The Judges. Day 10, The Fourth Judge: Deborah, Part One

We begin Chapter 4 and our study of the only known female judge of Israel.

"Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead." (Judges 4:4) Shamgar was the judge between Ehud and Deborah but, as we saw yesterday, only one verse of the Bible was devoted to his exploits. That brief description didn't include the length of time he held the position of judge. That time period may have been quite short, which would explain why the Bible indicates that the people started doing wrong again as soon as Ehud passed away.

Because the people have gone astray, the Lord allows them to be oppressed again by an enemy. "So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor." (Judges 4:2a) This is not the same Jabin of Hazor who was defeated in battle by Joshua over a hundred years earlier. Scholars speculate that "Jabin" was a royal title. If that's the case, we can compare it to the tradition in ancient Egypt of calling each king "Pharaoh" or the tradition in ancient Rome of calling each emperor "Caesar". There's also the possibility that "Jabin" was a dynastic designation, meaning that all the direct descendants of the royal line stemming from the original Jabin are being referred to as "the house of Jabin", if you will. An example of this type of designation is the calling of King David's royal line "the house of David". 

Jabin gains the upper hand over Israel through the military cunning of his army general, Sisera, and by the use of advanced military equipment. "Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help." (Judges 4:2b-3) 

The first king who oppressed the Israelites made them his subjects for eight years. The second king who oppressed the Israelites made them his subjects for eighteen years. Now Jabin makes them his subjects for twenty years. It appears to be taking longer for each successive generation to repent or to learn from the correction being applied. As we've said before, the Lord only applies as much discipline as is needed and He only applies it for as long as it is needed. He's allowed Jabin to oppress Israel for twenty years either because it took that long for those who had fallen into idolatry to turn back to the Him or because the time of hardship needed to be that long so that generation would not forget it and make the same mistakes over. Human beings have a tendency to be stubborn and to learn a lot of lessons the hard way. Sometimes the Lord allows unpleasant circumstances to go on for a little while past our repentance so that we don't forget how bad the consequences of sin are. He doesn't want us to remember our sinful past with fondness. For example, you'll recall how the Israelites grumbled against Moses in the wilderness and recalled their time in Egypt fondly, glossing over the memories of their hardships in favor of remembering the plentiful food they enjoyed there. 

At the end of twenty years, the Lord sends deliverance through the person who succeeded Shamgar as judge. "Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided." (Judges 4:4-5) 

Deborah hears legal cases and hands down verdicts. She also, as a prophetess, receives messages from the Lord. She relays a message from the Lord to a man named Barak whom the Lord is calling to lead Israel's army in a campaign against the Canaanite oppressors. "She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, 'The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.'" (Judges 4:6)

Deborah herself has a part to play in this endeavor. She tells Barak, 'I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'" (Judges 4:7) I believe the battle strategy has been laid out by the Lord, just as the battle strategies for Israel's previous successful attacks have been laid out by the Lord. 

Barak is willing to fulfill his calling to lead the army of Israel if Deborah goes with him to Kedesh to summon the troops. Barak believes the Lord is able to do what He says He's going to do but he will feel better in the company of a human being whose presence comforts him. He believes that being in the presence of Deborah, upon whom is the anointing of the Holy Spirit and upon whom great authority has been granted, will comfort him. He will feel strengthened and supported for the task ahead.

Barak has been criticized by a lot of scholars and pastors and commentators for asking Deborah to go with him instead of going alone to call the troops to battle. Many people find his behavior "unmanly" when he asks a woman to accompany him. But I think the reason a lot of people feel this way is because they are being sexist, whether they realize it or not. Naturally Barak feels a bit apprehensive about asking thousands of men to trust him enough to follow him into battle. He wants Deborah with him because of the political and spiritual position she holds in the nation. Her presence will lend political and spiritual authority to Barak's call to arms. Deborah is the judge of Israel, chosen by God. The fact that she happens to be a female political leader is neither here nor there. She is also a person of spiritual authority, for the Lord has given her the gift of prophecy. The fact that she happens to be a female prophet is neither here nor there. I daresay that very few people, if any, would have found fault with Barak if he had asked a male judge and prophet to accompany him to rally the troops. 

Join us tomorrow as Deborah tests him to see whether he's confident enough in his manhood to be comfortable sharing the credit for victory with a woman. He will answer in the affirmative, which I find admirable, for it displays his respect for women and for the gifts God bestows upon women.