Deborah

Let's get started with a word of Prayer. Our gracious Father in heaven. We thank you that we can gather in your house. How precious it is to come before you the God who loves us so dearly you would give everything for us. Oh Father how we need you? And we need your presence more and more with each and every passing day. May you be there for us. We pray that this morning you would lead us by the power of your spirit to understand your precious word. And all of it is here for how desperately we need to know you and we know you as we know your word and understand it. May you touch each heart and father particula touch my heart that I would be humbled before you yielded into your hands. That is I open my mouth. It would be your spirit that leads and directs every word that I speak for father. You're the one who makes the difference. No heart is change by my words only by yours. And so father. May you guide in this a living one in Jesus name? Amen? What we've started the series Women of Faith and we're taking a look at various women of the Old Testament. We looked at Rahab last week and I've kind of enjoyed going through this even though I've done it before I am learning as I go through the steps. We're going to take a look at Deborah today. If you want to know someone who really is a superhero Deborah's the one she is a superhero and if you want to model your life after someone who truly is one who does whatever is right before the Living God. She's the one to model your life after she is the true superhero. Better than Wonder Woman or Supergirl or any of those other characters that are expressed in comic books or TV or movies. She is the one and it's interesting as we take a look at her life. She is one who is chosen as a judge and that in itself might not seem odd, but she's the only judge that actually was a woman. In fact as we take a look at the history of Israel, it is all about the men who lead in that life. There was only one other woman that actually lad Judah in his time. It was athaliah. You might remember her she is the daughter of Jezebel the king and of a king Ahab a wife from Israel. And you know, how corrupt King Ahab was Will Jezebel was even worse than they have and she passed it on to her daughter and she was married to Joe horam and add your horum died. She went through and she slaughtered everybody that could become king of of Judah. She was vicious and cruel and for six years. She rained the country until they did find that joash who was actually a descendant of David and he could step up and Rule Israel in the they replaced her. permanently But she's the only other one. I and Deborah. I did it the right way. And as we take a look at our life, you'll see it. You know, as I've said I've had gone through this enough exam. Is it from several sides in this point? And I really appreciate a looking at her life and what she's done and we have guys can do that. We can also emulate somebody who truly is walking as a righteous person. So let's go ahead and get to Judges chapter 4 and we'll take a look at at this life of Deborah. We're going to start in verse 4. And we'll read verses four through 4 and 5.

And it says Deborah A prophetess. The wife of lapidoth was leading Israel at the time. She held Court under the palm of Deborah between drama and Bethel in the Hill Country of Ephraim. And the Israelites came to her to have her dispute their disputes decided. Okay, there's a lot set in here that sometimes you don't get but these are very important words about Deborah Deborah is one of those people who willingly steps up and does what God calls her to do think about a woman in Israel. They're used to having men step up in the leadership. They want God to lead and generally that's what does he calls people to step up into leadership. She is a wife think about that a little bit. She is carrying out her duties as a mother and a wife and you know, she's living her life, but she is called also to be a leader in her community. And sometimes God does that he says well either there's no man to step up into the situation or a woman can do it to the best of our ability. And so they're called we have this happen in the New Testament as well Paul on his second missionary journey. He's left his other disciples up in Macedonia ministering there. He's gone through Athens he gets to Corinth and he is kind of depressed about the way life is going, you know, he's had battles and struggles. He's been thrown into jail. He's been beaten and he's Really? I had his struggles and he starts looking around the city and he comes across this Tent Maker named Aquilla and his wife Priscilla and they are Aquila is and Priscilla are Christians. They've been thrown out of Rome because there was a little persecution of of a Jew's there and they've been thrown out of Rome. They've come to Corinth and he's working their paws a tentmaker they build an acquaintance there. And so they encouraged Pho long and he begins this 18-month Ministry in Corinth that is very successful. Well Aquila and Priscilla move on they go over to Ephesus and they start ministering there and there's a man that comes to the synagogue and he preaches mightily his name is apollis and he preaches well, but he doesn't know the whole story. Because he's repeat he's preaching repentance, but he's not preaching Jesus Christ as the resurrected Savior. And so we get these words taken from acts 18:26. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue speaking of a Pallas and went Priscilla and Aquila heard him. They invited them into their home to explain to him the way of God more adequately. UC noticed it when they announce Aquila and Priscilla, they announce Priscilla and Aquila. Normally, it's the one that is a announced first. That is the dominant one in that particular scenario Aquila at is a pronounce first and other times we look at both of those in the Bible. So probably it was Priscilla that understood the teachings the best and she was able to guide incorrect a policy into becoming the into his understanding of the truth and able to preach more adequately that truth and apollus went on and was quite a speaker in Corinth and in other parts of the world. He he taught Miley the scriptures Powerful preacher but I'll Priscilla was willing to step up and here we see Deborah some close to 1,500 years earlier and she is God has called her he is called her because at we know because she is a prophetess. In other words one who is God has chosen to set apart to listen to his word and speak his word to the people. That's what a profit does, you know, sometimes they predict the future but most of the time is to tell people what God has to say. In other words. They were this God scripture to the people. That's what a product was as well as predicting the future. And of course, they did a lot of riding as well, but she was called as a prophetess. There are a number of women. We see in scriptures that are called that way. It's not quite as unusual as rulers. God called a number of them. One of them was Marion Marion, you might remember Mary and she was the one that walked the Moses. Is he floated down the river in the basket. And then when the pharaoh's daughter come up, she came forward and offered the real mother as a surrogate for her while she was raised. So anyway, then you'd is Moses's sister and Aaron sister for many years and eventually Moses came back and the people left Egypt. They cross the Red Sea in as they cross the Red Sea, of course Pharaoh followed along with his army is in God allow the Israelites to go apart cross on dry ground, but he soften things up for the Egyptian army. They sank in the sand and eventually they were Fresh by the waves with crashed over them. And anyway, they are on the other side and Marion decides to gather the people together and sing a word and it says in Exodus 15:20 Ben Marion. The prophet is Aaron sister took a tambourine in her hand and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. Yeah with him great. Yeah, I know who dancing it does happen in the word in the Bible. Yeah, she so she was leading the people in different ways. and that's what Deborah was called to me. She was called To Be A prophetess. And so that's what she was and she was using that Authority that God in her to help lead the people and judge them which means that she wasn't judge and she was a judge that dealt righteously with the people notice the people when they had a problem they came running to Deborah and they saw her out that demonstrates her leadership ability the people look to her and saw her as being a leader of the community Proverbs 10:21 says the lips of the righteous nourish many but fools die for lack of judgment. She was one who judge wisely and the people came to work to understand God's guidance and truth and what they were doing. And she sat under a palm the palm called Deborah Deborah is Palm and I don't know whether this was a group of one Palmer a group of palms or whether it was just a symbol of a palm because in the Bible it talks about the Palm as being a place of judgement of righteousness in Psalm 92:12. It says the righteous will flourish like a palm tree. They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. In other words. The idea of the pump is the picture of her righteousness as one who walks with the Living God.

And that's what we can say about her life. There are certain things about her life that we can look to and say that's what I want to be. That's what I need. Okay. There are three things. I'm going to tell you now and then we'll go back to it and closing but three things. First of all Deborah was successful because she trusted God She listened to God and she followed God in the things that she did she trusted God if you really want to beat us will in this life if you want to be a superwoman or man before the Living God. The number one thing is that you trust God and what you do. Numbers won the second thing is that she led as a leader. She led with confidence and Grace what was approachable? She was confident and what God explain to her and yet she was compassionate and graceful to the people because they came to her regularly. You don't seek out somebody who does not demonstrate Grace and compassion to people. And yet she did this very approachable person will see that in her life as we go through the next step in her rule as as a judge. And the other thing was that she was all inclusive in other words. She didn't turn away from people, but she used people within her own Ministry and again will see that as we step into the next several verses. But those three things trust God lead with confidence and Grace and be inclusive in your rule and we can rule ways. But those are important things to remember. Let's read on verses 6 through 9.

Deborah she sent for Barracks son of a been a whim from Katie's Neftali and said to him the Lord God of Israel commands you go take with you ten thousand men of naphtali in Zebulon and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure cesara the commander of jabin's army and his chariots in his troops to the he Shan River and give him into your hands. Brock said to her if you do not go with me. If you go with me, I will go but if you don't go with me, I won't go very well. Debra said I will go with you but because of the way you were going about this the owner will not be yours for the Lord will hand sister over to a woman.

Lots of things going on here number one, you know, this is judges and in judges, it tells you God raises up judges to watch over the people in judges at 2:16. It says then the Lord raised up judges who saved them out of the hands of these Raiders. Okay. This was a. In Israel's history of some 250 + years where God raised up leader that helped the Israelites when they were evil when they did things God didn't want them to do he brought in these Raiders whether they be Canaanites like they are with Deborah or where they are moabites are ammonites or Philistines. God brought different nations against People of Israel to leave them back to himself and when the people cried out God come and save us. God had these judges that help me out. Of all the judges that God had come and help that we have any depth of description in Deborah is the only one who I don't find anything that she really struggles with in her walk with the Lord. She's the only one all the others had these different difficulties they struggled with But she did not well anyway, what had happened was that the northern tribes were not doing what they ought to be doing. They were worshipping idols and different things like that and a long King jabin I can tonight and he had his commander cesura and he was rolling the Army and it says that he had 900 Chariot iron chariots been out against the enemy with you know, he trampled the enemy with these things and they were bringing great struggle and oppression to the northern tribes. It says zebulun and naphtali but there was also several other tribes Asher being one of them the didn't step up to the plate and what we're called to but They were in a struggle and they were crying out to God God help us. God sent sent Deborah to help them out and and she calls Barack Barack evidently was a leader and a warrior for his tribe. So it probably wasn't unusual to call him and I used it. Thank I'll what up. What a wimp Iraq was that he would ask Deborah to go with him.

Did you read that you said if I if you don't go with me? I'm not going. You know and I just suck it up buddy and get out there and do your work right? That's the way I always kind of thought about it. But you know, I did a little bit more thinking in this time and what's going on. This was God's instrument rack was God's instrument. He says it Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 41. He says when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grass fit in judgment, I will take Vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. And Barack was God's flashing sword. I think about that. He was the man God chose to lead his people. So don't get too angry and upset with him because he didn't want to do it without and I'll explain why he didn't want to do it without Deborah. It's very important to understand that within the story. And so I've kind of changed my mind about calling him a wimp or anything like that because he wasn't he was a warrior. He went to battle he was it was smart. Here's why he was marked. He wanted God to be with him and he saw God demonstrated in the line of Deborah and he knew that if God was with him that he would have victory.

Okay, that maybe a lack of trust in himself as having god with him, but he recognized that God was there it's kind of like me when it comes to a Praying before a service. Do you listen to what I pray? I want God to be here and I want him to be speaking through my life. I don't want to do it on my own because I recognized that I can accomplish it apart from him and the rack do that as well. He knew that he couldn't accomplish it apart from God being there. So he wanted Debra to come along just so that he knew God was there in their mixed. Okay, it was very important for him. He didn't care about being responsible for the victory. He didn't care for the Redemption of Israel apart from it being in the hands of God because he knew that there would be success in that. Okay, and God says I'm going to rescue. Okay, if God said it then Deborah you come with me and allow God to do that. We see in the easing song Psalm 18 the description of God and how he rises up to oppose those who are against him. It starts out and then it bursts 18-3. It says I call on the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies and then it goes on a describes how he gets riled up against those who are against his people and it's a pretty amazing song but Brak knew that he needed God. And so he wanted to commit all his ways to the Lord so that the Lord would be with him as he went into battle Psalm 37 5 and 6 David is writing these pretty much his last words almost his last song. I'm sure and he says commit your way to the Lord trust in him and he will do this. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn the justice of your cause like the Noonday sun and that's what Barack wanted and of course. That's what Deborah wanted. She wanted God to be. Involved in this work. She knew he would be she had every trust in him, but she also wanted Brock to be involved in it as well. And so there's this Unity of plan as she goes with Barack and she they wait on Mount Tabor. Okay. God said he's going to rescue. What is God going to do to rescue these people against all these iron chariots and everything that have been a rasic them for money for years. Perhaps the battle starting verse 10. Well little bit in 9 here. So Deborah went with Barack to kadish. Where do you summon zebulun and naphtali 10,000 Men followed him and Debra also went with him. And then it has another side light here. Now Heber the kenite they can I had left the other kenites and descendants of hoe. Bob Moses his brother-in-law and pitched a tent by the great tree. Zahnen men near kadish. That's that's the area where the victory would be taken away from varrock is with this man's wife and when they told to Sarah that Barack son of a bin when I had gone up to Mount Tabor sestric gather together his 900 iron chariots and all the men with him from her a chef hog win in the Keyshawn River to the Keeshond River and then Deborah said to Barack go. This is the day the Lord has given cesarin into your hands. He is as not the Lord gone ahead of you. So Brock went down Mount Tabor followed by 10,000 men. Ibrox Advanced the Lord routed to Sarah and all his chariots an army By The Sword and sesar abandoned is Jerry than fled on foot. But Barack pursue the Chariots in the Army as far as Harris yett Agawam all the troops of sisera fell by the sword not a man was left. Absolute Victory absolute Victory. Why trust in the Lord and do good? The picture is showing a little more clearly in chapter 5 if we were to read through the poem of Denver Rock and chapter 5 would see a little different pictures. So as we go through this next section of scripture, we're going to refer to chapter five quite often to reveal some of the things that we see going on in this battle that occurs the battle between the tribes of Israel and this Canaanite Commander sastre happens judges 52. It says when the princes of Israel Take the Lead when the people willingly offer themselves, praise the Lord and that's what the people of zebulun and naphtali did they offer themselves to the Lord willing to go down and fight. We're God because they were called they were called to fight and they stepped up to the plate. You know and it's in our life there are times when he calls us to do battle and we need to be willing to step up because it is only then when we can have Victory we don't have victory in the imagination we have victory in the reality of God's Mighty work in our lives. Well, there was a call that actually went out and we don't see that in the passage in 4 but in chapter 5 we see that in the passage and we read it in judges 5 14 and 15 a It says some some came from Ephraim whose Roots were in a Malak Benjamin was with a people who followed you from machir Captain's came down from Zebulon. Those who bear a boo bear a commander staff the princess of issachar wear with Deborah. So you see a number of other tribes jumped in there as well as zebulun and naphtali they said oh you're going to work. Okay. Well, let's join in. So we see Ephraim and Benjamin and it's a car jumping up to go to battle with these people and I'm so they join in the war. So it's it's a United effort. They weren't turned away. That's one of the things about Deborah. She was all inclusive if somebody wanted to come and help out with a difficulty or a struggle. She was willing to accept them. She didn't just hold everything to herself but was open and willing. But then we see the surprise God God's going to give it in your hands. God will help them out. Well did God help out the people to win this war? You know, they are going down. They have to do the battle. What's God doing? Well, here's the offering and judges 5 for it says oh Lord when you went out of see when you march for the land of Edom, that's the southern areas. Just south of Israel the Earth shook the heavens poured and the clouds poured down water. Now what are the things about chariots is that they need Solid Ground to move on, you know, they can't move when it's wet and Soggy they sink in and so this is probably summertime. You know, it's dry those chariots are moving great. They're ready to line up for battle and everything is going well and then God sends evidently a torrential rain that poured down and all these chariots that were so valuable in crushing the enemy couldn't move because they sunk down in the ground. And then they were free pickings for the Israelites to come along and take them out. They couldn't run away and because the Cherokee it's wouldn't move. They were stuck. No, God's Mighty hand in the summer that are typically really dry and is real. Was not so dry. God sent the rain and so his part in the battle was the help them. Did you feed the enemy? And so they gain the final victory victory. And it says that at the end of Judges 5 verse 31, so may all your enemies perish. Oh Lord, but may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. You know, they were they were victorious first of all because they had a judge who trusted God.

And then they had a man who was willing to step up to the plate. And then they had prayers that cried out to the Living God, please. Forgive us and help us to draw back to you.

God does bring Victory and he can bring victories today in our lives as well. He wants to bring Victor Victory to each of Our Lives as we go through this life. But there are certain things that we are called to do each and every one of us as we go through this life and that we can take these these things from the life of Deborah one who was a normal person really she was a wife. She had things going well, but she was also called to be a prophet is one who spoke for the people and she willingly stepped up to the plate and all those things so that God could bring momentary Redemption to the people of Israel.

Three things again that made Deborah successful in three things that every one of us can apply to our lives no matter what we're doing we can put these things into our lives because there are always opportunities for these to take place the most important. The number one thing is that we trust God You know is you're going through this life you think that you have skills you have talents you want everything to go perfectly in your life. And so you depend upon what you can do.

You know when sometimes you're successful and sometimes it just comes to nothing. God wants you to trust him through those circumstances. I've got seven grandkids. And I pray for them every day multiple times. And the most important thing I pray for it is their relationship with the Living God that they will trust God to be their guide their strength that they will trust him in every Avenue of their lives whether they are skilled in that area or whether they're not you know trusting in God is the thing that brings the blessing and the guidance only good can come out of trusting in God. Only good. The second thing is that when you're put in those. Places of leadership when you have a chance to step up to the plate and take up those reins of leadership in your life and each and every one of us is called at certain points to take up those reins of leadership no matter what the level. It says the idea is to lead with confidence because that's where God has placed you. But also lead with Grace. You know, we're not there to beat up people where they are to help them find in themselves the energy and the strength to do those things Barack needed that in his life the people of zebulun and naphtali needed that in their lives and they were grieving Grace. You know, why? Because Debra was approachable approachable. And yet she was willing to stand up strong. And give a command when it needs to be given. the third thing is

You know so many particularly those of us who were strong and character and think that we have it all together. And can do it the right way. We don't want to include anybody else because it just messes things up. You know, they may not do it properly. And so I might as well just do it myself.

You know, but that leads to struggles to it takes away from us the ability to encourage to blast and sometimes to bring Unity to others. And we need to be inclusive in our lives. Deborah demonstrated inclusiveness in her life is five different tribes depth up. To be involved in this effort to drive the enemy out.

She didn't step up to the plate and say okay. God wants these enemies gone. I'm going to take control of this and I'm just going to come and everything to happen and I'll grab the sword and go out leave the people know she called The Rock. And commanded Baroque is what God wants.

to be inclusive trust God be a great leader be inclusive. Follow the Living God in the way he calls you to. Let's pray. Grace's Father in heaven, we thank you for lives like Deborah that help us to no u to help us to learn what it's like to walk in the truth of who you are in your power and your strength. to know you father may you help us learn to walk right before the Living God so that others may see and know you your father. We're here to be your people before the world bless us. Oh Lord Our God in Jesus name.