Hey everyone.
As I have continued in my study of Judges, I have come to the story of Deborah in Judges 4 and 5. The clear heroes of this story are two women: Deborah and Jael. Here is the background to the story: As they seemed to always do, after the death Ehud, the Israelites return to evil ways. God allows another power to oppress them, this time it is the Canaanites. They are oppressed by Canaan for twenty years. The king in Canaan is Jabin and the commander of his army is Sisera.
God raises up a new prophet and leader in Israel, her name is Deborah. We know that Deborah was both a wife (Judges 4:4) and a mother (Judges 5:7), and from reading the two chapters about her, we can tell that she was clearly a very impressive person.
Deborah summoned Barak and told him that God had instructed that he should form an army and lead them against Sisera, and that God had given Sisera into his hands. Barak is hesitant and says that he would do it only if Deborah went with him. Deborah agrees to go with him, but tells him that because he asked this that the glory that would have been his would be taken from him and given to a woman. Now Barak did ultimately do as God instructed and so gained the victory and is even mentioned in Hebrews 11, what we often refer to as the Faith Hall of Fame, but initially Barak seems to have more confidence in Deborah than he does in God. Because of this, the glory that would have been his is taken from him just as Deborah prophecied. That glory goes to Jael, the wife of Heber, who kills Sisera. Sisera, in cowardly fashion, runs from the battlefield when it is clear that his army is being routed, and hides in the tent of a woman. Jael allows him to fall asleep in her tent and then drives a tent peg through his head. So Israel is saved from Canaan by two heroic women and one reluctant man.
An interesting side note comes toward the end of Deborah's song which is recorded in chapter 5. Deborah imagines Sisera's mother looking out the window, waiting for his return and wondering what is taking him so long. One of her ladies responds that it must be taking a long time to divide up the women. It is interesting that women like Deborah or Jael were just considered a part of the plunder, prizes for the warriors, as though they were objects rather than people. In many ways our society hasn't changed all that much. Many men still objectify women, but clearly God does not. He places great value on women and is more than willing to use them for his great purposes.
Tom
