Essay Example on Deborah Saves Israel: The Story of Ehud's Passing

Introduction

After the death of Ehud, the Israelites sinned before the Lord. Ehud was a prophet of Israel from the tribe of Benjamin who delivered the Israelites from the Moabites. The Lord sold the people of Israel to Jabin, a king of Canaan. During this time, Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a judge. The people came to her and she solved their disputes. She sat under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and bethel in the country of Ephraim. Deborah, being the leader of the Israelites at this time, sent for Barak, son of Abinoam. She instructed him to take ten thousand men to mount Tabor. Here, the Lord would deliver the army of Jabin, led by Sisera, to their hands. Barak insisted on taking Deborah with him. Deborah agreed to this request but noted that the victory would be bestowed on her, as Barak had declined to go alone. On Mount Tabor, the Israelites won against Sisera and his men. The only survivor was Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, who escaped on foot. He sought refuge in the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. She offered him milk to quench his thirst and covered him with a blanket and he fell asleep. While asleep, Jael drove a tent peg through his temple, killing him instantly. From that day, the Israelites grew stronger against Jabin the Canaanite king, until they eventually destroyed him (Barker & Burdick, 1985). On that day, Deborah and Barak sang the song of Deborah, to praise the Lord for the victory against Jabin. After this victory, there was peace among the Israelites that lasted forty years. Deborah was the only female judge and one of the few female leaders among the Israelites. Her many qualities have been a great inspiration among women for generations since her reign. This paper will cover various qualities and lessons learned from the life of Deborah (Koosed, 2019).

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Deborah lived a life to be emulated by those around her as well as those who read about her deeds to date. Her name has been viewed as symbolic in various ways. According to ancient Hebrew, the name Deborah meant a bee. Just as bees fly in a swarm, the Israelites followed their prophets diligently. Bee is also a lowly insect, which reflects on the humility of Deborah as a prophet of Yahweh. The bee also has a painful sting but produced honey that very sweet. This can be viewed to represent the punishment that befalls those that do not obey the Lord. The honey on the other hand, represents the blessings that are promised to those who obey the commands of the Lord and walk in his ways. Other than the meaning borne by her name, Deborah was a leader with formidable leadership qualities.

Courage

When Deborah approached Barak about going to war with King Jabin of Canaan, he asked her to accompany him to the battlefield. She agreed to this request. Like any other field of battle, the battle between the Hebrews and king Jabin was one of violence and bloodshed. Despite the uncertainties and dangers of injury or even death, Deborah went ahead to accompany the ten thousand men to the battleground (Younts, 2014). On top of this great act of courage, she led the Israelites during a time when the people we're surrounded by enemies. Since the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, they were surrounded by enemies that posed a constant military threat to them. Being their leader, Deborah had to protect and brave this threat and diligently protect the people against their enemies, as the Lord guided her. She was also courageous to lead the people at a time when the Israelites were filled with lawlessness and anarchy (Arnold & Beyer, 2015). They lacked faith in Yahweh and worshipped the Canaanite gods. They could easily turn against Deborah but she remained grounded on the power bestowed upon her to lead the people.

Wisdom and Knowledge

According to the book of Judges Chapter four, Deborah sat under the palm of Deborah in the hill country of Ephraim. The Hebrews would line up before her and have their disputes decided. To solve these challenges presented to her, she needed to apply great listening skills and to deliver decisions that were fair and acceptable to all parties. This act of decision making even during difficult situations required extensive knowledge and wisdom. Her intimate contact with the lord as well as in-depth knowledge of the law came in handy during this difficult task (Younts, 2014).

Humility

After the victory against Jabin, Deborah sang a song praising God. Judges chapter 5, "When the princes in Israel take the lead when the people willingly offer themselves-praise the Lord! "Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song....So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." (Barker & Burdick, 1985) In this song, she praised the Lord for his power. She narrated the occurrences of that battle. She sang about all the people who had participated including Barak and even Jael, who killed Sisera. She did not take credit for guiding the people in this battle, which further reflected on her humble nature. She sang of all the deeds that God had done for them until that point. She also emphasized the power of the lord as she sang on how, even the mountains quacked in His presence.

