Deborah

Deborah – Dec. 18, 2022

Deborah, a wife, prophetess, and judge of Israel, was chosen by God to serve His people at a very challenging time. Deborah showed her belief in God and her strength through God as she quietly and obediently stepped into her role.

Christian women leaders can learn quite a bit about leading others through an in-depth study of Judges 4 and 5. In this post, I’ve shared seven leadership traits reflected in Deborah’s leadership.

I also believe Deborah reflected many of the leadership qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman found in verses 10-31 because Deborah served with honor, strength, and dignity. She quietly went about her role as a wife and leader. She was a humble and noble servant known as “a Mother in Israel.” A referent title bestowed upon her by the people she led. Let’s dive into the seven leadership qualities emulated in her leadership.  

7 Leadership Traits of Deborah

1. Deborah was courageous.

She was called by God to lead at a difficult time. Deborah stepped forward with bravery in obedience to God to lead the Israelites in times of challenge and oppression.

Judges 4:1-4 (NIV), “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. ”

2. Deborah served with wisdom and knowledge.

She exhibited great listening skills, which were evident in her obedience to God. Deborah listened well, and when she spoke, she added value due to her wisdom.

Judges 4:5 (NIV), “She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.”

3. Deborah supported the people God called to lead.

She encouraged Barak and acknowledged his role in leading the Israelites to victory. Deborah’s confidence in God’s power gave the Israelites assurance God was with them.

Judges 4:6-7 (NIV), “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.”

4. Deborah was trusted.

She earned her position due to her belief and faith in God. Her strong faith earned her the respect of the people, which allowed her to influence and motivate Barak and his men.

Judges 4:8 (NIV), “Barak said to her, If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

5. Deborah was direct.

She spoke the word of God and no other. It was clear to the Israelites Deborah shared God’s message and not her own agenda.

Judges 4:9 (NIV), “Certainly I will go with you, said Deborah. But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.”

6. Deborah was confident.

She placed her confidence in God. Deborah never hesitated to fulfill God’s commands. Her reassurance and strong beliefs led the Israelites to victory.

Judges 4:14 (NIV), “Then Deborah said to Barak, Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you? So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him.”

7. Deborah was humble.

She gave praise and glory to God because the victory was God’s. Deborah and Barak sang a song of thanksgiving and praise to God and the followers. And, they had peace for forty years due to their belief and obedience.

Judges 5:5 (NIV), “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song…”

A Mother in Israel

Deborah was chosen by God to serve as the Mother of Israel and lead His people to victory. Deborah’s success was due to her faith in God. She served God by utilizing her values and Spiritual gifts. Due to her faith, God called her, a woman, to lead His people to victory.  

As in the Song of Deborah, Judges 5:31 (NIV), those who love and obey the Lord will be renewed in strength and shine bright like the majestic sun.

“So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.”

Can you identify with Deborah? As you review the characteristics of her leadership, does your leadership reflect the same traits? If you did not have the time to identify your core values from our recent post, take some time to read through the post on core values and identify the core values that guide you in your leadership. You were created to lead, and God is waiting for your faith, confidence, and obedience in His plans for you. Are you brave enough to step out in obedience and take the first step?

I’m looking forward to hearing from you and what action you will take today to step into your calling!

In Brief

Deborah is one of the major judges (charismatic military leaders, not juridical figures) in the story of how Israel takes the land of Canaan. She is the only female judge, the only one to be called a prophet, and the only one described as performing a judicial function. Deborah summons Barak to lead the battle against the Canaanites; he agrees, but only if she accompanies him. Barak and his warriors destroy all the Canaanites except Sisera, who seeks refuge with them but is killed by Jael. Later, rabbis acknowledged Deborah as a prophet but, due to their discomfort with women leaders, blunted her impact by speculating about her husband, reading her self-identification in the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 as hubris, and minimizing her role as judge.

Place in Biblical Texts

Deborah is one of the prominent judges (meaning charismatic military leaders rather than juridical figures) in the Book of Judges’ story of how Israel takes the land of Canaan. There is no extrabiblical evidence for the conquest or other events of Judges, so we would be mistaken in assuming Deborah is a historical figure. However, she is a crucial literary figure with a rich afterlife in Jewish interpretation.

The only female judge, the only one to be called a prophet, and the only one described as performing a judicial function, Deborah is an influential figure in the defeat of the Canaanites. This is a victory told in two accounts, a prose narrative in Judges 4 and a poem, known as the Song of Deborah, in Judges 5. Based on its linguistic features, many scholars have argued that the poetic account is earlier than the prose version and that the Song of Deborah may be one of the oldest parts of the Hebrew Bible. However, concrete dating has proven slippery.

Deborah’s Identity

As the story opens in Judges 4, Deborah is already a judge, settling disputes brought to her. At the same time, she sits under the “palm of Deborah” in the hill country of Ephraim (4:5). She is identified as eshet lepidote (4:4), which may mean “woman of [the town] Lappidoth,” “wife of [the man] Lappidoth,” or “woman of torches” (that is, “fiery woman” or even “pyromancer”). If Lappidoth is a person, he is an otherwise unknown figure in the Hebrew Bible. Some Jewish traditions posit that Lappidoth is another name for Deborah’s general Barak, whose name means “lightning.”

