Who was Deborah in the Bible?

Wife of Lapidoth: she became a 'mother in Israel,' and was a prophetess and 'judged Israel;' it was she who incited Barak to attack Jabin, who had oppressed Israel twenty years. This led to the defeat of their enemies, the death of Sisera by the hand of Jael, and the destruction of Jabin. A remarkable song of triumph by Deborah over the enemies of God followed the victory. Judges 4 and 5. Deborah is a beautiful instance of how, under God, the faith of a single person may be the means of arousing those under deep depression into activity and thence to victory.

DEBORAH

Deborah occupies a very unique place in Scripture. She was a prophetess—a married woman too, and judged Israel.

Now this was a day of great trial: "And the children of Israel cried to Jehovah: for he (Jabin) had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel." It was a long-continued and grievous affliction: "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 Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, Hath not Jehovah 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?" Here there is no doubt that God wrought sovereignly. She was a prophetess; she was the communicator of the mind of God at that time — pre-eminently so. But there is more to note.

Deborah was a remarkable woman, a woman of faith, one deeply impressed with the humiliating condition of the people of God. She sees that it would be to the shame of the leaders in Israel, that God should entrust a post of public activity to a woman in their midst. She says to Barak: "I will surely go with thee; notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour, forJehovah shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." (v. 9) But, in all her exercise of authority for God, to the confusion of this people rendered effeminate by sin, Deborah maintains, in circumstances which might have proved a great snare to her, the place assigned by God in His Word to woman. She would not, otherwise, have been a woman of faith. This chapter gives us the history of two women of faith, Deborah and Jael. Each maintains the character in keeping with the position assigned by God to woman. Where does Deborah exercise her authority? Is she seen, as other judges, going in circuit over the land of Israel, or placing herself at the head of the armies? Nothing of the kind; and it is not without reason, it seems to me, that the Word says: "She dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah... and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment." (v. 5) Prophetess and judge though she was in Israel, she did not step out of the sphere God had assigned to her. Instead of going to Barak, she sent and called him to her where she dwelt.

There was no man in Israel able to take the place of judge among them, so that a woman, Deborah, had taken this responsibility (v. 4). It was an abnormal state of affairs, but if men fail in their responsibility, God does not fail, and He will use a woman to accomplish His ends. Deborah's name means"the word," reminding us that it is by the word of God that our true deliverance comes. This is a fitting answer to the pride of human understanding and discernment, which have no basis in pure truth. Deborah was not a military leader (v. 5), but she sat in quiet retirement under a palm tree between Ramah (meaning "height") and Bethel ("the house of God"). Ramah would speak of her dwelling above the level of her surroundings, as we also ought to. Bethel reminds us that the house of God was an important matter to her, as indeed should be the case with every believer today. In such a place she was able to give good advice to those who came to her for judgment.

Through Deborah God gave a message that she communicated to Barak, the son of Abinoam (v. 6). Barak means"lightning," which is swift and effective, though Barak was not so "swift to hear" when Deborah told him that the Lord had commanded that he assemble 10,000 troops from Naphtali to attack Sisera, with the assurance that God would deliver Sisera into his hand. In spite of this being God's commandment, Barak told Deborah decidedly that he would obey only if Deborah went with him (v. 8). It is good that he felt his weakness, but it is not good that he should depend on a woman for strength, or indeed even to depend on man or anything else that he might think of as dependable. He should depend fully on God. No doubt he had faith in God, but his faith was weak.

Deborah

She was a prophetess, a married woman, and judged Israel in a day of declension (Judges 4). Israel was in a very low condition and Deborah was raised up, when the courage of man had utterly failed, to break the yoke of foreign oppression. It is in times of declension that woman comes forward and it is a sign of the low condition of things. However, we must notice that even Deborah sought to keep her proper place. She dwelt under the palm tree and Israel came up to her for judgment. She called Barak and told him to go forth against Sisera's armies as the Lord had commanded. When Barak would not go forth without Deborah she consented to go along with him, but told him the journey would not be for his honor for the Lord would sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Her words would indicate that if it was a matter of shame for Barak that a woman should slay Sisera, it was not less a matter of shame that a woman should be forced by the men's backwardness to judge Israel. Her faith and courage inspired and helped Barak who was evidently a timid man. Thus sisters can help timid brethren. Deborah did not lead Barak, but went with him and encouraged him on.

