4:1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died.
4:2 So the LORD sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in
Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.
4:3 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help; for he had nine hundred
chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.
4:4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.
4:5 She 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 judgment.
4:6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and
said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount
Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun.
4:7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the
Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.'"
With all the controversy over women's leadership in the church and the difficulty women who are ordained have in securing a job within the church, thise would be an excellent passage to hear in light of our present day reality. If Deborah could lead Israel (the children of God) so too could a woman today. A good book to read in regard to the story of Deborah (the 13th tribe of Israel) is "THE RED TENT."
BB in IL
Just an early thought.
I feel we do our people a dis service if we do not at least touch upon the power in Deborah and all of our present day Deborah's. While I was in seminary one of the finest preachers I heard happened to be a petite Roman Catholic Nun. She wept as she confided in me her fire for the pulpit and her limited exposure to it. I believ she said she could speak once a year on missions.
We UM's don't do it perfectly either.
It seems to me if God is the giver of gifts, why would God give a gift that God thought the one gifted should never use?
Please don't skip over this chance to speak outin favor of our Deborah's!!
Pastor Binny
the death of Joshua, wickedness and apostasy became the order of the day; but God used Deborah, who gave counsel to the Israelites as she sat under the palms in the hill country of Ephraim. Today we find comfort in the knowledge that God will always have someone to speak with the voice of reason. Lord, speak to us, your servants are listening. — Safiyah Fosua
Thanks for the site link! Deborah was the third major judge. Wonder how she'd do in a TV time slot against Judge Judy?
Sally in GA
Who is Deborah for women clergy today? Someone out in the trenches working, preaching, ministering. When I go to presbytery meetings I note the increase of women in all kinds of roles as compared to my first meeting in 1982. Our General Presbyter is a woman, women chair committees, women elders and pastors. I suspect we will out number the men in a few years. If a denomination isn't supportive of all its people, male and female the choice is to fight or go to another that recognizes all people's gifts. Sue in Cuba,KS (next month Ohio)
Personally, I think the fact that God heard the cry of the Israelites (even though they once again did evil in God's sight i.e. out in the open perhaps) and responded by rescuing them again to be far more worthy of preaching than preaching on Deborah.
I'd be more interested in knowing where God is forgiving -again- these days than in trying to identify who today's Deborahs may be.
John near Pitts.
I find myself smiling at your entry, John in Pitts....lol
Personally, I've preached the sermon you suggest probably a dozen times over the last few weeks.....
Might be a little refreshing to see what is new in this passage - i.e. Deborah.
Jude in Wash
This Judges reading is enfleshed in the Epistle and Gospel for Sunday. I am struck that here the Israelites cried out and they were heard and forgiven; and in the parable the one talented man who saw his master has harsh could not repent and begin again. He was a slave to his own fear.
tom in ga
I'm not sure the issue ought to be women simply in the church so much as, can God use any of us -- Deborah, Jael, Nancy Pelosi -- in God's goal of justice, reconcilation and peace for all? That is the question that right now doesn't seem to have a very clear answer, but the preacher's job is to encourage all of us in our dismay and doubts.
Scott in VT
The Lord is issueing a call to arms. He selects a woman to be the messenger, a general to do her/the Lord's bidding. The important message in Judges is that it is always the Lord who raises the leader, the Lord who fights the battle, the Lord who wins the victory. And only in a critical situation of oppression. Never because of Israel's wish to dominate the Canaanites or other oppressing nation.
There's a call to arms in North America today. We Canadians are told by our own Senate (not the same kind of chamber as in the U.S.) that Canada's military is terribly underfunded and I'm sure the American administration would concur and love to see us become a stronger ally in the bid to oust Saddam Hussein...Speaking of that conflict, who has the real power here? Who's calling to arms? Is it the Lord? Isn't that what the proponents of Jihad are saying too?
After these musings, the Thessalonians passage begins to speak to me as well. There is no "peace and security", no matter what anyone says. The list of supposed targets released this week (many are here in Canada) gives the lie to the claim that we can win a war on terror. Fear and terror cannot be fought in this way. Christians base their confidence on Christ, the king crucified by Roman soldiers. Christians don't have, and should not seek, the kind of security the world is running after. We don't have security, but we can have certitude. Confidence that Christ is coming. We have the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation. I think this is a message our people need to hear in this time of (preparation for) war and insecurity. PM in Calgary
I'm working on the possible title, "Deborah was a woman...what's your excuse?"
Yes, there's much more to preach on here than simply on women preaching. BUT...there are so few opportunities to help our congregations understand where in Scripture are the responses to those who say women can't be pastors, that if we pass up this opportunity we miss a good teaching moment. I think it's more than appropriate to speak on this, and it's a perfect segway into the Gospel text. Deborah could have used the excuse that she was a woman to try to avoid responding to the call of God and not use her gifts...what's your excuse, what's mine?
katinPA
John Calvin, commenting on 1 Tim 2:12 – "Not that he takes from them the charge of instructing their family, but only excludes them from the office of teaching, which God has committed to men only. On this subject we have explained our views in the exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. If any one bring forward, by way of objection, Deborah (Judges 4:4) and others of the same class, of whom we read that they were at one time appointed by the commend of God to govern the people, the answer is easy. Extraordinary acts done by God do not overturn the ordinary rules of government, by which he intended that we should be bound."
