We can learn much from studying the lesser-known leaders in the Bible. One of the most unusual and certainly lesser known is Deborah.
There was a period of time between the leadership of Moses and Joshua and the appointment of Saul as King of the Israelites when a series of judges led the Israelites. Deborah was the fourth judge over the Israelites.
A Prophetess and Judge
We know very little about Deborah, where she came from, or how she came to power. When we meet her in Judges 4, she is described as a prophetess and judge over the people of Israel. In those days, a prophet or prophetess was someone who delivered God’s messages to the people. As a judge, the people of Israel came to her to settle disputes. Deborah was the spiritual and civil leader of the entire nation of Israel!
As our story unfolds, the people of Israel had been brutally oppressed for 20 years by Jabin, king of Canaan.
Deborah called for her military commander, a man named Barak, and told him to assemble his army. Then, Deborah gave him specific instructions from God to gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor (pictured above), where they would attack the Canaanites.
Barak conditioned his response, saying he would go, but only if Deborah would go with him.
Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, heard about Barak’s army gathered at Mount Tabor. So Sisera gathered his army, including 900 chariots in a nearby valley.
Deborah ordered Barak to attack, saying, this is the day the Lord has given him into your hands. Barak attacked with his army, and God went before him. God caused a great rainstorm that effectively immobilized Sisera’s chariots, throwing the entire army into a state of confusion.
Barak’s army attacked and pursued the fleeing Canaanites until no man was left standing.
Six Important Leadership Lessons from Deborah
1) Deborah was a woman of faith
God had selected Deborah among all the men and women of Israel to be His prophet and judge, and she was faithful in her response to His call.
Lesson for us. God raises up men and women of faith to fulfill specific needs at specific times. God calls men and women from all walks of life, and whom God calls, God equips!
2) Deborah responded to God’s call to arms
As unlikely as it may have seemed when God told her to assemble an army and attack the powerful Canaanites, Deborah responded by ordering Barak to prepare for battle.
Lesson for us. As Christians, we must remain faithful and respond positively to God’s call. It is one thing to hear God’s call; it is quite another to say yes to God despite our own fears and doubts.
3) Deborah remained steadfast in the face of her reluctant commander
Perhaps Barak wanted Deborah to accompany him, wanting to be sure this was a message from God. Deborah remained steadfast in following the Lord’s instructions and encouraging Barak.
Lesson for us. When responding to God’s call, we must remain resolute in the face of the naysayers. There will always be those who are reluctant to follow God’s leading, but we must not allow them to deter us from following His call.
4) Deborah acted on God’s timing
Deborah ordered Barak to attack, saying, “this is the day.”
Lesson for us. We must take action on God’s timing. This is a tough one for many of us. We either tend to act ahead of God’s leading or procrastinate and not go when He says, “GO.”
5) Deborah trusted God
God had promised victory and that He would go before the Israelite army. So Deborah ordered the attack trusting in the promise of God.
Lesson for us. We must act on God’s call, trusting He will do exactly as He has promised.
6) Deborah gave praise to God
When the battle was concluded, Deborah and Barak sang a song of praise and thanksgiving to God for giving them victory over their oppressors (Judges 5).
Lesson for us. Where God leads, God equips and provides. Let’s not forget to give praise and thanks to God for His grace in our lives!
More Articles
I have written many articles on leadership qualifications. You can find them by typing “Leader Qualifications” in the search bar. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites.
- #059: The Single Most Important Qualification for Leadership
- #069: Two Kinds of Bosses You Don’t Want to Work For!
- #074: Our Leadership Crisis is a Self-Inflicted Wound
- #190: Humility, The Most Important Overlooked Quality of Leadership
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. For example, which of these leadership lessons do you tend to struggle with the most?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because people like you share it with friends. Would you kindly share it by pressing one of the share buttons below?
Category: Personal Development | Leader Qualifications
I absolutely love this story, I especially love that it is about a woman too. Often Bible stories in the Old Testement are all about the men, but this story shows the courageousness of Deborah and her commitment to God. All six of the lessons we get from this story are relevant and absolutely applicable to our lives today. I think the one I struggle the most with is trusting in God’s timing. I am a planner and love to plan out my days, weeks, and months. I often catch myself getting too far ahead and I have to remind myself that everything must be done in God’s timing because He may have something even greater in store for me than what I can plan. Deborah is a good reminder of that.
I love that you highlighted the impact that this one women had, especially in a time of male dominance. I think society or at least the church should make note of these instances to raise awareness for women worldwide. However, we can all learn something from Deborah. For me, the passion and confidence to do this is admirable. She did not let anyone stand in her way, and did what she was told to do without any second thoughts. As someone who constantly thinks about the after effects of everything, trusting God completely with my life can be difficult. Even the smallest details can throw me off, but I know as long as I put Christ at the center, and fully trust in Him, only good can come from it.
I was not familiar with the story of Deborah. It was refreshing to view leadership lessons from a woman leader in the Bible. I have often heard from many Christians that men should be in leadership positions, instead of women. The leadership lessons I tend to struggle with the most are: God’s timing and trusting in God. I attempt to plan out everything in my life. It is difficult for me to deal with uncertainty. I often want God to act instantly in my life or provide me with answers right away. Trusting in God is another leadership lesson I tend to struggle with. I tend to worry about the things that could go wrong in a situation, instead of trusting in God.