Today, in our exploration of women who encountered God in the day-to-day, we come to Deborah. She is noted in the Book of Judges as being a prophet. More than that, she inspired a military victory. In this Pentecost series we’ve seen women who risked saying yes to God in many ways.
Mary (6/19) agreed to be the ‘handmaid of the Lord’ and bear
Jesus. Esther (7/10) discovered she was raised to royal power ‘for such a time
as this,’ in order to save her people from death. Mary and Martha of Bethany (8/21-28)
learned that love of God can be expressed in different ways. Last week we saw
how Photini, though a social outcast, witnessed to Jesus as Messiah to her
neighbors.
Deborah’s story is found in the Book of Judges, chapter 4. We hear that she was a
prophet and judge who used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah
and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her
for judgement. (Judges 4:5) As happens so often throughout the Bible, the
people sinned and quit worshiping God. The neighboring king, Jabin, oppressed
them and the people ‘cried out to the Lord.’
Deborah, in a surprising move, calls for Barak and tells him
to raise an army to defeat the general Sisera. He agrees only if she will go
with them. She directs the campaign and the army of Sisera fell by the
sword; no one was left. (Judges 4:16) Sisera escapes only to be killed by Jael,
a woman, with a tent peg.
The leadership of Deborah was not one she sought out. She
accepted her role because she felt the nudge of God. She didn’t act alone. She empowered
Barak to raise an army and encouraged him to go to war. She took small actions
that resulted in a great victory.
Sometimes it is easy to get stuck in having everything just right
before we set out to ‘do ministry.’ The lives and work of the women in this
series can teach us that isn’t necessary. Jesus reminds us to Look at the
birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew
6:26) The birds do not worry about 'getting it right' or 'doing the best
ministry.’ Birds simply live and accept God's loving bounty. These migrating
sand hill cranes stopped in our neighborhood park to accept God’s bounty there.
Deborah judged Israel and the land had rest for forty
years. (Judges 5:31b) Her small action of supporting and encouraging Barak
resulted in freedom and peace. Our small actions can, as Mary Poppins sings “feed
the birds…the saints and apostles look down…you know they are smiling each time
someone shows that he cares…”
Are there seeds of God’s kingdom that you might share to show
God’s love and peace?
Can you 'feed the birds'?
