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The Presbyterian Church of NSW is currently debating whether women can be elders in the future. An elder is a member of Session and a senior leader of God’s church. It is worth our while to look at Judges 4, which tells the story of Deborah, a Judge of Israel.

What are women capable of in God’s word? Of course, the Old Testament is different to the New Testament. And the book of Genesis sets everything up for us. But Judges 4 has something to say to us as well. Judges 4 tells us of two amazing women: Deborah and Jael.

Judges 4:1-5 reads:

¹ And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died. 

² And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 

³ Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. 

⁴  Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.  ⁵ She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.

Here we are introduced to Deborah the judge of Israel. The Judges cycle has continued from vv.1-3 where Israel sins; Israel is sold over to their enemies; the Israelites cry out to God; And God raises up a judge. Here, God sells them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, whose commander is Sisera. Israel is greatly oppressed by Canaan and Sisera. The enemy possessed 900 iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years, so they cried to the Lord for help

In this situation there is Deborah, a prophetes who speaks the word of God to the people. She was also a judge.

Judges 4:6-7 continues:

⁶ She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 

⁷ And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?”

This is the prophecy that Deborah is given to give to Barak, her commander!

She tells Barak that God has got this sorted. Barak is given a message from God saying: “You will win!”

But look at how Barak responds. This is “Barak’s wimpy speech”.

Judges 4:8  Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

Barak’s response is “I’m not going unless Deborah comes with me!” Barak does not follow God’s word to him, but protests and gives God and Deborah an ultimatum.

Judges 4:9  And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Deborah gives Barak the verbal smackdown! Deborah shames Barak. In a sense, she pronounces a judgment on Barak. See what she says there: the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.

Now for some reason in v.11 we’re told about Heber the Kenite. Meanwhile, we are told of the fighting between Israel and Canaan. Deborah directs Barak to go out and fight (v.14). And it is celebrated in the Song of Deborah in chapter 5.

But the second woman we want to look at is a lady called Jael. She is the wife of that fella Heber the Kenite.

Judges 4:17-21 

¹⁷ But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.  ¹⁸ And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 

¹⁹ And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 

²⁰ And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’

²¹ But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and …

Do I need to say more?

I wonder if Jael was afraid when that mighty warrior came towards her tent? At what point did she know that she was going to kill Sisera?

Sisera is portrayed as a boofhead isn’t he?

“Oh please Jael give me some water … give me some milk … I’m thirsty … I’m tired?” Oh please Jael … give me your doona … let me get warm in this little tent….I’m only a precious simple mass murderer you know!”

But that’s the point isn’t it?

Sisera was the enemy of God And Jael strikes the enemy of God and brings the victory to God’s people. Jael was a brave woman; she rid the earth of this wicked man.

This message is not to support murder – we all know I trust what it says about this in the Ten Commandments. As Christians, we cringe at what Jael did, as it seems contrary to the sixth commandment. However, as God’s judgement falls, Sisera loses his battle with God.

Barak is passive, and it is Jael who is the brave one. She is the warrior as Deborah prophesied, Barak would not get the glory, for the LORD would sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Girl power! Or, more accurately, God uses women to carry out His glorious purposes. Deborah judged Israel! Jael saved Israel!

But, friends, the problem in God’s church, occurs when we don’t live out God’s purposes for men and women. I have recently read an excellent book on embracing complementarianism. Complementarianism is not just something we’re to put up with or be ashamed of, but it’s something we are to embrace positively. Men are to be leaders in the family and the church, and women are to complement and help this leadership. Complementarianism also says that women are not second-class citizens in God’s church, for the Bible teaches that we cannot carry out God’s mission without women!

God called both Adam and Eve to express dominion over the earth together. It is a partnership, and working out the glory and effectiveness of this partnership is a crucial task for the church and for families. Embrace and rejoice what the Bible teaches us about men and women in the church

So why was Deborah a judge, the leader of Israel? Kevin De Young says that as a judge, Deborah did not exercise a military function but came alongside Barak when he failed to go into battle by himself (Judges 4:8). It was to Barak’s shame that his enemy would be killed by a woman (Judges 4:9, 21-22; 9:53-54). Moreover, the judges in Israel were national deliverers more than formal officers with constituted authority.

            De Young also points out that Deborah seems to be a glorious exception to the rule laid out in 1 Timothy 2. She was a prophetess and a judge, and she oversaw a period of victory and peace in Israel (Judges 4-5). While Deborah fulfilled these important roles, she performed them uniquely as a woman and in different ways to the men who had served in these capacities.

First, she seems to be the only judge without a military function. Deborah instead is instructed to send for Barak, a man, to conduct the military maneuvers (4:5-7). Even when Deborah goes with Barak into battle, he is the one who leads the 10,000 Men into the fray (4:10, 14-16). Second, Barak is rebuked for insisting that Deborah go with him in the first place. Deborah willingly handed over the leadership to Barak and then shamed him for his hesitation (4:9). Hence the glory would not go to Barak but to Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite (4:9, 22). Third, whatever sort of authority Deborah shared with Barak, it was not a priestly or teaching authority.

Friends, let’s be positive about God’s teaching on men and women:

God says: ‘I have created men and women in my image.’

God says: ‘I have a purpose for men and women.’

God says: ‘I love men and I love women.’

God says: ‘I bring them together to create the perfect partnership.’

– Jesse Huckel