The Warrior Bride

The Warrior Bride

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Judges 4:4-9 (NKJV):  “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 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.
Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?"
And Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!"
So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman."                     Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.”

And together they routed the enemy and sent the enemy captain, Sisera on the run.  Later in Judges 4, we learn the story of Jael.  She invited Sisera into her tent, lulled him to sleep with warm milk and drove a tent peg through his head.

The stories of Deborah and Jael cause me to paraphrase an old song by Nancy Sinatra.  My version:                

"These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do.
Devil, these boots are gonna walk all over you.”

Deborah, a mother in Israel, a judge and a prophetess, and Jael, a nomadic housewife, picture the Church, the Bride of Christ, willing to go into battle to defeat the enemy of our souls.   

Revelation 19:6-8 (NKJV) pictures the Bride of Christ, the Church:
^“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

Notice that the Bride has made herself ready.  Too many of us are sitting on our blessed assurances, whining and waiting to be raptured into glory.  However, we are to engage in His business until He comes. (Luke 13.)  That business includes standing up, speaking out, rebuking the enemy and declaring victory in the name of Jesus.

Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
"Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The armies of heaven, clothed in righteous, follow the Lord into battle.  The weapon of the Lord is the Word of God.

Church, arise like Deborah and Jael.  Behave righteously, speak the Word of God that declares victory to those who love Him.  Think about this:  If God inhabits the praises of His people, then who inhabits our fearful whining and complaining?

Devil, listen carefully, these boots, these people of God, are gonna walk all over you and your deceit.