Sad conditions in Israel continued until" I, Deborah, arose a mother in Israel' (v. 7). How beautiful to read this! She does not say, "a leader in Israel," but "a mother." It was because of her mother's heart that she was moved as she was, out of care for the people as though they had been her children.

We cannot doubt that there must be instruction in this, that the deliverer is a woman, not a man. The man comes in later, but all originates with the woman. What a witness of the universal failure, that not a man apparently can be found to do the Lord's work. It shows how completely and universally the people had failed. But, on the other hand, it shows how blessedly God comes in, even using the humblest instrument. Wherever He can find faith, which in feebleness will trust Him, there He finds a chosen instrument for His work.

And here again the names are what tell us unmistakably the spiritual meaning. We have seen the exaltation of reason. What does Deborah mean? Deborah and Debir are practically the same word, and both signify "the word." What a suited instrument for the overthrow of mere human reason. If God's word is the instrument you may rest assured that human reason, in so far as it exalts itself against God, will be cast down. More than that, she was a prophetess. It is not merely God's word according to the letter, not merely the written word, but the living word. That is the word of God as applied by the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of prophecy speaking under divine guidance. Then she is the wife of Lapidoth, that is the wife of "a flaming torch." This reminds us of that passage in the epistle to the Philippians, "in the midst of whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life." Lapidoth, lights in the world holding forth the word of life. That is what gives the victory over human understanding.

Another thought is that Deborah judged Israel under the palm-tree between Ramah and Bethel. Deborah, the word of God, judging them as a flame of fire. The word of God is like a fire to burn up the dross and to melt. She judged Israel, and as we were seeing the other night, whenever Israel is judged, the first step has been taken which will result in the enemy being overthrown. There you have the deliverance foreshadowed. It emphasizes the two things that I have spoken of, man's feebleness and the power of the word of God. What a combination to effect the will of God! In ourselves absolute weakness, nothing but objects of contempt, you might say, so far as strength of man is concerned. But it is in our weakness that we cleave to His word; and if that word is like a flaming torch you may rest assured that God will search out and overthrow the enemy by it.

What a sad day it was in the history of Israel when there was not a single man with any initiative, with any energy or desire to do right. So Deborah arose, a prophetess indeed in Israel, sitting and judging Israel under a palm tree. It is always a sad reflection upon the brothers when a sister has to take the initiative and show them what is right. Yet it was so in the days of the judges, but then the book of Judges shows a day when everything is upside down, nothing is as it should be, nobody seems to know what to do.. So it was in Deborah's day, but she arose and took the initiative, she gathered the army together and she gave direction to Barak, and what a wonderful triumph was secured for Israel in her day. I believe that this shows a holy woman of God with some idea of what is necessary, some idea of what is needed to be done. Thank God that Deborah was able to do it. What a wonderful woman! The result was that the enemy was discomfited and overcome and a great triumph was secured amongst the people of God. Deborah was a holy woman.

Deborah.

1894 157 The sins of Israel had brought them once more into the bondage of the Canaanites, who treated them with exceptional severity — contrasted with the comparatively mild and wise rule of their previous conquerors, the Philistines. The highways, Deborah says, were deserted: the inhabitants cowered and slunk through the by-ways to hide themselves from the brutal Sisera and his troops, who seem from Judges 5:30, etc., to have been of the type of "Kirke's lambs" or the infamous Mérode's brigade of the original "marauders." In this extremity God raised up Deborah as a prophetess who, assisted by Barak, a cool, steady, able soldier, took up His people's cause.