Deborah: A Mother in Israel

Deborah:  A Mother in Israel

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

            Keeping in mind that women in the Old Testament often picture the Church, the Bride Of Christ, we find in the Old Testament heroine, Deborah, a woman who was a judge, a prophet, a warrior and a mother in Israel.  Hers is not the stereotypical picture of motherhood.  Her story is, however, a realistic picture of what it takes to nurture life in both the home and in a nation. Her story is told in Judges 4.  Her accomplishments are celebrated in Judges 5.

“Judges 5:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying:
²  "When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the LORD!
³  "Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
⁴  "LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water;
⁵  The mountains gushed before the LORD, This Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.
⁶  "In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.
⁷  Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel.”

In times of crisis, the Church must arise as Deborah, arise as a mother in the Kingdom of God, in our families and in our nations.

         We gain deeper insight into the story of Deborah when we realize the meanings of the names of the characters:

Judges 4:1-3 (NKJV)
^“1  When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
²  So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim.
³  And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he harshly oppressed the children of Israel.”

Eduh:  unity

Israel:  those who have power or favor with God

Jabin:  worldly philosophy

Canaan:  humiliation; shame

Sisera:  servant of Ra (Ra is a false god.)

When we translate the names, the passage reads as:

Judges 4:1-3

^“1When UNITY was dead, the children of THOSE WHO HAD FAVOR WITH GOD again did evil in the sight of the Lord. ²So the Lord sold them into the hand of WORLDLY PHILOSOPHY, king of SHAME, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was THE SERVANT OF RA (FALSE RELIGION), who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. ³And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.”

We learn that disunity can cause even the children of God to turn to the evil of thinking as the world thinks.  Worldly thinking  brings shame into our lives.  Worldly thinking and worldly values are a false religion that places man above God, that places instant gratification above lasting value.  We need leaders with the courage of Deborah to stand for truth in a culture that glorifies falsehood. 

Judges 4:4-5 (NKJV)
^“4  Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
⁵  And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.”.

Deborah:  means bee.  To more fully understand her character, we must look to the bee who is known for her industry.  A bee is busy doing what she has been called to do.  Insects in the bee family are the only creatures who enable life even as they retrieve the nectar to sustain themselves.  They bring forth a double portion of life:  reproductive life to the plants from which they have extracted nectar and life to themselves as they produce honey.  Their life-giving product is sweet, nourishing, healing and non-perishable.  The Bride of Christ as been called to do the same.  

Again, by looking at the meanings of all the names in the above passage, we can learn how we, the Bride of Christ, can be Deborahs. 

Lapidoth:  torches; fiery

Ramah:  a lofty place (a higher purpose)

Bethel:  the house of God

Ephraim:  double fruitfulness

When we once more translate the passage with the meaning of the names in place of the names, we learn:

Judges 4:4-5

⁴Now the ONE WHO BUSILY BRINGS FORTH A DOUBLE PORTION OF LIFE, a prophetess, the wife of FIRE AND LIGHT, was judging Israel at that time. ⁵And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between a HIGHER SENSE OF PURPOSE and the HOUSE OF GOD in the mountains of DOUBLE FRUITFULNESS. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 

            Deborah was busily doing what she had been called to do.  She is in an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit who is exemplified as fire and light.  Her wise judgment came from that relationship.  She positioned herself with a higher sense of purpose and remained close to the House of God where she could maintain double fruitfulness in her life.  Notice that she didn’t go to the people with her wisdom; they came to her.  God has placed great wisdom and judgment in His people.  We must conduct ourselves in such a manner that people will come to us for His wisdom.

Just as a bee stings to protect its own, a Christian walking in the anointing of Deborah is not only a nurturer, but also a warrior.  Read the rest of Judges 4 and 5 to see the victory.  We have so romanticized motherhood, we often forget the mother-spirit that goes to battle for her loved ones.  Deborah, a mother in Israel, led the armies against the enemy.  It is the call of the Church to lead the battle against those things that seek to steal our freedom and to destroy our souls.