Wife Mom Boss

If you have been a Christian for a while or have been apart of a study on strong women in the Bible, it is highly possible that you have heard of Deborah, the fourth judge of Israel. She went into battle with the warrior Barak to defend Israel against the Canaanites. She also warned Barak that if she did go with him into battle, he refused to go without her, the death of the commander of the Canaanite army would be at the hands of a woman. 

I’ve always stopped here. I always thought that Deborah was speaking about herself when she referred to this “woman.” She was not. If you skip a few verses to Judges 4:14 you will read that the Canaanite commander, Sisera, was killed by a woman named Jael. 

 I don’t know why this amazed me so. I think because for so long I thought Deborah was prophesying over her own glory, that to discover she was speaking of another woman amplifies the fact that there is room for every woman to serve God no matter if they work in the home or are out in the field. We live in a world where there is a side to be taken in the value a woman has based on whether she works in the home or in the marketplace, but the story of Deborah and Jael tell me that God will use both to defend His people. 

 When we are introduced to Deborah we are given a few bits of information about her: her titles, where she worked, and how she served. Deborah was a wife, a prophetess, and a judge. She worked “under the palm tree of Deborah.” The children of Israel came to her. Then we find that she called and reminded Barak of the Lord’s commandment to fight Jabin, king of Canaan. She took direction from God and gave the order and strategy on how to overcome the oppressors of Israel. 

 Deborah was a wife to her husband, a mother to the children of Israel, and a boss in the battlefield. 

 When we are introduced to Jael, we are told she is the wife to a man who was friends with those who were oppressing Israel. She lived in Kadesh, the land that was the destination of the Israelites and the site of the upcoming battle. When the battle came to her doorstep, she was going through the motions of her regular life. However, when the opportunity to be on the right side of the battle, she went against all she knew and killed the enemy of God’s people. 

 Jael was a wife to her husband, she was a worker in the home, and she was the savior of the children of Israel. 

 Both women had significant roles in the victory over the Canaanites. Both were celebrated for it. Neither condemned the other for how they served in battle. In fact, Deborah sang Jael’s praises as “blessed above all women.” 

 How are you singing the praises of other women in your life? Do you judge them unjustly because they don’t choose the same method of service as you?

Every one of us has a purpose and a place and no matter whether we serve in a cubicle or in carpool God will use our place in His time to serve His purpose.

I love you.