I made mention of Deborah in my introduction and she is the first amazing woman I am going to introduce you to. I think she is my favourite female in the bible simply because she was the perfect combination of strong and cool!
Where you’ll find her
Judges chapter 4&5
Who she was
Deborah was a wife, a prophetess and a judge. A wife is a husband’s helper and confidant, the bible describes a wife as ‘a good thing’. A prophet/ess is defined as an inspired teacher who proclaims the will of God. Judges 2 vs 16 lets us know that God raised up judges to save the people out of the hand of raiders. Deborah was a leader in a time where men were at the forefront of it all. She was a woman of wisdom, else people would not have gone to her to settle their disputes (vs4) and she would not have been appointed as judge at all. Can people rely on your judgment when they need direction? In essence Deborah was a strong woman.
What she did
Deborah told Barak that God had commanded he take his men to mount tabor and that God would deliver Sisera (a cruel army commander who had been oppressing the Israelites), into his hands. Now most of us would hear such a thing and go confidently but Barak lacked such confidence and told Deborah, he would only go if she came with him. This shows Deborah’s great influence and wisdom to be able to lead a battle and that people were aware of this. She was definitely not a shrinking violet! When nobody wanted to fight, Deborah was up to the challenge (chp 5 vs 7). When those around you are weak can you be strong for them? Deborah went with Barak but let him know that the honour of the battle would not belong to him, but to her, since he lacked confidence. When God tells you something, believe Him so that what is meant for you does not pass you by.
Why she’s amazing
Deborah to me was amazing because she showed that as a woman, you can do it all. I have no doubt in my mind that none of her roles suffered for the sake of the other. She did not shrink back and say this is a man’s job or lord Barak’s lack of confidence over him. She continued encouraging him even at the point of battle, reminding Barak that the Lord had gone ahead of him (vs14). Deborah showcased the simple fact that even if you are a minority in your place of work, education, etc, God can still lift you up to do great and mighty things.