Deborah: the Exasperated Matriarch

Deborah: the Exasperated Matriarch

Deborah: The Exasperated Matriarch.

Lesson for April 10.

It’s been a while since I’ve read the narrative on Deborah. LOL at the DVD! There are lots of issues for discussion that pop up in the DVD. First off, how many have ever heard of the powerhouse leader of the Old Testament named Deborah? She was one of the ‘pre-king’ leaders called Judges. Judges were leaders who settled issues, had lots of authority and were warriors. More known Judges are Samson and Gideon but they have nothing on Deborah. What gave her confidence? How does it compare to her soldier colleague named Barak How can you tell if a person is confidence or arrogant?

Deborah goes up against arch enemy Canaan. She went with Barak, a reluctant soldier, who didn’t ‘want to go alone in battle. What did Deborah do to remind Barak to be confident? (Judges 4-5). Deborah also had a song attributed to her as well. It’s in Judges 5 and is one of the oldest texts in the Bible. It’s long too.

There are a number of women in leadership in the Bible. Can you think of some? Who were the first witnesses to the resurrection? There were even women apostles. One of them is mentioned in Romans 16:15. This woman was a leader who Paul knew and greeted in the closing of this letter. Later, some were not so thrilled about women in leadership and seemed to have translated this passage from Paul (Who supposedly had a thing against women. Not) and added an “s” (in Greek-sigma) to the name. With the added “s” it became a guy’s name. That’s how it worked in Greek but the earliest manuscripts of the Bible read it the other way.

Many think the Judges were like a marvel super-hero. But each one had some kind of insecurity, like we do, and yet God used them in a mighty way. The issue was not how great the guy or gal was, but who God was for them. Also, in the last part of the DVD there is the gruesome account of another woman, Jael, killing an enemy ‘general.’ This is one of a number of violent accounts in the Bible. Now, because it’s recorded, doesn’t mean that it was approved. But she was a pretty gutsy gal!

Through people like Deborah, God was fulfilling the promise way back in Genesis. God was working to unite all people in Christ. It would take time, but it was underway. It started with Abraham, the ordinary Patriarch, and will continue with Deborah, David, and……..you.

When was a time when you were not very confident and things turned out better than you expected? When was a time when you were confident and things didn’t turn out so well? What did God teach you about it?