Judges 2: 1,
5
"Awake, awake,
Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and
lead thy captivity captive . . . "
Who is this DEBORAH? Why is she told
to "awake"? If you recall after Joshua died and
before Israel demanded a king to rule over them, the
people did what was right in their own eyes. Because
this never works, God ordained that judges would
rule His people. Two of those fourteen judges were
Samuel and Gideon. Today we have discovered that a woman
has become a judge. She was so revered that people
called her "a mother in Israel" ! What an honor!
What an awesome responsibility!
Please notice that four women are
mentioned in Judges 5. It is most interesting. Two are
followers of the LORD God and two are not. Remember
Jael? She was brave. Barak, Deborah’s captain, was
in pursuit of Sisera. He, who led nine hundred men
driving nine hundred iron chariots was frightened to
death! He must escape Deborah’s and Barak‘s pursuit.
Sisera rushed into Jael’s tent. It was then--after a cup
of warm milk, followed by sleep--that a woman named
Jael took a hammer and a nail. She "smote the
nail into his temple." What a brave woman! Israel
was saved that day! No wonder Deborah sang!
Sisera had a mother. We read that she
waited and waited for the homecoming of her son. She was
so proud of him! All day, she peered out her window
saying, "Where is my son? Why is he so long in coming
home?" We can’t help but feel compassion for the
woman. No matter our religion or our ethnicity, mothers
are the same. They love their sons.
The mother of Sisera had "wise
ladies" as friends with her. They too, were listening
for the sound of Sisera’s chariot wheels. Personally I
think they suspected bad news–but tried to encourage the
worried mother. They contemplated for her sake that
Sisera was taking care of business. Of course, he
wasn’t, for he had died by the hand of Jael. He never
would ride up in victory to his mother’s window again.
Deborah was married to a man named
Lapidoth. She not only was a judge and a prophetess, she
also accompanied her army leader, Barak, in battle. He
appeared to be afraid of Sisera and his iron chariots.
Who wouldn’t be? He needed Deborah to leave her
judgement seat under her palm tree. He froze at the
thought of going to war without her. Perhaps it was his
fear that brought women to do the job he was afraid to
do.
It is a shame that some men are
afraid to follow the LORD. They are not like Joshua or
Caleb. They have trembling knees. Because of this, God
may use a woman to do a man’s work today. It is sad but
true. As we read the Bible, we become aware that God
chose very few woman to lead His people. We should be
very, very careful in this day and age, not to usurp the
authority of a God-called man. A woman should not
fill the gap when a man is there to do it. There are
very few "Deborahs" in the land! Let us be very careful
about thinking that we are one. (ysw)
"JOY"
NEITHER BE YE
SORRY
(Nehemiah 8:10)
"Neither be ye
sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength"
Although in
"former" days you were stronger,
don’t mourn for
yesterday.
WHAT DO WE MEAN
BY THE JOY OF THE LORD?
Is it only the
fruit of the Spirit?
Compare Hebrew
12:2 "the joy set before
Him."
FOR IS HE
MY JOY?
(GGS)
