The Lord raises up Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, as the fourth judge when Canaanite military might drives Israelites off the land. “The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7).
- Her role combines prophet and judge (Judges 4:4, like Samuel).
- She holds public court at Deborah’s palm (Judges 4:5, like Moses who was chief justice).
- She summons Barak and orders him to assemble an army of 10,000 (Judges 4:6).
- She travels with Barak and the troops to the battle (Judges 4:9).
- She predicts success, with the glory of victory going to a woman (Jael the Kenite, Judges 4:9, 21; 5:24).
- She and Barak sing the song of victory (Judges 5).
- She leads to 40 years of peace (Judges 5:31).
What may we learn from the story of Deborah? Two lessons would seem obvious:
- The first is that women can lead as competently as men. This is evident in settings like business, education and politics. Other examples include the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10) and Queen Candace of Ethiopia (Acts 8). More recent examples include Queen Victoria, monarch of Great Britain at the height of its empire, and Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher, each an effective prime minister.
- The second lesson is that Deborah is exceptional. In the entire biblical record, Deborah is unique, the only woman chosen by God as the national leader for His people. (Queen Esther has great influence, but her husband King Ahasuerus reigns supreme.) The fact that Deborah is exceptional accentuates the almost universal rule that God makes men leaders for His people.
Together, these two observations suggest a third about comparative worth. The Bible and general experience prove that many women are wiser and better than the men who lead them (1 Samuel 25:3; Matthew 27:17-19; 1 Peter 3:1). To rule is an assignment; it is not a sign of innate superiority of any kind.