Deborah

The people of Israel had been oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan, for twenty years. Upset by the poor condition of Israel Deborah, from the Tribe of Ephraim, sends a message to Barak and tells him that the God of Israel commands him to lead an attack against the forces of Jabin and his military commander Sisera.

Barak refuses to do this without the help of Deborah and so she says she will go, but declares that the glory of the victory will therefore belong to a woman.

Sisera prepares with nine hundred chariots of iron for an army and the battle is soon carried out by Barak.

Sisera’s army is completely defeated while he escapes to find safety.

One commentary explains that Deborah is titled as a “prophetess” and not judge for the following purpose

She is a woman of extraordinary knowledge, wisdom, and piety, instructed in divine knowledge by the Spirit and accustomed to interpret His will; who acquired an extensive influence, and was held in universal respect, insomuch that she became the animating spirit of the government and discharged all the special duties of a judge, except that of military leader.

Jabin, King of Canaan and Sisera, commander of the army were enemies to the Israelites. They were a terrible force who oppressed the Jews for twenty years with their chariots and troops.

Sisera had a well-trained army and iron chariots. The Jews suffered terribly under his cruel rule, and cried in great despair to God. However, He felt abandoned and allowed the Jews to suffer for the rightful amount of time before sweeping in to free the Israelites with Deborah’s aid.

A commentary states, “This was the severest oppression to which Israel had been subjected. But it fell heaviest on the tribes in the north, and it was not till after a grinding servitude of twenty years that they were awakened to view it as the punishment of their sins and to seek deliverance from God.”

Deborah’s leadership style was to be strong and sure of herself. She would not permit others to ‘beat around the bush’ but rather preferred the straightforward approach. She was always blunt and said what she wanted or anticipated upfront and expected the same in return from those around her.

An example of this is when Deborah tells Barak what he is going to do and does not let him say no when he is unsure. She is not harsh in her request, but kindly explains Barak’s task is to fight Sisera. When Barak expresses his uncertainty towards the event, Deborah does not respond rudely. She tactfully explains that if she is to help him the glory will not be that of his own.

Another leadership style which Deborah possesses is faith in God. She holds god highly in her moral views and feels safe to put all of her trust in Him. She was proven correct after Jael killed Sisera:

“Thus Deborah’s predictions came true: the highest glory of the victory belonged to a woman, not to Barak, and Deborah herself glorified the brave Jael in the immortal “Song of Deborah.”

The second act which god could have been behind was when Jael killed Sisera.

There is no proof of god or an angel here but her act benefited the Jews so much so that it can be interpreted as if one was involved in her actions.

Jael decided to make Sisera “pay for all the cruelties he had committed against the Jewish people. She cautiously approached the sleeping warrior, and drove a long nail, through his temple.”

She took the initiative to put an end to the long hated oppressor and bring glory to the Jews.

The theme of the role of women is seen in Deborah several times. Deborah is the prophetess in this story and she takes on a powerful role of leading Israel guided with the help of God. She puts her trust in Him and allows God to lead her decisions bringing success to the Jewish people.

Jael is the woman who kills Sisera and brings glory to a women instead of Barak. She does so on her own without having to be told by any outside force, although it is possible that the word of God was with her.

The role of woman in Deborah is prevalent and demonstrates that women are a force to be reckoned with. They are strong beings that should never be swept aside in any matter.

Deborah led from behind the scenes while Samson was a non-leader.

Deborah tried to encourage Barak to rally the Israelites to fight the people of Canaan. She was working with the Israelites to defeat the enemy and carried the belief that God had led her to the correct path as long as she was working with others by her side.

Samson was a lone wolf. His entire life mission was to get the Plishtim off of the Israelites back without endangering them. He had to protect the Jewish people from revenge by the Plishtim. Samson did this by killing thousands of them on his own rather than asking others for help. He had to act as an individual in order to get rid of the Plishtim without angering them and causing a war with the Jewish people.

Both Deborah and Samson had similar achievements in that they both restore peace to the Jewish people.

Deborah succeeded in utterly defeating King Jabin of Canaan and was able to get rid of him. She got him out of the picture and no longer bothering the Jewish people. Deborah was respected by the Jewish people and her power led to great victory.

Samson managed to restore quiet to the Israelites for several years. He was able to begin the battle against the Plishtim by getting them away from the Israelites. There was no oppression from the Plishtim to the Jews for 20 years due to Samsons success.