“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26
After the Israelites began to forsake the Lord (again), He gave them over to a king of Canaan. Deborah, a prophetess of the Lord in Israel, was serving at the time as judge in Israel’s civil disputes. (Judges 4) The fact that a woman (then) was “the judge” makes me wonder what had happened to the men. Deborah was a married woman, but nothing is mentioned about her husband except his name, Lappidoth.
After Israel had been cruelly oppressed for twenty years by this king the Lord told Deborah to send for Barak (the general) and instruct him to take Israel’s men and go up against the king’s commander and army. The Lord assured that He would give Israel the victory, but when she delivered the Lord’s instruction to Barak – this is how he responded: “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” Deborah replied, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand your enemy over to a woman.”
Deborah, like the ‘holy’ women of old, understood their noble place alongside men, as “helpmates.” But here we see the Lord coming to her for her faith and courage when He could not find faith and courage in the men. Deborah obeyed the Lord when He called her to rise up and do His will for His people.
Three questions I have when it comes to Deborah and Barak: Why couldn’t Barak hear the instruction of the Lord on his own, or if he could, what was he afraid of? And, what kind of man was Lappidoth, Deborah’s husband?
From the way Barak responded I would assume that Barak (and the men of Israel) were afraid to revolt and fight their enemies, even when the Lord promised them total victory. If God had not said to go against the king, then in trying to do so ‘on their own’ would not have been a successful mission. But, the Lord said to go and that they would be victorious. What was Barak’s fault that the honor would go to a woman instead of to the man in charge?
What might have happened if Deborah had just prayed and waited for Barak or any other man to gain the courage to obey the call of the Lord into battle? The natural answer to this question is: “Then the people would’ve continued to be cruelly oppressed.”
What do you think is more important to God and critical for the good of societies; that men would respond faithfully and courageously to the call of God for their families and country, OR that God would end the oppression of His suffering people through “roles exchanged?”
“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30
Can one man make a difference? Certainly! If men don’t listen to what God says to do and do what is required of all Christian men, then very concerned women will step up and take over. Sadly, it will more than likely be fearful women that act, or wicked women that see their opportunity to take control; women who do not know their God-given boundaries nor the power of intercessory prayer.
In a time of great fear among His people, God approached Deborah to speak with faithful instruction to Barak the commander in charge. But like most men today who are not strong men with faith in God, Barak wanted Deborah to take the lead. She did not want the job, but she obeyed the will of God and God gave Israel the victory. But the honor, as recorded, went to a woman and not to the man it could’ve gone to.
What we need to see more of are holy women going into battle with intercessory prayer; giving ‘faithful’ instruction so that her sons will grow up to be mighty men of God. God honors the woman who calls on Him and waits for Him to answer her prayers of faith, hope and love.
We need to see men growing up to do what God tells men to do for their wives and children, and for their country. I often wonder what would’ve happened if Deborah, after telling Barak what God told her to tell him, just prayed for Barak to take control. The people would’ve stayed oppressed longer? Maybe, maybe not. Men won’t grow up by women telling them what to do, but rather by men faithfully taking up their positions with the call from God.
Little boys need to be trained for battles in life; beginning with the battle of their thoughts and desires, and then learning how to battle and overcome other enemies for the greater good of society. It should be their own fathers who lead and train their sons in the realities of life, how to be REAL men. We’ve seen enough RESULTS of the other kind!
As women we often take over when we believe our husband, or men in seats of authority, aren’t doing what we think they need to do, or aren’t moving ‘fast enough.’ Women jump in out of fear instead of going to God and waiting in faith for Him to work through her husband and the leaders in government.
God honored Deborah’s courage and faith in Him even though it wasn’t His perfect will for a woman to lead the men into battle. Just because God permits something doesn’t mean that it’s His perfect and acceptable will; He is the only One that can go against His own order of things in life to get His will done.
God gave Israel the victory through a woman because there was no man He could count on to obey His timely call to go into battle. I wonder how it made the men in Israel’s army feel, following a woman into battle instead of the man in charge. A man should be bothered by a woman leading him because it’s simply not right, according to God’s order of things. A man should also feel ashamed of taking on the role of a woman. And…..I won’t start on the evil of transgender operations but to cry out: COME, LORD JESUS – COME!
