Deborah the Obedient & Faithful Judge (Part I)Scripture References: Judges Chapters 1 - 4
At the heart of last night’s Bible Study on Deborah was obedience and
faith. Deborah was raised by God as a judge during a time of war, not
peace. She led under threat, not comfort, and she honored God when obedience
was costly.
God honored her faith, she completed her assignment, and the land had
rest.
At the onset of our study, we saw that the tribes of Israel did
not complete what God had assigned them to do after crossing the Jordan River
to go into Canaan. They experienced some victories, but they did not finish
what God instructed them to do—drive out the Canaanites. Scripture
repeatedly lets us know in Chapter 1 that they “did not completely
drive them out,” meaning they did not fully drive out the Canaanites as God
had commanded.
Israel’s obedience was partial. They started well, but they stopped
short; and what was left undone did not disappear. The incomplete assignment
remained, and we saw that there was a spiritual consequence to this partial
obedience. Judges 2 tells us that the LORD was angry - not only because of
Israel’s disobedience - but because the current generation did not honor Him
and knew little about Him.
The issue was not only what Israel failed to do; it was also about what
they failed to pass on. Knowledge of God had grown thin, reverence had
weakened, and obedience had become incomplete. This is the environment in
which God raised up Deborah.
God wanted someone who would complete the assignment and honor
Him while doing it. Deborah - who was already a prophetess - was raised as
a judge during a season of divine displeasure, spiritual compromise, and
national instability.
As an aside, it is worth noting that there were fifteen judges
during the roughly 400-year period of the Judges era, and Deborah was
the only woman.
Deborah’s story unsettles long-held assumptions about leadership in the
Christian church because Scripture establishes an order in creation. God
created Adam first and then Eve, the woman. That order informs how we
understand headship, particularly in the home.
Because of this, many readers instinctively pause when they encounter
Deborah. If God established male headship in creation, how does a woman rise as
a judge over Israel? That tension is not cultural; it is theological. Deborah
is not presented as a contradiction to God’s design, but as an expression of God’s
sovereignty.
Scripture shows us that headship in the home and leadership in the
community of faith are not the same thing, and we will discuss this more
during next week’s lesson.
Deborah does not take authority; she is given responsibility. She does
not lead by force or position, but by obedience to God. Her role does not erase
creation order; it reveals that God is free to distribute gifts and callings as
He chooses for the good of His people.
Deborah said yes to a difficult assignment during a time of war,
under national threat, and amid spiritual failure, and God used her faith to
bring peace to the land.
Judges Chapter 4 exists because Judges Chapter 1 was incomplete.
Deborah appears in the text without apology or explanation. Scripture
does not defend her authority, it assumes it. She has no throne, no army, and
no force. What she has is obedience, discernment, and faith in God. Her
leadership reminds us that faith is not passive, obedience is not optional, and
God honors those who trust Him even when the assignment is hard.
Looking Ahead
Next week we will conclude our study on Deborah and dig deeper into Genesis
1:27; Acts 2:17–18; Romans 16:1–3; and Ephesians 5:23, looking at how
leadership in the home and leadership in the church are not the same for
Christian women.
Please note that beginning February, we will no longer post weekly
Bible Study summaries and will instead share monthly summations.
You are welcome to join us on Thursday evenings from 7:00–8:30 p.m.
EST.
Email elderyetta@creativecommunityconcepts.org for Zoom information.
Communion is observed on the first Thursday of each month, except
on national holidays, in which case it is observed on a different week.
Don’t quit in ’26.
Not because the road will be easy,
but because God is faithful even when the journey is hard.
Peace & Blessings,
Yetta N.A.
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