to me that he would want her close by.
Deborah’s courage is another trait that stands out to me. She is convinced of what God has told her and readily agrees to accompany Barak into battle. We only know her husband’s name, but I wonder what he thought. I like to believe that he supported the role God chose for his wife.
Deborah’s masterpiece of poetry in Judges 5 gives a nod to the complicated role of women in her day. She is a leader among her people but acknowledges in her poem that women were often part of the plunder of war. Deborah refers to herself as “a mother of Israel.” This nurturing role was yet another facet of womanhood. However, we have no information about Deborah’s personal status as a mother of children herself.
So, where am I going with all this? My point is this: God chooses who He wants to use and when He wants to use them. Our job is to keep ourselves ready and receptive to Him when He calls.
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach