- Lesson 5 in the Connect360 unit “The Conquerors: Heroes of the Faith” focuses on Judges 4:4-23; 5:7, 24-27.
We are introduced to Deborah in Judges 4:4-5. In these two short verses, we can learn a lot about this remarkable woman. She is called a prophetess, meaning she is especially divinely gifted by God to communicate God’s will to his people. She was married to a man by the name of Lappidoth, and we quickly see that she has been appointed to be a judge in Israel.
We see in Judges 4:5 that Deborah positioned herself under a palm tree, and she must have made that a known and predictable place, because the Bible calls it the palm of Deborah. That place of judgment and decision-making was positioned between Ramah and Bethel.
Deborah identified herself not as a warrior or general or even judge; she identified herself as a mother. In the song she sang with Barak in Judges 5, she said, “The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7) Deborah identified herself as a nurturing, loving mother. What a gift Deborah had to have been to Israel, a formidable lady who judged with the heart of a mother.
In the presence of God
The two cities mentioned here surely are important as well. The name Bethel means “the house of God,” and it was here that Jacob entered into covenant with God, and Jacob said of Bethel, “surely the Lord is in this place” (Genesis 28:16). The name Ramah means, “holy hill.” It is not a stretch at all to say that Deborah made sure she found herself in the presence of the Lord. If she was going to be making weighty decisions for a nation, if she was going to have influence and lead, she wanted to be in the presence of God.
Deborah must have judged with a great reputation. Deborah is the only judge about whom it is written that people came to her to have disputes decided (Judges 4:5). She was respected, she was trusted, she was wise, she was good on her word, and she lived with a good reputation. Surely, Deborah was a woman who trusted in her God.
Compiled by Stan Granberry, marketing coordinator for GC2 Press, formerly known as BaptistWay Press.
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