Deborah

Posted on January 28, 2026January 29, 2026 by

Adapted from the study ‘She, volume 1, p. 21-22

Read: Judges 4 & 5

God’s Word tells us that Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, and that she judged Israel.

Which of those things surprises you the most and why?
- For me, it is that she (a woman) “judged Israel,” and that she judged for forty years (5:31), and during that time: “the land had rest.” Please understand, for me – this isn’t said with an attitude of, “look what a woman can do”, but rather it is about remembering that God chooses and appoints those He wants to use and empowers them to accomplish the thing which He has purposed for them to do. We only have to be ready and surrender to His call.

It is helpful to know that not all prophets, or in this case prophetesses, were judges; nor were all judges prophets. However, here in Judges 4:4, Deborah is recognized as both. Which the “She” study guide points out, p 21:

The fact that she was a prophetess means that “the Lord had gifted her with the ability to discern the purposes of God and declare it to others.”
As for the fact that she was a judge, according to Judges 17:6… “She judged in a time when men did that which was right in their own eyes.”
- It may surprise you to know that while Deborah was the only woman Judge over Israel recorded in the Bible, she was not the only prophetess. The Bible lists many others, including:
  - Old Testament:
    - Miriam: (Moses’ sister, leader in worship)
    - Deborah: (Judge and prophetess)
    - Huldah: (Confirmed Josiah’s discovery of the Law)
    - Isaiah’s wife: (Unnamed, gave prophetic names to sons)
    - Noadiah: (False prophetess who tried to stop Nehemiah)
  - New Testament:
    - Anna: (Prophesied about the infant Jesus in the Temple)
    - The four daughters of Philip: (Prophesied in Caesarea)
    - Other Mentions/Traditions:
  - Jezebel: (False prophetess in Revelation).
- - Some traditions also include Hannah (mother of Samuel) or Abigail (wife of David) as prophetesses, though not always explicitly titled as such in Scripture.

I share this not to distract from Deborah, but to remind us that God is not bound by cultural norms … but can raise up who He chooses – and does so always with a purpose. Why is this important? Because, as women, we must understand that God calls not just men, but women, to lead. We must be surrendered and ready to serve where and how He leads us. I particularly appreciate this quote from the study guide: “She led by faithfully doing as she said she would do.” Friends, wherever God has called you and whatever He has called you to do, may we do so, determined to give Him all the glory. May we also, like Deborah, “faithfully fix our heart upon the LORD, rejoicing and singing praise to the LORD among the people, making known through our celebration the greatness of our God and of His works and provisions on our behalf.

“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.”
Psalm 31:3

Reflection and Application:

What is most interesting to you about Deborah?
What can we learn from her and apply to our own lives?
How can you be/are you a leader?

I invite you to leave a reply below or at today’s Journey Through the Word FB post.

The More We Know

Deborah was one of the judges of Israel during a time of oppression. …The Lord spoke through her as she held court under a tree called “the Palm of Deborah” in Ephraim. …Deborah was Israel’s only female judge. Some scholars have suggested that her position as judge was itself a judgment on the weak-willed men of Israel. Because Israel’s men were unfit to judge, God chose a woman for the job, partly to shame the men who should have taken the leadership. Other commentators believe that Deborah’s role as judge was a sign of God’s comforting presence in the midst of His oppressed and downtrodden people. …We can see that God’s power is what matters, regardless of the instrument He chooses to use. Man or woman, strong or weak, confident or hesitant – all are strong when they are moved by God’s Spirit and filled with His strength. We can also see in Deborah a picture of God’s tender care for His people. As a mother cares for her children, so Deborah led and nurtured Israel (Judges 5:7). – For more on Debora, visit https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Deborah.html

I also found it interesting and worth noting that Deborah wasn’t listed only as a prophetess and judge but as the “wife of Lapidoth”. This means that she not only had the demands of judging Israel and making known the purposes of God to the people, but she also bore the responsibility of caring for her husband and home. It is also worth noting that nothing else is said about Lapidoth in the Bible, but as one commentary pointed out, we do know he married a godly wife and can only imagine that, with the demands of God’s calling on her life, he was a supportive husband. 🦋

I invite you to scroll down and leave a comment … or join the discussion at Journey through the Word

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Posted on July 16, 2022March 11, 2026 by

Reflections of Week 5, Beautifully Surrendered

Beautifully Surrendered, God’s Heart for His Daughters is a Love God Greatly Study

The women we’ve studied this week showed us that joy and praise can be part of our lives when we live surrendered to God through every situation. Actually, praise can be a catalyst for surrendering to God and being filled with His joy as ‘it’ [praise] keeps God at the forefront of our minds and hearts. Miriam led others to praise Him on the other side of the Red Sea and Leah praised Him despite her loveless marriage. Praise can also be the catalyst for others to praise God. This is what happened when the ‘women of Bethlehem’ saw how God had blessed Naomi with a grandson. When we live surrendered and follow God into battle for His people, as in the story of Deborah, praise will flow and joy will follow. When this happens others will see, as we did in the life of Mary of Bethany, who despite cultural norms and heartache chose to sit or fall or give her best in praise and adoration to the Lord – her Savior. There is much that can be learned from these beautiful stories. There is much we would do well to mimic. As with the others that we have read they are certainly worthy of reading and sharing again and again. If for no other reason they will undoubtedly spark praise and joy in our own hearts as they refocus us on the greatness of our God.