See Also:

Deborah stands before a group, praising Jael.

Encyclopedia: Deborah 2: Midrash and Aggadah

Most of the judges are acknowledged as such after military victory; Deborah is called a judge before the battle, but the narrative does not include the story of how she became a judge, why she is called a “prophetess,” or how God commanded her to begin the battle against Jabin, the Canaanite king of Hazor, and his general, Sisera. All other judges in the book appear to be military leaders, so we can assume Deborah is, also. The text does not describe her wielding weapons, though it does not mention Barak doing so, and interpreters uniformly think he did.

Deborah and Barak vs. Sisera

Deborah summons Barak to be her general (4:6), relaying God’s command to take ten thousand men to Mount Tabor to begin the battle. When he responds that he will go only if she will, she agrees to go but informs Barak that he will get no glory from the victory, for “the Lord will deliver [NRSV, sell] Sisera into the hand of a woman” (4:9). This pronouncement is meant in part to shame Barak for his apparent cowardice. Because he will not readily “man up,” a woman will get the credit for taking down the enemy general. The reader naturally assumes that the woman will be Deborah.

Sisera deploys his army against Deborah, Barak, and the troops near Mount Tabor in Galilee. Deborah announces to Barak that the day of victory has come, and “the Lord is indeed going out before you.” Barak and his warriors destroy all the Canaanites except Sisera, who flees from the battle and seeks refuge with a woman, Jael, who kills him.

The Song of Deborah, preserved in Judges 5, tells more about this final battle. It describes the chaotic conditions that exist until “I [some translations: you] arose, Deborah,/arose as a mother in Israel” (5:7). In the poetic version of events, YHWH takes part in the actual battle, causing a sudden flood: “The stars fought from heaven,/from their courses they fought against Sisera./The torrent Kishon swept them away” (5:21). This disabled the Canaanite chariots, enabling Israel’s infantry to win.

The Song of Deborah concludes with a heroic depiction of Jael as a woman warrior and with a taunt of Sisera’s mother, waiting anxiously and in vain for Sisera to return after the battle. As the speaker, Deborah does not show sympathy toward Sisera’s mother. Quite the contrary—she portrays her as the quintessential enemy woman, already anticipating the riches the fighters will bring as spoil when they return. These riches would include both materia1 wealth and captive women—“a womb or two for each man’s head” (5:30). As the narrator, Deborah’s rendering of the enemy women’s thoughts is crude, reducing the anticipated human spoils of war to their anatomical utility. The battle is between Israelites and Canaanites, and each set of women aligns solidly with its group.

Protector of Israel

Deborah is called, or calls herself, a “mother in Israel.” (Judg 5:7). Perhaps the character is meant to be a biological mother, but no children are mentioned in the text. More likely, the phrase indicates that her arbitration powers as a judge were parental, even maternal—though hardly in a tender, nurturing sense. “Mother,” like “father,” can be an honorific title for an authority figure or protector in the community (compare 1 Sam 24:1 and Isa 22:21). We can also read Deborah’s proclaimed status as a mother as a way of blunting the shock of her transgressive, violent character. Despite the lack of children in her story, Deborah is described with motherhood language as a way of making her seem less threatening.

As a respected politico-judicial authority, Deborah has a counterpart in the wise woman of Abel, who speaks for and rescues the city of Abel where, she says, the people of Israel bring their disputes to be settled (2 Sam 20:15–22). As a singer of victory songs, she echoes Miriam and foreshadows later women celebrating David’s military success (1 Sam 18:6–7). Deborah is one of five female prophets in the Hebrew Bible, along with Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron; Huldah, who prophesies the end of Israel’s time in Canaan; the unnamed wife of Isaiah the prophet; and Noadiah, who appears during the restoration from exile. Neighboring cultures also apparently considered prophecy open to women; far more female prophets are attested in ancient Near Eastern cuneiform literature than in biblical texts. However, it is essential to note that there may have been more female prophets in old Israel than those mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The rabbis acknowledged Deborah as a prophet but, due to their discomfort with women leaders, blunted her impact by speculating about her husband, reading her self-identification at the beginning of the Song of Deborah in Judges 5 as hubris, and minimizing her role as judge.

Key Scripture

Judges 5:6-7, 12 (NIV):

“In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose until I arose, a mother in Israel. … ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’”

Introduction to Deborah in the Bible

The story of Deborah in Judges 4 and 5 begins like many of the stories in the Book of Judges—the Israelites sinned against the Lord, and he sold them out to King Jabin of Canaan. This continued for 20 years until the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. At that time, Deborah was leading Israel as a judge. She sent for Barak, a commander in Israel’s army, and told him to go and fight Jabin’s army led by Sisera.

