Her portrait has hung in my office for decades. Her serene face with a firm resolve stares off to the side and a pointy helmet rests over her head and ears. Deborah played a critical role in saving God’s people in a time of international turmoil. Before Kings arose to lead God’s people, she played the ruling role of a “judge” or “prophetess” (Judges 4:1) But what made her famous was that she sent a warrior, “Barak,” into battle, and he promised Deborah he would muster the courage to go “if you go with me.” Deborah consented, but she prophesied that God would win the battle at the hands of a woman. And that is how the story ends. A woman named “Jael” drives a tent peg through the temple of the rival leader, and peace is restored.
This is but one of the many scandalous stories in the Bible. And many of them are about women. So much so that I have hesitated to preach the upcoming series on “Women in the Bible.” For years, Rev. Mike Graves and I have had it on the possible preaching list but it just never quite seemed to fit. How do you tell the story of Rahab the harlot, Bathsheba the concubine, Ruth who seduced Boaz, or Jesus defending the woman caught in adultery and keep it G-rated? But once Katie, Mike, Ashley and I sat down to narrow this series to 5 weeks, I realized that we would be leaving out so many women who are critically important to knowing God.
Deborah is one of those for me. Who would have thought that roughly 1000 years before Jesus, a woman was running the battle plays behind the scenes for a man? Who would believe that a woman was considered a spokesperson for God in what was a culturally patriarchal world? Who would have thought that a man would say he could be brave only if she would “go with” him? As the troops stampede and threaten to destroy the nation, the leader of the army says to Deborah: If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” (Judges 4:8)
The portrait of Deborah reminds me of Jarene Stanford, who gave me the painting I referred to earlier. Jarene was also a brave woman who specialized in “going with” others who needed courage. She gifted me an office plant on my first day at Country Club. She helped found a shelter for women suffering domestic violence. She served as our church’s first female Board Chair. That had to be scary after 70-plus years of all-male leadership. And she spoke up when others were afraid, especially for the poor and for the marginalized. She reminded me that to follow God, is to be willing to “go with.”
Grace and Peace,
Carla