The book of Judges can be a pretty depressing read as we see how the Hebrew people continually lost sight of their faith and went astray. When they woke up and begged God to help them, He sent them judges.
The people listened and obeyed for awhile, but then the judges died, and they went back to their sinful ways. This pattern continued over and over, but then in Judges 4 we see where God got creative in His approach.
Ehud, the judge, had died, and the people once again engaged in their sinful ways. So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan. Sisera, his army commander, then tormented the Israelites with nine hundred chariots of iron. It got to the point where the people had to hide in the hills, taking back roads to travel because they were afraid to get on the main roads. They huddled in their homes, held captive by the fear of Sisera and his deadly chariots.
Then the people cried out to the Lord, and He sent them Deborah, an ordinary housewife married to an obscure man named Lapidoth. God gifted her as a prophetess, and she sat in her yard under a palm tree and gave out advice to those who came to her. During a time when men trembled in fear, a strong woman offered comfort and wisdom to the masses.
Deborah is the only woman in Scripture to be elected by her peers to hold a position of high political authority. But she didn’t get there by her own actions. No, she took her gift of prophecy, given to her by the Lord, and used it to help and encourage those around her. And God used her in a mighty way.
Read about Deborah giving advice: Judges 4
Listen on Your Favorite Podcast Platform.
Women of Prayer Bible Study
Women of Prayer is a 10-Week Bible study about getting to know the character of God through the stories of Bible women who prayed.
Get daily devotionals delivered directly to your inbox.