The Book Of Judges (5 Of 5) Deborah

Some people think leadership does not matter, but it does. Notice, the Bible makes a point to show us that they had peace in the land as long as Ehud was alive. It was after he died the Bible tells us they fell off the wagon and began to do evil again.

Look at Judges 4:1, we read, “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.”

When you stop and think about this, this is really something, God had given them peace in the land for eighty (80) years and they did evil in the sight of the Lord.

We today hear about:

• Animal abuse

• Children abuse

• Spousal abuse

• Employer abuse

But we never hear about how people abuse God!

Every day God is so good to people, and how do they show their appreciation? They ignore Him, reject Him and despise Him.

Because of Israel’s sins, the Bible tells us they were given into the hands of a Canaanite king called Jabin, who reigned in Hazor. Hazor was a city previously destroyed by the Israelites under Joshua.

Look at Judges 4:2, we read, “And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.”

The commander of Jabin’s army was a man named Sisera, and his army’s claim to fame was the possession of 900 iron chariots.

Look at Judges 4:3, we read, “And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.”

In this age, this would be the equivalent of being a SUPER POWER! Israel did not have anything to compare to the military strength of Sisera

They were subjected to Jabin for 20 years, when they cried out to the Lord for help.

At that time, an Israelite woman was leading Israel – she was also a prophetess (a spokesperson for the Lord). Her name was Deborah.

Her name means “honey bee” – she was the original Yellow Jacket!

She held court under a tree where people from all over came for help in solving their legal problems.

She was probably more of a judge in the sense that we use the word than any of the other judges.

Look at Judges 4: 4-5, we read, “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.”

It was quite a distinction, especially for a woman. Let’s look at the life of this great lady to see what we can learn from her life.

We see -

I. THE WISDOM OF DEBORAH

History has recorded the lives of some great men and great women.

Illus: Margaret Thatcher goes down in the British history books as a strong leader. In fact, she was the longest serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century.

She goes down in the history books as a great woman.

Illus: The story is told that former president Ronald Reagan, Gorbachev, and Thatcher all died on the same day and stood before Saint Peter as he sat in a big royal looking chair.

• Saint Peter says, "Ronald, my son, what have you to say for yourself?" “I tried to improve the US economy," replied Reagan, "and I did my best to benefit the nation." "Very well, my son, come on in!”

• Saint Peter says to Gorbachev, "Mikhail, my son, what have you to say for yourself?" He said "I tried to make the Soviet society more open," replied Gorbachev, "and I did my best to improve the Soviet economy." "Very well, my son, come on inside the pearly gates!”

• Saint Peter called up Margaret Thatcher. He said, "Margaret, my daughter, what have you to say for yourself?" "Only two things," replied Thatcher. “First, I'm not your daughter, and second, get out of my chair!"

These women can be tough at times!

Deborah was a very intelligent woman; people came to her for solutions to their legal problems.

When I think of her in the scriptures I think of JUDGE JUDY!

Illus: Many enjoy watching Judge Judy on television because she is smart and she does not take anything from anyone.

She is one tough judge, here are some of the quotes from her court room; if you listen to her on television they are going to sound familiar.

• "Do you see stupid written on my forehead?..."

• "Don't ask me questions, I ask questions!"

• "Don't look up at God, look at me!"