Deborah the Prophetess

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 Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. Judg 4.4-5, 8

We know what Deborah did, but not who she really was. We don’t know what she looked like or what her personality was like. At the time she judged Israel, the country was under attack. A Canaanite King, Jaban, sent his army under the command of Sisera, to conquer the land. Barak was the General in charge of the Israelite army, the most experienced military man Israel had. But when Deborah tells him to attack Sisera’s army, Barak will not go unless Deborah goes also.

So what do we know about Deborah? She was married and had judged Israel for some time. Deborah was not a young, inexperienced woman. She was used to hearing the disputes of the people of Israel, and listening to God as she decided between them. She was married, and her husband must have been a man of great strength and understanding. She probably had children, and maybe grandchildren. She had a few grey hairs, a few wrinkles, a few extra pounds. I like to think that she was the type of person who liked to knit.

But she was a Prophetess for God. The people of Israel had great respect for her as the foremost spiritual leader in the land. She heard from God, and spoke His words to the people. She was held in such great respect that Barak, the General of the Army, would not go to war unless she came with him. And she did go with him, many miles, probably on foot, into the hills around Mt. Tabor. The journey cannot have been easy for her. But she was obedient to the direction from God. The power and accuracy given to her in the knowledge of God had nothing to do with what she looked like, but everything to do with her humbleness to God’s leading and her willingness to be obedient to God.