Israel “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord … serving the Baals and the Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled” and God gave them over to oppression by the king of Aram for eight years. Then they cried to the Lord, who raised up a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, who defeated the Aramites, and the land had rest for forty years (Judges 3:7-11). Then the Israelites again began to worship other gods, and God gave them up to Eglon king of Moab, for eighteen years until God raised up Ehud son of Gera, who killed the enemy king and then led the army to defeat the Moabites, and the land had rest for eighty years (3:12-30).

Again the Israelites “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died” (4:1). This led to twenty years of oppression by Jabin, king of the Canaanites (4:3). Then the prophet Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, summoned Barak son of Abinoam, and declared the word of the Lord to him: he was to assemble an army to defeat Sisera, commander of the Canaanite army (4:4-7). Barak’s response is interesting: “If you go with me, I will go, but if you wil not go with me, I will not go” (4:8).

Deborah agreed, yet warned Barak that by asking for her help leading the Israelites he would end up with little glory from the battle (4:9). The text does not tell us what Barak said or thought: just what he did, in mustering the army. It was a response that said, “I don’t care who gets the glory, so long as we defeat the enemy who has been oppressing us.”

So Deborah got the glory as the judge (4:4); and even though both Deborah and Barak sang the song of triumph (5:1), it is Deborah whom we mostly remember, who arose as “a mother in Israel (5:7). And Sisera the enemy commander was indeed struck down by a woman, Jael (4:21), who indeed got the glory, as the best lines of the song were dedicated to her action (5:24-27).

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You give us the chance to make a great difference, but it calls for bravery, and we so often let the opportunity pass us by. Deborah, Barak, and Jael all chose courage, and changed the course of history. Strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may follow their examples.

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