Trust in God's Word

In Judges Chapter four, when Barak wavered and insisted that Deborah had to accompany him to the war, she did not falter. God had assured her that she would deliver the army of Sisera into their hands. She trusted in the promises of God and did not doubt that God would keep His word. She was confident that despite the nine hundred chariots possessed by the enemy, they would emerge victoriously (Branch, 2019). This was a time when the Israelites were quick to criticize the prophets of Yahweh and were quick to call them out on words that they spoke. Despite this pressure from the faithlessness of the people, Deborah remained steadfast in her faith in God. She, therefore, did not hesitate to accompany Barak and his men to mount Tabor, where God delivered his promised win to his people.

Support for the People Called To Lead

This is seen in Judges 4: 6-7 (NIV), "she sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Go, take with you ten thousand, men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him unto your hands." (Barker & Burdick, 1985) Deborah acknowledged the role of Barak in the battle against the Canaanites. Moreover, she faults him for seeking strength in her rather than in God himself. In verse nine, "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman..." after the battle was won, Deborah sang a song with Barak. She did not look down upon him or leave him out of the celebration of victory, as he was still chosen by God to lead the people in battle.

Deborah Was Trusted

She had earned her position through her belief in God. The people under her leadership are proof of this trust. In verse 5, "she held court under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided..." this verse reflects Deborah as a leader that her people could trust with their day to day problems. They acknowledged her wisdom and knowledge hence would line up to seek help with their problems. Barak also reflected the trust he had for Deborah in verse 8, "Barak said to her, If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." Barak was confident about the implication of her leadership. He relied on Deborah as a source of strength as well as an assurance that they would win in the war if she went with him.

Deborah led by example

She accepted to accompany the men to battle. This is a leadership trait that earned her trust and more faith from her people. It was unusual for a woman to go to battle. However, her presence assured Barak of strength and victory (Koosed, 2019). This was also a time when the Israelites kept falling into the sinful ways of their neighbors, the Canaanites. A leader who led by example came in handy as emulating what their leader was doing was easier than following teachings without seeing them in action.

The Relevance of Deborah's Qualities to My Spiritual Journey

Deborah was a courageous woman. Life is full of difficult situations. Tough decisions need to be made all the time. In the life of a Christian, courage is a vital virtue in living according to the teachings of the Bible. Deborah has taught me to be courageous in facing challenges. Before making any decision or partaking any task, it is important to seek the blessing of God in prayer. Judges chapter four teaches that God is a keeper of his word. He kept his word to Israelites through Deborah. It is also important to praise God all the time. Just as Deborah sang to the Lord after winning the battle against the Canaanite king, I should make it a culture to thank and acknowledge God's role in my life. Deborah was humble in all her dealings with God and her people. She conveyed the message as it was from God. She informed the people that she spoke of the lord and not of her own words. She also did not take credit for the victory, but instead gave God all the praise. She also included Barak in her song of praise. This depicts her as a humble woman as she acknowledged the role he played in leading the people against the army of Jabin.

Deborah speaks to me as a leader through her formidable leadership skills. The Bible emphasizes that leaders should be followers of God's will. Deborah, in Judges 4: 6, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor..." (Barker & Burdick, 1985). She passed on the message as she had been instructed by God. The will of God is known to Christians through the Bible as well as day to day happenings in their lives. Also, Deborah was the only female prophet in Israel. She rose in a male-dominated world, commanded respect and earned trust. Being a Christian today means standing out of the crowd. In a world that is dominated by so much ungodliness and sin, standing up for the biblical truth is similar to standing out as a female prophet during the time of Deborah. This was a time when the Israelites' faith in God kept wavering and they kept backsliding into sin. It was a very challenging time for a prophet of Yahweh as she had to stand up against the wrongs in society. However, Deborah believed in God and constantly sought his will. For a Christian to stand up against the wrongs in society today, I need to be in constant communication through prayer. I have learned to pray for perseverance and for faith for things yet to come, just as Deborah believed that they would win the war.

Prophetess Deborah led by example. The best way to lead people into righteousness is to lead a righteous life. The world today is full of new trends and vast sources of information. It would be an uphill task to ask people to read and follow the teachings of the Bible especially if they do not know what these teachings entail. Following and living in the footsteps of the messiah is the most effective way of shining the light of Christianity even to the non-believers since seeing is believing. It is also important for a Christian to gain the trust of the people around them. Deborah had earned the trust of her people. They were therefore very open and shared their problems with her. My spiritual journey is not mine alone. The Bible directs that a Christian should be a light...