Friday, October 14, 2011

Women of the Bible Encouragement Series: Deborah ~ Stand Up

Today, we have as our guest Deborah, who led the children of Israel into war against Jabin, king of Canaan, and Sisera, the captain of his army. She is fierce, I will tell you that.  I was a little afraid when I first saw her sitting under The Palm of Deborah, a spicy, dust-laden wind billowing the edge of her cloak. She was quite a Joan of Arc in her day--only we are left to imagine she had a happier end.


Hi Deborah! Thanks for being with us today. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am Deborah, wife of Lapidoth.

(Locusts chirp in background.)

Okay. Um… You are called a prophetess, which can mean several things: the wife of a prophet, a woman who prophesies, or a poetess. Which one were you?
I judged the people of Israel along with Barak.

Ah… I see. (I scratch my eyebrow, wondering how to get her to open up.) Well, maybe you can tell me about the day you rode with Barak towards the army of King Jabin.
I said to him, “Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: Is not the LORD gone out before thee?”

So you had to pretty much stay on his case in order for him to follow God’s command? Was he lazy or just afraid?
It is not good to speak against God’s man.

(Oops) You're right. I'm sorry.
I will tell you, however, that the Lord gave the honor of victory to a woman, Jael, as a punishment and judgment for Barak’s cowardice and unbelief.

We don't hear much about your husband, Lappidoth, other than his name. Was he similar or opposite to Barak? Did he support you in your position as a judge of Israel? Tell me about him.
I am tired of speaking. I will sing the answer to you.

Oh. Okay, um... Go right ahead.
My beloved is like a beacon on the hilltop. His name means ‘shining’. He sings to me the songs of encouragement and is always with me. He is my resting place.

Your voice is lovely. Where did you learn to sing?
My mother. She taught me to use song to proclaim truth. A woman’s tongue has the power to tear down, build up, calm down, or stir up. We have a duty to use it wisely.

Yes ma’am. That is so true. You mentioned your mother and it got me to wondering... You are called a ‘mother of Israel’. Were you not afraid that you would die in battle and leave your children motherless?
It is better to die, leaving an inheritance of righteousness and peace, than to live in cowardice and sentence future generations to slavery and oppression.

That is a hard truth. You have given me much to think about. 
Winding down here... I know you’re a poet, and have done a bit of writing yourself, so what advice would you have for Christian writers today?
Poetry in writing means nothing if the words do not honor God. Write for a reason. Do what is right even when others don’t. Stand firm in what God has called you to do.


Natalie again. Thanks for reading! If your wondering about Deborah's propensity for impulsive singing, check out Judges chapter 5. She is a very quirky lady, so much so that I had trouble following her sometimes. LOL. Hopefully you got the gist of her story. Next week's guest will be Tamar, David's daughter. This randomly selected guest was suggested by commentor Victoria and Joel



4 comments:

  1. Keep up the good work Natalie! ~Victoria

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  2. Thank you, Victoria! Your encouragement is such a blessing. :)

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  3. Wow, very interesting! I think Deborah was great but confess I haven't really read her story, just heard about her.

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  4. Hi Jessica! I'll admit I'd never given her much thought until it was time to research this. I had heard the story, but not really focused on who she was. This series is really causing me to dig deeper and I hope it will ignite that curiosity in others as well. Thanks for coming by! :)

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