Cheryl Schatz

TaWanda, God sent the judges to deliver Israel from her enemies. It wasn’t just during Deborah’s time that the people were guilty of doing as they pleased. There was a continual cycle of the people going after their own ways and then God would raise up a Judge. Judges 2:16-19 describes it this way:

Judges 2:16–19 (NASB95)
16 Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.
17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers.
18 When the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.
19 But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.

Note that it was God who raised up the Judges and that included them all. Deborah did not set herself up as a Judge but God raised her up.

The fact that Deborah worked as a judge under a palm tree does not mean that God restricted her from having the same authority as the male judges. In fact Deborah is the only judge shown in the book of Judges as functioning in a judicial position. And she did so as other kings had sat in a judicial position in that era. The IVP Bible background commentary says this about her position:

4:5. holding court. Deborah is the only figure portrayed in the book of Judges as actually functioning in a judicial position. She hears and decides cases and provides answers to oracular inquiry under a palm tree which served as a landmark for that region. The description of her “court” is similar to that found in the Ugaritic epic of Aqhat (c. 1500 B.C.), which depicts King Danil sitting on a threshing floor before the city gates, judging the cases of the widows and orphans (Aqhat III.i.20–25).

There is not one word in the Scriptures that gives any indication that God limited Deborah’s authority as Judge or that she had to do her judging in a place that would limit her authority. Deborah’s place of judging was not uncommon for those in authority and the act of judging was in accordance with God’s Word, not against any kind of limitation of a woman’s “role”. These additions to God’s Word are the traditions of men that want to place Deborah in a secondary position far below the authority of the male Judges. Unfortunately for those who wish to dismiss Deborah’s rule as Judge and deliverer, God Himself said that He sent all of the Judges and Deborah, a woman, was one of God’s spoke persons.

It is important that we give out God’s Word as it is written instead of our opinion which can be tainted through the traditions of men which water down the Word of God through their traditions.

Thanks for your comments. While I strongly disagree, I do value participation here of my dear brothers and sisters in Christ who are all welcome to challenge what I say so that we can look carefully at Scripture together.