Deborah as Judge — Exception That Proves the Rule? (Judges 4:4-9)

Complementarian attempts to explain away Deborah: (1) "She was an exception due to the failure of men" — Scripture never says this. Deborah is presented as God's chosen judge, not as a backup plan. (2) "She didn't exercise authority over men directly" — She held court, issued military commands, and pronounced prophetic judgments. These are the highest forms of authority in ancient Israel. (3) "That was the OT, the NT restricts women" — If God used a woman as supreme judge over all Israel, the claim that he would never allow a woman to teach a Sunday school class is absurd on its face.