DEBORAH

DEBORAH. With a name meaning ‘bee,’ Deborah’s story reminds me to ‘be’ who God has designed me to be, even if it doesn’t look ‘normal’ to others!

Deborah was a judge back in the day before Israel chose to have their first king. The judges were chosen to lead during seasons of duress (usually after a period of turning away from God, where He allowed them to be oppressed by other nations until they returned to Him. Deborah was not only a wife and prophetess, but was the only female judge we are aware of in the book of Judges. (Her story is in chapters 4 & 5!)

Israel was currently being oppressed by the Canaanites, with a ferocious commander leading their army names Sisera. And in their cry to God to save them, Deborah got a word from the Lord which she passed on to Barak, of the Israelite army, that he was to head to the Kishon River where God would deliver Sisera & his army into their hands.

Barak replied that he would only go and do so if Deborah went with him.

Deborah replied very strangely (at least it appears so the 1st time you read her words) by saying because of his decision, Sisera would be delivered into the hands of a woman.

Very strange words in a time when only men went to war!

Everything happened as expected, with Israel defeating the entire Canaanite army – except for Sisera. His king had an alliance with one Moses’s brother on law’s relatives, Heber of Kenite, so that is where Sisera fled during the battle.

Jael, Heber’s wife, gave Sisera a drink as he requested, and was asked by him to tell no one he was there while he fell slept, exhausted after his ordeal.

While he lay sleeping, Jael took him out with a tent peg to his temple. And by doing so, she fulfilled Deborah’s prophecy that a woman would deliver Israel of Sisera. Barak arrived just in time for Jael to inform him of what she had done.

After the victory, Deborah and Barak sang a song of triumph and thanks to God, and interestingly enough Deborah & Jael were mentioned twice as much as Barak, certainly not the norm for a post war party in those days!

Deborah reminds me that I am free to be the me He has called me to be.

#SheBelongs #sharingHope