Deborah

DEBORAH: Prophetess, Mother and Judge Judges chapters 4-5

Characters in Judges 4-5 • Deborah - prophetess judged Israel at the time that Jabin, king of Canaan ruled over Israel. She sat under the Palm Tree of Deborah and helped the people settle disputes between each other. • Jabin - 20 years made life miserable for the Israelites • Barak - the commander of Israel's army that God would help him defeat Sisera and his army. • Sisera was the commander of his army and he had 900 chariots of iron

Historical Background • Deborah became Judge at the time Israel was experiencing a spiritual and moral decline, partly due to the loss of their national leaders, Moses and Joshua. • There were episodes of extreme sinfulness that caused Yahweh to remove His protective providence from Israel, and foreign oppressors would exercise control over parts of the country. • It is essential to note that the combined years of peace and righteousness far outnumbered the years of failure and persecution.

Deborah’s Ability to Inspire •

Deborah was known as a prophetess and respected for her godly character. As a prophet she did not formulate rulings in the traditional manner, but was Yahweh’s spokesperson. For this reason, she was considered an exception to the ruling that a judge be male. Her feminine character was appropriate for leading that particular generation, as Deborah herself stated: “I arose as a mother to Israel.” Judges 5:7 • Her ability to inspire and empower was the source of her effectiveness, both as a public leader and as a wife. • Deborah was the wife of Lappidoth (lap-pee-doth‘) which name meant “torches”. Together with her husband, Deborah made wicks for the Menorah in the Temple, thus helping to spread the light of Yahweh among the people.

Symbol for Deborah’s Generation •

Judges 4:5 A prophetess, the wife of Lapidot: she sat under the date palm of Deborah, between Raman and Bethel on Mt. Ephraim, and the children of Israel went up to her for judgment. • The date palm was a symbol for Deborah’s generation. Just as the lift giving sap of a date palm is limited to its trunk, Deborah’s generation had limited access to the life force of Torah, because it had so few Torah scholars. The date palm’s minimal shade represents the relative absence of spiritual and physical protection without the Torah. • Deborah’s understanding of Israel’s potential for spiritual greatness stemmed from her maternal love. She held hope for Israel and inspired a renewed sense of value as Yahweh’s chosen people, and exhibited a woman’s ability to instill rather than impose, to invigorate rather than force, and to cultivate rather than command.

SONG OF DEBORAH • Song of Deborah which praises Yahweh for His assistance in Jabin’s defeat (Judges 5:1-2) • The song of Deborah celebrates Israel’s victory and return to Torah observance. Time and again in her song, Deborah connected Israel to their divine lifeline, referring back to the moment when the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai

Admonishing the People • Tribe of Reuben stayed behind with the sheep • Tribe of Gad stayed behind east of Jordan • Tribe of Dan remained by the ships • Tribe of Asher stayed by the coast and remained along the shore • The people of Zebulun risk their lives in battle; so did the people of Naphtali

CONDEMNATION • Reason for condemning the tribes that did not take part in the battle. “For they did not come to the aid of Yahweh with the victors – Judges 5:23