Sunday Devotional: Judges 4:4

Now Deborah, a woman, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel during that time.

Ehud is dead, the Israelites are back to their idolatrous ways, and the Lord has given them over to the Canaanites under the leadership of Jabin, and his commander Sisera. Usually, at this part of the narrative, we expect to read how the Lord raised up a savior, or a judge, at the cry of His people. We are told that Israel cried out to the Lord because of Jabin’s nine hundred iron chariots, but we don’t see anything about a judge being raised up. Instead, we are simply told that Deborah was judging Israel at the time. The way this reads, it’s as if after Ehud and Shamgar, there was a power vacuum; no-one wanted to take over as judge. Whether out of frustration, or out of a sense of obligation, Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, assumed the role of judge.

We need to accept from the outset that Deborah’s gender is a big deal here. The way verse 4 introduces her emphasizes the fact that she is a woman, a prophetess, and a wife. Her instructions to Barak underscore the Lord’s plan to bring down Sisera using a woman, something that would be shameful to him. Without getting into issues of women in leadership today, it’s an accepted fact that Israel was predominantly led by men, and this appears to have been God’s design. Not that women didn’t have influence, and an important role both in society and the family, but the fact that a woman stepped up to act as judge for Israel is, I think, a telling statement about Israel’s leadership situation. No man wanted the job, so it fell to a woman to do. Granted, Deborah did an outstanding job, and by God’s grace oversaw the destruction of Sisera, and the subduing of Jabin. However, that Deborah had to do it could be taken as an indictment of Israel.

The fact that God used Deborah also demonstrates that our human failings are not a barrier to God fulfilling His purposes. No man would have made Deborah judge, but God enabled her to do the job, and accomplished what He intended through her. It’s to Deborah’s credit that she was willing to do what no-one else wanted to do, and she was quick to ascribe honor to the Lord for the success she had (see Judges 4:9).

Within our families, our work place, and our society, we have God-given roles to play. Whether as a parent, a student, a teacher, a judge, or a president, God puts us where we are, and gifts us to accomplish His will. We should never feel as if God’s plan depends upon us, because He can raise up and gift whomever He wants to do the job. But we should not use that as an excuse to shirk our responsibility. If we want to honor God first and foremost, we will seek to do what God has called us to do to the best of our ability.

May it be our desire to honor God with our lives and our work, whatever He has called us to do.

Have a great week!