The time of the Judges was a dark time in Israel's history.
The Israelites had quickly abandoned the responsibility to teach their children
about God in their day-to-day life. God became marginalized as the people
enjoyed the blessings of the land that God had won for them. By the time Joshua
died a new generation had grown up--but this generation did not know God or all
of the things he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10. The people did not see the
land as a gift from God but rather they viewed it as an entitlement. The
faithful worship of God became a relic of the past. As Israel meandered through
the years during the time of the Judges, their focus became so self-centered that
the last verse of the book of Judges gives this indictment against them:
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what
was right in his own eyes.
Israel had become preoccupied with her own well being. This
helps to explain why the Israelites so quickly turned away from God again each
time one of the judges would arrive on the scene to bail them out. You remember
the pattern: Israel would drift away from God. They would fall under judgment as
Deuteronomy predicted. They would cry out to God for help. God would deliver
them. Soon they would turn away from God again. God had become useful only for
the moment--to get them out of trouble.
How quickly the prayer of Moses had been forgotten.
"Take to heart all the words I
have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children
to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for
you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing
the Jordan to possess." Deut. 32:46-47
Israel's self-focus was evidence that she had lost sight of
life itself. One cannot be consumed with self and with God's Word at the same
time. One of the casualties of this inward focus was the lack of godly men. A
man who is serving himself is no man at all. He may be a tyrant, he may be a
survivor, he may be a hard worker, but he is not the man that God has called
him to be. One indication of this is that their children did not know about God
and what he had done for his people. This became a curse worse than the plagues
to Israel. Men became focused on what they decided was right for them. Fathers
did not pass on the truth of God to their children. Instead, they became men
who lacked principle and true courage. They became pragmatic. Even Samson, who
was given great physical power by God, became a slave to his own desires and
was humiliated until the last day of his life, when at last he remembered his
mission. Early in his life, Samson looked like the authentic man's man. But by
serving himself and indulging himself in his selfish desires, he became a
pathetic shell of what he could have been. Israel lost her men in the book of
Judges.
Thankfully, God reserved some for himself who would not do
what was right in their own eyes. In chapter 4 of Judges, we meet Deborah. She
was both a prophetess and judge. The people would come to her to settle their
disputes. Godly men appear to have been non-existent at the time. As Deborah
led Israel , God told her to call Barak. She gave Barak God's instructions on
how to defeat Israel's enemy, along with the promise that God would give the
enemy into his hands (Judges 4:6-7). Barak responded, but not as a man who
trusted God. He responded weakly, saying he would only go if Deborah went with
him. Deborah agreed to go, but told Barak that because of his fear he would
gain no honor. Another woman, Jael, would slay the leader of those persecuting
Israel. So Barak went off to battle and a victory was won. But Israel remained
mired in her cyclical pattern of apostasy. Men with the courage to follow God
were still lacking.
The narrative of Deborah and Barak presents us with a vital
lesson to be embraced. Deborah serves as an example for godly women. She was
faithful to her calling. She did not fear men nor seek their approval instead
of God's. She did not back down from the challenge of Israel's enemy. And when
Barak was afraid to follow God's command, she was unwavering in her faith. She
did not try to make Barak feel better about his lack of courage. She did not
exalt herself. She honored God. Moved by her courage, Barak went forward, and
the enemy army, with its superior number of iron chariots, was defeated.
Deborah is a role model for women today. We will look more
at this in the next post.
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A role model for women today? What, to take over their man's role if they don't think he will step up to the plate so she can do "the will of God"?
Unfortunately, we women, as scripture spells out, were... and still are, the deceived ones. While our desire is for our husbands, they are the rulers. If we can gain an inch, we will gladly take a mile.
I would suggest... and love to see, the women stepping aside and being the helpers they were created to be, in hopes that themselves stepping aside would encourage their men to step up to the plate. We've carried their plate too long.
Thanks for letting me comment. I enjoy reading this blog regularly.
Godly women stepping up to the plate are needed today as much as in the dark times of the judges. Women who are co-heirs with Christ and servant leaders alongside their husbands need not fear "taking over thier mans role"
but instead focus on fearlessly obeying God no matter what. When I step up to be all that God has created me to be, it empowers my husband. Each gender should bring every strength they posses to the table and humbly support each other's God given authority. Women are not more decieved, manipulative or power hungry than men, that is a distortion of what the bible teaches...ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.