Judges 4:1-24

The children of Israel continue on the “yoyo” their obedience and disobedience.  They are once again in a period of twenty years of enslavement to a king that should have been removed from the land generations earlier.  Since they allowed the people to stay in the land they were drawn away to follow their gods and now they were being used as God’s means of judgment.  The consequences of our sins are always much greater than any of the passing pleasures that our sins may bring us.  After twenty years, God sends Deborah as a judge and prophetess who is used to challenge the people to rise up and be victorious.  Perhaps a good theme for this chapter would be “girl power” as we see God using two courageous women to deliver Israel.

DEBORAH DIRECTS THE PEOPLE:  Deborah provides us with an interesting dilemma about the position of women in leadership.  As with most things, it seems to me that most people seem to go to one of two extremes on this issue.  On one side of the pendulum, we have people using the example of Deborah as justification for ordaining women as pastors and essentially make no distinction between the roles of men and women in leadership.  On the other side of the pendulum, there are those who would say that the existence of Deborah in this position is a demonstration of God’s judgment and displeasure on Israel and they would argue that women have no place whatsoever in leadership and that to do so invites the wrath of God.  As in most cases, I think that balance is needed in this issue.  I do believe that ordination should be reserved for men; however I do believe that women have a vital place within the body of Christ and that their leadership in many areas is vital to the advancement of the kingdom.  In this case Deborah is directing the people through Barak, who leads the people in battle.  God is obviously using Deborah to communicate His will and has established her in a position to give counsel to the nation.  When Barak refuses to go into battle without her presence she agrees to go but tells him that the glory of the battle will belong to a woman because of his lack of courage.  When men refuse to accept their roles in leadership; God has demonstrated time and time again that He is willing to use women to fill the void.  In general, I feel that we as men must spend less time worrying or complaining about women in leadership and spend more time fulfilling the leadership roles that God has given us in our churches and our homes.

JAEL DRIVES THE TENT PEG: As Deborah had revealed form the Lord, Israel was victorious in battle despite the 900 chariots and all of the enemy army.  God gave Israel a decisive victory and the entire army was killed.  The only person to escape was the General of the Army who was able to flee.  In his exhaustion he asks for refuge in the tent of Jael who takes him in, gives him warm milk to put him into a sound sleep and then she drives a tent peg through the man’s temple and down into the ground.  Talk about resourceful!  Jael had no way of overpowering this warrior so refusing to give him hiding would only have lead to her own death and his escape.  She simply allows him to trust her and waits for the moment when he is vulnerable and then is used to deliver the children of Israel from the man who had been such a source of pain and hardship.  We must learn to harness this wonderful creativity and courage that so many women possess and stop making them feel like they are in some way second class citizens within the Body of Christ.