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May 1, 2024
Not every devotional Brother Andrew and I wrote made it into our book Fearless by Faith. The following introduced the first section on Gideon and featured two women God used to save Israel.
My friend Corrie Ten Boom said that when God has a tough job, he called a man, but when He had a very tough job he called a woman.
In Judges 4 there is a prophetess judging Israel. Deborah was a wise and godly woman, just what Israel needed in a moment of crisis when they were oppressed by a technologically advanced army—Sisera controlled 900 iron chariots and terrorized the people cruelly for 20 years.
Deborah understood the problem and she knew the solution. She summoned Barak and gave him a word from God. Actually, Barak had already been told by God what to do. “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you,” Deborah said. Well, maybe Barak hadn’t heard, so she explained: “Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.” God already had a solution prepared for this crisis. Deborah delivered the Word from God: “I will draw out Sisera…to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand.”
What more did Barak need to know? There it was, the Word of God. Just go. Do it!
However, God’s command and promise were not enough for Barak. “If you will go with me, I will go,” Barak said to Deborah. “But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
Incredibly, Deborah agreed. She also revealed that Barak would not receive the glory for this guaranteed victory. God would deliver the evil general through the hand of another woman. After God routed Sisera, his chariots and powerful army, the general fled to what he believed was safe refuge. Jael, the wife of Heber, offered him milk to quench his thirst, then a place to rest. Exhausted, Sisera fell into a deep sleep. Jael then hammered a tent peg through his head.
It’s ironic that Barak is named one of the heroes in the great lineup in Hebrews 11. Sure, he was the military hero. But Deborah deserves equal billing. As a housewife and community leader, she faithfully fulfilled her prophetic role. Jael, another housewife, struck the death blow that defeated the Canaanites. These two women played their roles perfectly. Which shows us that each one of us, male and female, has a part for us to play in God’s war today.
Who will step up to lead God’s people to victory? Any one of us could be a candidate, if we are listening for His call and willing to obey when He tells us to GO.
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The story of Gideon follows immediately from Deborah’s victory song in Judges 5. I have uploaded a sermon on Gideon and how God will use anybody, even the least of the least, who is available. This is the first of a five-sermon series covering the five Old Testament figures Brother Andrew teaches about in our book Fearless by Faith.
1 Comment
Thank you, Al, for not only reminding us, but challenging us, both men and women, with this Old Testament episode, which unfortunately was omitted from the devotions in your and Brother Andrew’s book, Fearless by Faith. As you pointed out, there are lessons to be learned from this story relevant to the spiritual battles the Church faces today:
God often uses unlikely people to accomplish His Kingdom purposes,, including wise, godly women. The key is He uses those who listen and obey, who although feel totally inadequate to the task make themselves available, male or female Deborah is a perfect example. The interaction between her and Barak is interesting —-God gave the same message to both, but apparently Barak didn’t hear. Deborah had to remind him and even then, Barak said he wouldn’t “do it” unless Deborah went with him. (Yeah, Corrie Ten Boom!). I’m sure that I‘m not the only one who is bothered that the writer to the Hebrews named only Barak as the hero of this story. But God knows the courageous acts of the two women, Deborah and Jael, who risked their lives to fulfill God’s call.
I sense Al leaving us with the challenge of understanding the need to hear what God is saying to us today through being immersed in the Word and in times of prayer—making prayer a two-way conversation — Listening and obeying what He says. Two women cited in the New Testament (although I know there were many more) who obviously spent much time listening: Anna, the Prophetess, who along with Simeon, recognized Infant Jesus as the promised Messiah. Luke tells us that she then went out and proclaimed the Good News, becoming the first evangelist. The other woman was Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word
I like the Song of Deborah in the following chapter of Judges: Both Deborah and Barak are told to “rise up”.