Barak said he would only go if Deborah went with him. Deborah agreed but told Barak the honor would not go to him because the Lord would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. The Lord routs Sisera’s army when Barak's army advances, and Sisera flees on foot. Sisera goes to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, because there is an alliance between King Jabin and Heber’s family.

Jael invited Sisera in and served him refreshments. Sisera was so exhausted that he fell asleep. Jael took a hammer and pounded a tent peg into Sisera’s temple, killing him. The Israelites fought against King Jabin until they destroyed him. Deborah and Barak sang a song of praise, and Israel had peace for 40 years.

Digging Deeper

Deborah was a busy woman. Judges 4:5 says, “She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.” Deborah was a woman of great wisdom, revelation, and discernment. She also had a prophetic gift, including knowing the times and seasons of the Lord. She heard the voice of the Lord.

Yet Judges 5:12 says, “Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.” Deborah and Barak needed to “wake up and arise” to a new revelation and dimension of their callings. The Lord was telling them to be alert and pay attention as he was about to move extraordinarily.

Judges 5:7 says, “Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose until I arose, a mother in Israel.” Of all the things Deborah could have legitimately called herself—judge, prophetess, deliverer, intercessor, worshiper—she chose to call herself a mother. She was, first and foremost, a mother. This much seems clear. But it is unclear who her children were: she was a mother “in Israel,” but also a mother “over Israel” (it can be translated both ways). She saw all of Israel as her children and longed for all of her children (literal and figurative) to experience peace and security.

Notice the verse says no one in Israel would fight until Deborah “arose.” The Israelites were beaten down by 20 years of slavery. They were too tired and discouraged to fight. They needed someone to inspire them, and the Lord chose Deborah. If she had not been obedient to act on what the Lord told her to do, nothing would have changed. She used the place of trust and authority she had been given as a judge to inspire Barak to raise an army.

Deborah was a worshiping warrior. She found encouragement and strength in worship to obey everything the Lord asked her to do. If Deborah had played small in her life, she would not have had all the experiences that led to her being used by the Lord to deliver Israel from bondage. She would not have had the wisdom and revelation to judge disputes. She would not have heard the Lord’s strategic battle plans as an intercessor. She would not have extended her compassionate mother’s heart beyond her family to all of Israel. She would not have brought healing and empowerment to a whole nation.

Barak was told to “arise and take captive your captives” (5:12). He was reluctant to go to war without Deborah, but in the end, he was obedient to raise an army and go where Deborah commanded him. This step of obedience was also necessary to fulfill the plans of the Lord.

Deborah’s story would not be complete without acknowledging Jael, another woman who literally stepped up to claim in history. Jael was in the right place at the right time and did what she knew she had to do. Deborah called Jael “most blessed of tent-dwelling women” (5:24). Jael was a homemaker who was invaluable to winning the war.

She Is Called, and We Are Called

One of the most fun and exciting opportunities I have received began because I was a mother. Twelve years ago, I was invited to join a group of women coming together for a radio station to fill each week with 24/7 women radio hosts. I was invited as a financial advisor, and since many of the show topics revolved around being a mother, my tagline became “The Financial Mom.” I did a weekly radio show for five years and learned to talk for about fifty minutes of my hour time slot every week.

The Lord never wastes an experience; I now realize this was the beginning of my preaching training. My financial advice always came from a biblical perspective, and by the end of those five years, I knew I was preaching to an audience of thousands every week. Ultimately, this experience helped give me the courage to step out and start my own business. Looking back at my life, I see the Lord’s hand in many of my experiences, preparing me for what I am today: a co-vocational business owner and pastor of a church plant.

Let me encourage you. So often, we are afraid to step out of our comfort zones and become everything the Lord has called us to be. It’s a blessing that the Lord doesn’t give us the whole plan for our lives in advance because most of us would answer with a resounding “No!” Don’t let the enemy get in your head and tell you that God will never use you to do great things. Don’t let your fear of what others may think get in the way of being obedient to God and used to doing extraordinary things.

The Lord prepared Deborah in the secret place of her worship, which helped her grow confident in hearing God’s voice. Her intentional connection to God through prayer gave her confidence as she discerned the time to go to war. The Lord will do the same with us. As we deepen our relationship with God, God will guide us to clarity around our call for this season of kingdom work. God can use many ways to confirm it to us over and over. As Christ’s followers, we embark on an exciting journey of serving the Lord here on earth.

Conclusion

Women and men of God, it’s time for you to be bold and courageous and do the unique and amazing things God is calling you to do. Wherever the Lord has placed you, will you accept the challenge to be a light in the darkness for the Kingdom of God? Will you encourage others to do it, too? Wake up and rise to shine the glory of God everywhere you go! You carry the hope this world needs—the hope of Jesus Christ—and it’s time to stop hiding and playing small. A dying, hopeless world is waiting for you to be obedient. Believe and trust that God has the best plan for you, and follow him to where he is working today.

(For a deeper dive into the life of Deborah, read The Deborah Anointing by Michelle McClain-Walters.)