A Warrior for the Lord

             Today, our news is filled with war stories.  While it often appears that there are wars or threats of war at every turn, war is nothing new to humanity.  It has been a constant threat over the centuries of human existence.  Today, I want to share with you about the only woman warrior in the Bible, Deborah.  After the death of Joshua, God raised up Judges to lead the nation of Israel.  Deborah was the 4th in the line of succession, and the only woman.  She began to lead Israel over 140 years after the death of Joshua.

            When Deborah came to power, Israel was not in a good place.  Time and again, they had done “evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judges 4: 1 NIV84).  At this time, God had sold them into the “hands of Jabin, a king of Canann” (Judges 4:2 NIV84).  Jabin was a cruel man, and the iron chariots that he possessed made him a formidable opponent.

            After receiving instructions from God, Deborah summoned her General, Barak, and told him to prepare for battle at Mt. Tabor.  She made it clear that the commandment came directly from the Lord, and that He planned to give Jabin and his troops into Barak’s hands (Judges 4:6).

            To us, it sounds like a great opportunity.  To Barak, it sounded like a death trap.  He couldn’t imagine facing Jabin and his iron chariots.  He was so paralyzed with fear that he only agreed to move forward if Deborah went with him.  It’s hard for us to imagine a General so afraid that he was willing to let a woman defend him, but that’s exactly what Barak did!  Deborah didn’t hesitate, and ultimately, Barak obeyed the Lord’s instructions.  The Lord was faithful to His promise and routed Jabin’s army that day.

            What makes Deborah different from any other warrior or commander-in-chief?  She had the benefit of battle plans directly from God, and she trusted His faithfulness.  In contrast, Barak doubted.  He doubted his own ability, and more importantly, he doubted God’s ability to win the battle.

            As Christians, we are also warriors.  We fight a spiritual battle against evil every day.  Unlike Deborah, we don’t have the benefit of all of God’s battle plans, but we do have the benefit of knowing that the ultimate victory is His.  We march every day into an unknown future, not knowing what land mines or “iron chariots” may lay ahead.  As we see the evil around us, it’s sometimes easy to doubt God’s faithfulness, and there’s no doubt that life would be so much easier if God gave us specific instructions as He did Deborah. 

            But wait!  He did give us specific instructions.  He said to love the Lord your God, love your neighbor, and go into all the world and preach the Gospel.  He also said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20b NIV84).  Those commandments and that assurance set out a perfect battle plan for our lives as Christians.  The question is, will we be a Deborah, marching forward in full confidence in God’s faithfulness, or will we be doubters like Barak?  That’s a question each of us must answer for ourselves.

Judges 4: 1 – 5: 31

Matthew 22: 36 – 39

Matthew 28: 18 - 20

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