Stand & Lead: Lessons from the Decisiveness of Deborah

In an age of indecision, God calls His people to unwavering commitment.

Our postmodern, post-Christian culture is marked by indecision. Today’s generation wants to keep all options open. They are commitment-phobic. They reject the notion that faith in Christ requires an exclusive commitment, that a Christian must be loyal to Christ above all else. As churches capitulate to this prevailing cultural sentiment, they lead souls to keep one foot in the world.

Jesus was clear about the cost of following Him, about the commitment He requires: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). He calls us to choose.

THE MEANING OF MAKING A DECISION

The word decision comes from the Latin decidere, which means to cut off. Once you make a decision, you cut off all other options or possibilities. Likewise, once you make a decision for Christ, you cut off all other callings that run contrary to the Word of God. When you trust in Him, He will give you the courage to act with confidence and faith. When you seek to bring glory to His name, the Lord will take care of the details.

TWO LIVES, TWO RESPONSES

In Judges 4-5, we’re introduced to two lives—one marked by indecision and doubt and the other by decisiveness and trust. Deborah was a great woman of God, who delivered Israel by making a resolute commitment to doing His will, come what may. Barak, on the other hand, was a weak and uncommitted man, who, though called to lead the Israelite army, refused to trust in God’s promises.

These two Biblical figures lived during the period of history after God had given Jericho into the hands of His people so that Joshua could lead them into the Promised Land. Although God had shown Himself sovereign and faithful again and again, as time passed, the people became prosperous and forgot the Lord their God. They did what was right in their own eyes, rebelling against their Redeemer. The book of Judges records the pattern of this rebellion and God’s response. Each time His people turned their back on Him, God would remove His hand of protection over His wayward people, exposing them to their vicious neighbors, the Canaanites.

A MOTHER IN ISRAEL, A REBUKE OF THE NATION

Before Deborah, God had raised up Ehud to deliver Israel. But as soon as he died, the people returned to their rebellion and were suffering the consequences (see Judges 4:1-3). Finally, the people cried out to the Lord, and He raised up Deborah.

I absolutely love the way she describes herself: “I, Deborah, arose, . . . a mother in Israel” (5:7). She could have called herself Deborah the judge or Deborah the deliverer or Deborah the prophetess, but none of these titles ranked higher than the honor and respect of a mother in Israel. Yet, she fully recognized Barak’s leadership role. He was the commander of the army of the Living God—an incredibly important position requiring deep faith, commitment, and bravery—all which he sadly lacked.

According to the traditions and values of this ancient Hebrew culture, when a woman rose up to lead the nation, it was God’s way of shaming the men in that nation for abandoning their God-given role (see Isaiah 3:12). To their humiliation, the men were acting like children. God had called Barak to a particular purpose with the promise of victory. Indeed, Deborah challenged him, saying, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: . . .” (Judges 4:6). God gave Barak a divine strategy coupled with a divine promise. God would deliver Sisera, the leader of the Canaanite army, into Barak’s hands.

THE FAILURE OF NERVE IS A FAILURE OF FAITH

But Barak refused to go without Deborah. He basically said, “I will not go without mommy” (see v. 8). If the commander of the army is shrinking from his responsibility, imagine the condition of the rest of the army. Barak’s failure of nerve was a failure of faith and trust in the promises of God.

Deborah knew that she was the rebuke of the faithlessness of Israel. She knew that the sovereign God would accomplish His purpose with or without Barak. She even prophesied, “because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman” (Judges 4:9).

GOD’S PURPOSE WILL PREVAIL

This is a powerful reminder for believers today: God “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). If you obey God, you will be blessed. If you don’t, He will put you on the shelf and move on and use somebody else.

So often we long to know God’s will for our lives. Fundamentally, Scripture tells us God’s will for us is to be found faithful wherever we are. Be faithful, and God will take care of the rest.

Of course, God supernaturally sent the Canaanites running. Their leader, Sisera, didn’t even mount a carriage or horse. He fled on foot—all the way to the tent of a woman named Jael. She invited Sisera into her tent, tended to him, and covered him. Then, she took care of business—quickly killing the commander of the enemies of God’s people and thereby fulfilling Deborah’s prophecy.

OBEDIENCE: NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS

At the heart of the matter, Christian leadership simply requires obedience, nothing more and nothing less. We must be willing to stand up and lead our fallen culture. Someone’s going to do it. Let it be us who are willing to humble ourselves before God. Let it be us who seek His purposes, for His glory. Let us make a decision, cutting off any idols that have a hold in our hearts. Let’s serve God wholeheartedly, unashamed no matter what our culture says about us.

SHINE LINE THE SUN

Following their victory, Deborah and Barak sang: “So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength” (Judges 5:31). It is my prayer that we would each make the decision to live for Christ and stand firm in that decision. No waffling, no going back, no listening to detractors, no distrusting God’s promises, no self-serving aggrandizement, and above all, no compromising God’s Word. That is the only way we’re going to impact and influence the world for God’s Kingdom. Be a friend of God, and you will shine like the rising sun.

4 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE LIFE OF DEBORAH

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, Deborah’s bold, decisive leadership is an exhortation to us all, leaving us with four key charges from God’s Word:

• Have confidence in God’s strength. The failure of nerve is a failure of faith.
• Prepare to be used for Kingdom purposes. If you don’t stand up, you’ll be shelved.
• Serve God whole-heartedly. Christian leadership is all about obedience.
• Stand firm in faith. As we live for Christ, we’ll impact the world for Him.

Like Deborah, we are to respond immediately when God calls—rising up, trusting His Word, and acting with courage when others hesitate. The time for hesitation is over. Stand firm, obey boldly, and trust that the God who calls you will be faithful to accomplish His purpose in you.