DEBORAH THE JUDGE – Part 2
Despite a recent snowstorm, our small group was in full
attendance for last night’s Zoom Bible Study, and that was a blessing. I didn’t
feel the usual energy I often feel going into our studies, and perhaps the
weather played a role or maybe the weariness of the week lingered.
In any event, we welcomed the Holy Spirit into our time
together and then got out of His way so He could lead us forward, and He did.
Last Week in a Nutshell
Last week, our study focused on Judges chapters 1
through 4, tracing the spiritual climate that set the stage for Deborah’s
leadership. Judges chapter 1 makes clear that Israel entered the Promised Land
but did not complete what God commanded. The text repeatedly tells us that “they
did not drive them out.”
Israel didn’t reject God outright; they obeyed partially. And what
God commanded them to remove, they allowed to remain - creating a problem that
grew over time. What was left undone did not disappear; it remained.
What Partial Obedience Looks Like
Today
Partial obedience often looks respectable. We start well and agree
with God in principle, but hesitate when obedience becomes costly.
Today, partial obedience can look like churches that
preach salvation but avoid repentance; congregations strong in worship but weak
in discipleship; believers who know Scripture about God but do not live
under His authority; and families where faith is assumed rather than taught.
“God understands” quietly replaces “God commands.”
Scripture is quoted selectively.
Sin is softened, renamed, or explained away.
Israel didn’t fully obey God, and that decision caught up with
them. What they allowed to stay eventually resulted in oppression under King
Jabin of Canaan (Judges 4:3). Partial obedience doesn’t stay harmless. It grows into something heavier to deal with
later. Partial obedience doesn’t just
delay blessings, it produces bondage.
Judges chapter 2 reveals that God’s displeasure was not
only about disobedience, but about forgetfulness. A generation arose that did
not truly know the Lord or the works He had done. Faith was no longer being
taught intentionally; it was assumed. Obedience became partial, and compromise
became familiar.
It is within this context that Deborah appears in
Judges chapter 4 - not during a time of peace, but during national instability
and spiritual compromise. She did not seek authority, nor did she take it.
Scripture introduces her plainly as a prophetess, a wife, and a judge. No
explanation. No defense. No apology.
Judges chapter 4 exists because Judges chapter 1 was
incomplete.
Relevant Scriptures We Looked at
Together
As we moved into Part 2 of the study, we widened the
lens of Scripture to understand leadership, calling, and God’s design more
fully.
We read Genesis 1:27 to hear how God values
women. From creation, men and women are made in the image of God equal in value
and dignity before Him.
We read Acts 2:17–18 to hear how God gifts
women. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit makes clear that sons and
daughters would prophesy. Calling flows from the Spirit, not culture.
We read Romans 16:1–3 to see how women were used
in the early church as leaders. Paul affirms women such as Phoebe and Priscilla
as co-laborers in the work of the Gospel.
We also read Ephesians 5:23 to clarify biblical
headship. Headship is Christ-like, not authoritarian. It involves sacrifice,
responsibility, and love. It is not domination; it is accountability before
God.
God’s order establishes responsibility, not
superiority.
God Is Not Confused
Scripture consistently distinguishes between headship
in the home and leadership in the community of faith. These are not
competing roles, nor are they interchangeable.
A woman’s calling in the church does not cancel a man’s
responsibility in the home. Likewise, a man’s headship in the home does not
disqualify a woman from being called, gifted, or used by God in ministry.
Holding these distinctions together requires humility,
clarity, and faithfulness to Scripture.
Deborah and the Question Her Story
Forces Us to Ask
Deborah’s story often creates discomfort not because
Scripture presents her leadership as problematic, but because it challenges
assumptions we sometimes bring to the text.
Deborah did not erase God’s design; she operated within
God’s sovereignty. She led through obedience, discernment, and faith during a
time when leadership was required because obedience had been delayed. The
question, then, is not whether God still calls women as leaders, but whether we
will recognize His calling when He does.
Scripture calls us to avoid extremes and remain
anchored in truth. It teaches us:
- Christian men are called to lead, not withdraw.
- Christian women are called to serve, not shrink.
- A woman may lead in ministry without dishonoring her husband.
- A husband’s headship does not disqualify his wife from God’s
calling.
God’s design is not about power, but stewardship.
Moving Forward
Last night was a reminder that energy does not carry a
study, the Holy Spirit does. When we step aside, remain anchored in the Word,
and allow God to lead, He always accomplishes what needs to be done.
And that, too, is obedience.
Peace & Blessings,
Elder Yetta N.A.
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Don’t quit in ’26.
Not because the road will be easy,
but because God is faithful even when the journey is hard.
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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 every first Thursday.