Judges 4:4-10 –“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh”.
She was a powerful woman of God and during that time there was none like her! She was the only female Judge in the entire Bible! She dedicated her life to hear from God, while giving Him the glory and the praise for every decision and judgement. She was fearless in sharing a word from God!! She settled disputes between the Israelites. She had an office under the palm trees and people would come and get advice and a Word from God and she was respected in her field! Not only was she a judge, but she was also a prophetess. She was the wife of Lapidoth!
There is still a debate of who her husband was because the name Lapidoth means ‘flames’ and Barak means ‘lightening’, so some say that her husband was Barak! Whether that is true or not, she was a judge, a prophetess and a wife!!
I love the KJV of Judges 4:6, it says “And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?”
She knew what God said and that he said it to Barak, because that is what the text implies. When Barak said if you go with me, I will go, but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go, some theologians said that he was fearful and some say he was being sarcastic with this words—but whatever the opinions were of his statement, I believe he knew exactly who Deborah was because of her stellar reputation and anointing! Without hesitation Deborah said, LET’S GO and while we are chatting, I want you to know that God will get the victory over Sisera—through a woman. But that did not deter him because after that they went to War!!!
I wondered if he thought that the woman that she spoke of was herself—but it was not! God in his magnificence chose another unlikely soul to kill Sisera—a woman named Jael (and then there were two). I love how the Lord reigns!!
When Sisera and his army were losing the battle, he ran for his life before going into the tent of Heber’s wife, Jael. As she made him feel comfortable, quenched his thirst and he feel asleep, she took a nail and hammer and drove it right through his head!!!
Judges 4:17-21 —-”Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’” But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died”.
Many times, God’s strategy may be unpredictable, but it is always perfect, and HE never makes mistakes in His Judgement! He chose two women to help bring victory to a people that had been persecuted for 20 years and now would have 40 years of lasting PEACE!!!
To my sisters, think about how God has or wants to use you in a way that others wouldn’t think twice about! But know that as long as we Seek God, His Kingdom and His Righteousness—–HE CAN AND WILL USE EACH ONE OF US IN EXTRADINARY WAYS!!!
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