Let Deborah Arise

Deborah – Judges 4 & 5

 Define the following names:

o Deborah = “Bee” in the sense of orderly motion and being sweet to her friends and family and dangerous to her enemies.

o Jabin = “Whom God observes”

o Sisera = “Battle array”

o Barak = “Lightning or Lightning Flash”

o Jael = “Mountain Goat”

 Israel had been under cruel oppression for 20 years.

 Deborah was a prophetess and she led Israel at that time. The people would come to her to have their disputes settled.

 Deborah sent for Barak and revealed the plan of God to him – for him to lead an army from Israel and defeat Sisera, the commander of Jabin the Canaanite king who ruled Israel.

 Barak insisted that Deborah go along. She told him that he would not get the honor, but that Sisera would be handed over to a woman.

 Deborah commanded to “GO” for this was the day of deliverance by the hand of the Lord. “Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?”

 Sisera was routed to the point that not one man was left alive of his troops.

 Sisera escaped and hid in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber. Jael drove a tent peg through his temple as he slept.

 5:7 Warriors in Israel ceased until Deborah arose as a mother in Israel.

 5:31 “So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.”

Why We Need Deborah to Arise Today:

1. There is a cry going out from the hearts of God’s people about the oppression the church is under from the enemy.

a. Heaven is aware of the issues affecting the people of God. But, until a cry goes out from the people of God, the hands of Heaven are tied.

b. Without a cry, we show we are satisfied or content with the way things are.

c. The oppression had been going on for 20 years. How long do we put up with things before we cry out for change?

2. God has been watching and stirring up Deborah’s for quite some time now and the timing is right.

a. "I find so often when the frustration in heaven gets in line with the frustration on earth, there is a power that is released that just gets very strong." (Bill Hybels)

b. When we get to the place to where the stirring itself isn’t enough, but we must see change take place, we know we are on the verge of something great.

c. We have got to get to the place that we don’t just want change, but we are willing to rise up and put our hands to the plow to see change brought about.

d. Actions truly do speak louder than words.

3. Deborah represents the steadiness and consistency necessary to both win and maintain victory.

a. Barak means “lightning flash”. That is temporary. We don’t need a temporary fix or a temporary anointing.

b. If a temporary, quick fix was enough, we would be in a great position by now.

c. We didn’t get to where we are at quickly, and the victory must be won with consistency and dedication.

4. When Deborah arose, the warriors returned.

a. There is a remnant of God’s warriors who are waiting for someone to rise up and lead them back to he place and position for which they have been created.

b. God granted peace and victory for 40 years. The time of victory was twice as long as the time of oppression.

c. The sad part is that after the 40 years, the Israelites went back to their wicked ways and found themselves in a place of oppression again.