Juggling between work and family has become the norm for the 21st century woman. Each of these responsibilities demands commitment and dedication. Imagine going to work for 8 hours or more in a day and having to take care of the family (husband and kids) afterwards. This may sound tiring but the average ‘working class married woman’ is committed to both home and office. This isn’t new, even in the olden times, some women relentlessly juggled between home and work and were still considered good at both places. A typical example of such women is Deborah. When the Israelites arrived in the promised land, before they had kings, they were ruled by Judges. The judges were like prime ministers. They ensured that the people lived right and in safety. Naturally, you would expect such a daunting responsibility to be given to strong and mighty men considering the fact that battles were constantly fought during those times. The nation of Israel itself was quite rebellious and they were stiff-necked people. Like the 21st century world, each one wanted to do what pleases them with little disregard for God. Their disobedience landed them in different battles and the Lord raised the judges to help them win their battles and to maintain law and order. Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. (Judges 4:4) With such a job description, you might consider the strong and mighty warriors to be qualified to judge the nation. Of course, Israel had strong and mighty (physical strength) judges who helped them to defeat their enemies. One unlikely judge was Deborah. “Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time” (Judges 4:4). Deborah’s job description begins with a prophetic ministry, her role as a wife and her office as a judge. As a judge, “she held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided” (Judges 4:5). How was she able to hold her home together in addition to her prophetic and executive responsibilities? Deborah would have been a confident woman who knew what to do at every time. She wouldn’t spend unnecessary time doing unnecessary things. She would have been committed to building her home, her ministry and work. Obviously, Lappidoth her husband might have been instrumental in all this. Deborah was a God-fearing woman, a go-getter, a purpose driven leader, a mother and a lover of her husband. She embodied all these together and still excelled in all. When Jabin, king of Hazor and Sisera, his army commander, oppressed the Israelites (for the Israelites turned away from God), Deborah had to lead the people to battle. “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor” (Judges 4:6). Although God had promised them victory, Barak’s reply was, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” (Judges 4:8). Deborah did not shudder, she accepted the challenge and led Israel to battle. God granted them astounding victory over their enemies. Deborah, the prophet and the wife of Lappidoth had a music ministry as well, that is she was a worshiper. After their victory, she sang the song of Deborah (Judges 5). One woman, different responsibilities, and yet able to play all these roles to the fullest. Deborah was not your everyday woman. She was made for more. She defied the status quo, and did what was ascribed to mighty men. She did not allow societal perception to affect her. She was a woman who knew her call and she worked hard to ensure that she fulfilled her call. Deborah, just the Proverbs 31 woman reminds us that you can have it all and do it all. Her rise to the top did not make her rise above her husband. The challenge of our generation is that when some women take on responsibilities that make them higher and more publicly seen and respected than their husbands, they expect their husbands to pay “homage” to them. With all the social accolades, Deborah still remained the wife of Lappidoth. She submitted to him and he was the head. Dear married man, don’t be jealous when your wife rises higher than you. Help her to shine in her career or ministry. Be a shoulder to lean on and be praying for her. Dear woman, no matter how high you rise, you cannot rise above the standard of God. You can be a wife, a warrior, a professional, and any other position. You were made for more. Don’t allow your career to ruin your home. Have a Deborah mindset.
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