Life isn’t always easy so praising God isn’t always easy. Likewise, being joyful in all circumstances, as James suggested, is at best a challenge and at worst seemingly impossible. However, when we realize the key is maintaining a focus fixed on Him – past (what we’ve witnessed in the Scriptures or in our own lives), present (His fingerprints in our own lives and those we know), and future (His promises of His presence with us, constantly new mercies, and eternal life …) – we feed both praise and joy.

My dear brothers and sisters, consider it an opportunity for pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. For you know when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4

I have made this statement in previous weeks, but it bears repeating. Consider these stories and their truths often so that you do not grow weary and lose heart. Fix your eyes on Him and not the circumstances of Your life – only then will we truly surrender and say as Leah did, still in the midst of her loveless marriage, “Now I will praise the Lord!” As we saw again and again this week, the choice is ours. May we choose well – so that Jesus may say of us, “they chose the best part”.

“Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:42 NET

If you missed any of this week’s devotions from me you’ll find them at this link

If you missed any of the Love God Greatly Blogs for week 5 you’ll find them at these links:

https://lovegodgreatly.com/sing-to-the-lord/

https://lovegodgreatly.com/held-by-gods-hand/

https://lovegodgreatly.com/wholehearted-worship/

Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Posted on July 13, 2022July 13, 2022 by

Deborah: Praising God for Victory

Today’s Reading: Judges 4:1-5:9; SOAP: Judges 5:3-9

“Listen, you kings!
    Pay attention, you mighty rulers!
For I will sing to the Lord.
    I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.
⁴“Lord, when you set out from Seir
    and marched across the fields of Edom,
the earth trembled,
    and the cloudy skies poured down rain.
⁵The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord,
    the God of Mount Sinai—
in the presence of the Lord,
    the God of Israel.
⁶“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
    and in the days of Jael,
people avoided the main roads,
    and travelers stayed on winding pathways.
⁷There were few people left in the villages of Israel^[b]—
    until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.
⁸When Israel chose new gods,
    war erupted at the city gates.
Yet not a shield or spear could be seen
    among forty thousand warriors in Israel!
⁹My heart is with the commanders of Israel,
    with those who volunteered for war.
Praise the Lord!
Judges 5:3-9

Observations:

The first part of the story is important in understanding and appreciating the victory, so let’s take a look…

The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight
The LORD turned them over to King Jabin of Canaan
The army’s general was Sisera
The Israelites cried out to the LORD for help because Sisera’s army was strong and he had cruelly oppressed them for twenty years

Meanwhile, God is working through a Prophetess named Deborah. Verse four says that she was leading Israel at the time of Sisera’s oppression of Israel. One day Deborah brought the commander of Israel’s army to her and reminded him what God had called him to do, which was to go to battle against Sisera and Jabin’s army. Deborah encouraged his obedience by promising her help (6-9). When Barak agreed she made sure he understood that while the victory would belong to Israel, he would not be the one gaining fame. She explained that the LORD would turn Sisera over to a woman, which is exactly what happened (14-24).

The Victory Song

Deborah’s song of praise that she sang with Barak did not focus on HOW the victory humanly took place, nor on who the “people were” that brought down the enemies – BUT on God alone! It was specific to what God had done and how He had used Deborah as a motherly protector in Israel.

How Then Should We Live?

We may not sit in a judge’s seat or rule God’s people from under a tree but we would be right to encourage others to do what God has called them to do, as Deborah did with Barak. The author of Hebrews said that we must encourage one another daily so that no one becomes hardened by sins deceitfulness.

We would also be right and wise to sing a victory praise song to celebrate God’s goodness, focusing the praise on Him and what He did.

But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
Hebrews 3:13 CSB

Prayer Response:

Father – victory is ours through Jesus Christ! May we be quick to sing Your praises – specific to what you’ve done and always focused on You. – AMEN!

Your Turn:

What’s your take away from Deborah’s story?

Reflection Questions:

Deborah praised God in the midst of battle.

Why is this important for us to do as well?
Why is it important to remember how God has fought on our behalf?
What can we learn from Deborah’s example?