Awake, Awake, Deborah!

Please don’t stop reading because you are not named Deborah. This is a clarion call to way more than those named Deborah and may certainly be missed by many who are named Deborah. Please keep reading to see what I mean.

I must confess that this is a bit of a “soapbox” issue for me. By that, I mean –

I am quite impassioned about it! But it has not been my passion only, nor has it been only within the context of our modern times.

Since about the year 1237 BC this clarion call for Deborah to awake has sounded. So, I have been a relatively late addition to that call. What is it exactly? I’m glad you asked.

It is a call for women to rise up in the fullness of their giftings and promptings to inspire, challenge and lead their generation in divinely directed strategies towards divinely destined victories. Men, aren’t left out in this call, so don’t click out, they, too, have a place. Let’s look at it’s origins.

In the book of Judges we find the chronicles of the 12 Judges of Israel. These Judges served as the governmental leaders of the time, the time before the kings of Israel. This period covered approximately 272 years in Irasel’s history. The first Judge was Othniel and the last of the 12 was Sampson. Although Samuel was considered both a Prophet and the final Judge in Israel, before the first king – Saul.

Judge number 4 was a woman named Deborah. She is the only woman to serve as a Judge and as a ruler over Israel. She and Samuel are the only Judges who were also prophets. Read it, it is remarkable.

This Deborah was quite the woman in her generation. She was married to a guy who must have been a gem of a guy. His name was Lappidoth, which means “torches”. Other than his name in Judges 4:4, he is never mentioned again in the Bible. But when he is mentioned, as her husband, and we understand the firey meaning of his name, we realize that he was exactly what she needed when she came home at the end of her Judges day, Tired, burnt-out, and frazzled from holding court all day, her fire was relit by her loving husband. Together, they buzzed (her name means “bee”) for 40 years as Israel’s first couple.

What did she do? Well as just mentioned above, all day she sat under a palm tree, between Ramah & Bethel, where villagers brought their grievances and disputes to her for her legislative decisions and wise counsel. It was long and grueling, but she was anointed, and appointed by God for the job.

Where things get dicey is when God gives her a strategy for Israel’s victory over the king of Canaan & his army commander Sisera.

She is to tell a man named Barak,

” Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, “Go gather your men…and I will draw out Sisera to meet you and I will give him into your hand” ?”

Judges 4:6-7 ESV

She was calling out Barak, and reminding him of the word that the Lord had given to him. The word that he had failed to perform. The word that would bring victory to Israel. Deborah’s anointing was to awaken Barak, to get with the program and to quit procrastinating. The life of the nation depended on his action.

He heard her, and her challenge, but he still was lacking in confidence to complete his task. Look at his response –

“If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

Jud. 4:8 ESV

Not exactly a warrior’s response, right? She, of course, told him to saddle up, she would go with him, and, oh, by the way, you just blew your shot for glory, buddy, cuz Sisera will fall at the hand of a woman. Jud, 4:9

As the story goes, Sisera winds up running from Barak & Deborah’s army and slips into the tent of Heber & his wife Jael. It doesn’t end well for Sisera, for as he lies sleeping, Jael finds a tent peg and a hammer, & literally nails Sisera’s temple to the floor of her tent. It is quite the story, and ends with, “… and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg in his temple.” 4:22

Victory is declared and everyone is happy as the ememy is defeated. And amazingly, the entire next chapter, Judges 5, is a 31 verse song that was sung by the duet of Deborah and Barak. Seriously. 31 verses. In it, they sing of the state of Israel before the battle, which tribes rallied to help in the battle, how faithful God was in the battle and what a great vistory Jael had achieved. Yay! “And the land was at rest for 40 years.” Jud. 5:31

In verse 12 of the song it says this –

“Awake, awake, Deboarah! Awake, awake, break out in a song.”

Jud. 5:12 ESV

Hence, our call for the Deborah’s in spirit to AWAKE! And for their Lappidoth’s to arouse themselves too.

I believe we are living in the days of this Deborah anointing. I have been hearing it from many spiritually keen representatives and I agree fully. This is a call for women to rise up in the fullness of their giftings and promptings to inspire, challenge and lead their generation in divinely directed strategies towards divinely destined victories.

It is a call for their torches to be lit by one’s who love and support them. It is a call for the Barak’s to take hold of the promises and instructions from God and go forth in victory. It is a call to a nation to follow God’s perscriptions for winning battles and to move in obedience, lolligagging no longer.

Deborah’s anointing will empower women to judge with discernment. Operate in the Spirit of knowledge & wisdom, mother a generation totally confused about nurture and nature, deliver God given strategies, stir up tribes to rally and men to fight, and sing songs of praise and victory as worshipping warriors.

Perhaps that is why there is such a fierce war against women these days. Because the enemy is trying to keep the spirit of Deborah and Lappidoth silent, bridled, snuffed out and asleep. For if they were to awake, the enemies demise would be inflicted just as a tent peg to the temple.

May the spirit and anointing of Deborah awake within you today. There’s a battle to be fought and won.

Awake, awake Deborah.

Debbie (Debra)