God has His standard for men and women, family and nation; the standard that has never changed and that standard will remain forever! It is fulfilled with His true sons and daughters that are in Christ Jesus.
How God used Deborah in a man’s position is His right as Creator and His business as Ruler over all His creation. Just because God did something out of His own order of things does not give women the right to take over the positions that God gave to men; for this weakens a society and nation.
Wise men are drawn to a woman with godly wisdom and the inner strength of faith in God’s promises and order in life. This is of great worth to a man; that he have a wife of noble character; a wife that will not purposely humiliate him, or fight with him, or compete with him for leadership. There is a proper time to bring up concerns and resentments with your husband, after you have gone to the Lord about it for the understanding you need in prayer over it. Wanting to have the last word in an argument or debate doesn’t allow God to have the most powerful word with your husband. His Word is powerful, not your words, unless you are speaking the very words He has given you to speak.
“The lips of the righteous nourish many. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.” Proverbs 10:21 and 32
If you like having the last word in an argument just remember this: The way you ‘rightly’ get to have the last word with your husband – is in prayer to God.
Women have been taught by their mothers and programmed by society’s feminists (jezebels) to take their stand against their husbands (and daughters against their good fathers) until they get their husbands (and fathers) to obey them. We need to take our stand, but not against our husband. We need to take our stand against the devil who is working to put husbands and wives in conflict and competition with each other. We need to put on our spiritual armor for prayer and cut off the plans of the enemy against our godly marriage and family.
Faithful instruction is what you can expect to receive all the time from a true woman of God. One reason the laws of God are not commonly applied and taught is because the wisdom of God behind His laws is not understood. For example: Johnny’s mother tells him that it is wrong to tell a lie (Law of God: do not lie) but can Johnny’s mother make [6 year old] Johnny understand why lying is wrong so that he will not want to lie again? What is the fear that Johnny needs; the fear that he could get caught and punished, or that of a higher reverent fear of the God who created Johnny for greatness and not shame? If Johnny’s teen age friends all lie and get away with it, then what is there ‘in Johnny’ to prevent Johnny from going along with his friends? When Johnny reaches adulthood – how will Johnny perceive lying or any other sin?
We need wisdom from God to know the right time to speak with faithful instruction to our spouse, children, friends and strangers. But, even when we say or do what is right at the right time – it doesn’t guarantee that you will get the response or results that ‘you’ hoped for; it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be hated or persecuted for it either. Just trust God and wait to see the good response or right result that He is after.
The wise woman and wise man must become more cautious with what they say and do in public when public opinion has sided with evil. It is becoming more critical to know the proper words or actions that are needed at a given moment. If we are not careful to keep our words and actions in line with the Holy Spirit, yielding to His timing and wisdom – we might provoke a verbal beating or maybe be sentenced to some jail time – unnecessarily. There is a time to speak and a time to just keep our mouths shut. There is a time to act out and a time to do nothing but pray and trust the Lord.
We can get tripped up because we have more knowledge than godly wisdom. For example: God’s servant, Paul says to the church:
“God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says….for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anybody (male or female) thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. If you ignore this, you will be ignored yourself.” 1 Corinthians 14:33-40
What is God’s wisdom behind this faithful instruction? Why are women, more and more, found prophesying (falsely) and preaching in church pulpits, and teaching men how to be men? Oh we can come up with many reasonable answers that appear holy, but are not holy at all by God’s definition.
When we take on what God did not give us, or take over a responsibility that is not ours from God, we open ourselves up to the devil’s lies and self-deception, and all kinds of evil. The devil’s only desire is to take from God; to defy God in every way imaginable; to ultimately take over what belongs to God’s Son – if that were possible. NOT!
There is a danger (destructive power) that goes along with acquiring too much knowledge before we know how to use in the right way what we’ve come to know. What we see today are people with a lot of knowledge but without good judgment/wisdom in how to use it properly to the glory of God.
I’ve spoken and acted on my own far too many times and then suffered for it. I am more careful now to call on the Lord and wait on the Lord for wisdom.
“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.” Proverbs 8:12-18