Deborah and Jael

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Scriptures: Judges 4

• Summary

  This week we look at the story of Deborah, how it expands the narrative of salvation, helping us see how it often comes from the unexpected sources, and how the very fact of that points us toward a much larger and more inclusive story of Christ and Divine peace.

  Son of Who. Judges 3:31-4:1a. Shamgar son of Anath was one of the 12 Judges of Israel, and the mention of him sets the stage for Deborah. He is a mysterious character, because Anath was a Canaanite goddess of war. There are various explanation as to who Shamgar was. E.g. Anath was a description of his birth place, or “son of Anath” was a generic description of a warrior-like figures. Or, which is more plausible, Shamgar was a Canaanite warrior who intervened in a conflict between Israel and the Philistines, saving Israel thus earning his place in its lore. The question for us is this: “ is it possible that even here within the Judges themselves, we have this hint at an expansion of the story?” Jeremy argued that the story of Shamgar and Deborah belong together, because “If the Israelites could believe that a Canaanite could save them, maybe they could believe a woman could as well.”

  The Major Players. In Judges 4:2-7, we have a list of major players.
  Jabin - king of Hazor (a major city in Canaan), introduced here as king of Canaan to represent the collective forces opposed to Israel, to emphasize an outsized threat to Israel, and elevate Deborah.
  Sisera - a mercenary with a private army of 900 chariots who works for Jabin as the commander of his army. Chariots were the top end of military equipment in Bronze Age. The battle will unfold in the plains of Jezreel. This is the valley of Hinnom, which will later be called “Gehenna”, or more popularly, “hell.” It was a place of so much bloodshed, that Jesus would use it as a metaphor of what sin does to us.
  Deborah - described as a prophet. She ruled and judged Israel (note, NIV went with translating the word “shaphat” as “rule” for Deborah (Deborah ruled over Israel) while translating it as “judge” for all the male judges in the book. Maybe that is because her leadership began during the time of peace. Another word used for her is “mishpat,” which has a legal sense, as in she was the law of the nation. “There is no one else in this era that comes close to having the kind of authority she seems to wield, and what's really interesting is that she does this without directly controlling the military.”
  Barak - military leader of Israel, name means “Lightning”, he’s the muscle in the story.
Deborah realizes that Jabin and Sisera oppress her people and sends Barak to war, and Barak wants her to go with him. And in Judges 4:8-9, the author sets up a big twist when Deborah prophesies that Sisera will be killed by a woman.

  Twist Ending. Judges 4:21-24. The twist is even bigger than we expected. When Barak with Deborah behind him attacks and pushes out Sisera’s forces, Sisera himself flees and hides in the tent of a man named Heber the Kenite, who was an alliance of Jabin. Heber’s not home, but his wife, Jael, welcomes Sisera in. While Sisera is asleep, Jael kills him with a tent peg and a hammer. When Barak arrives, she leads him to the dead Sisera.

  Where the Story Points Us. This story does not get us all the way to the peace of Jesus. Not yet. However, we see the movement in the text that makes possible more steps down the line. “There’s the hint of a Canaanite saviour in the introduction to Deborah. There’s the unexpected leadership of Deborah herself. There’s the military commander, who still can’t see the way out from oppression without the foresight of his leader. And then there’s the victory, where we are led to expect it will be Deborah who strikes the crushing blow, and yet instead, it’s another woman, a Kenite woman, a foreigner who recognizes the evil of Sisera and acts decisively to stop it.” In this story we see the seeds of a larger story, where we might start to see that leadership can come from unexpected sources, and salvation can come from outside our walls, and eventually lead us to Christ and his peaceful way of laying down his life rather than grasping at the power to defend it.

• Discussion

  Community is shaped by the conversations we share. These questions and reflections are a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.

  Connect: As we prepare to immerse ourselves in the world of judges (as situational leaders and rulers of Israel), consider your view of leadership and authority. Name one, maximum two, qualities you want to see in anyone who is vested with leadership or authority. 

  Share: How does the brief mention of Shamgar in the story as a possible Canaanite warrior who saves Israel set the stage for the story of Deborah and expand our imagination of who can be the agents of good (of God) in the world?

  
What are some of the assumptions about leadership that you think still need to be challenged in our wider culture today, whether church culture or corporate professional culture, or maybe even in the culture of your own family?

  Reflect on what you find intriguing in this story and its major players: Jabin, Sisera, Deborah, Barak, and, later in the story, Jael?


  Why do you think Barak insists that Deborah accompany him into battle, and what does this reveal about her influence and the nature of her leadership?

  Engage: What do you think about Jael and the role she plays in the story?

  And in what way does this story subvert our view of those we consider “enemies”?

  How does this quote from Jeremy’s message resonate with you?

  “I have no interest in celebrating the violence in this story, and I refuse to hold Jael up as a hero to emulate.

  But I do see the movement in the text that makes possible more steps somewhere down the line.

  There’s the hint of a Canaanite saviour in the introduction to Deborah.
  There’s the unexpected leadership of Deborah herself, the authority that is given to her rather than demanded by her. There’s the military commander, named for lightning, who still can’t see the way out from oppression without the foresight of his leader.
  And then there’s the victory, where we are led to expect it will be Deborah who strikes the crushing blow. That’s certainly what the author is leading us to believe. And yet instead, it’s another woman, a Kenite woman. A foreigner who recognizes the evil of Sisera and acts decisively to stop it.

  And even here, I wonder if the story isn’t being primed to expand. That right in the middle of conquest, we might pause long enough to recognize that the wide brush with which we often paint the enemy is incomplete.

  And that sometimes salvation comes from precisely those we once named as our foes:
  Canaanite heroes like Shamgar
  And foreign women like Jael
  Leaders like Deborah, who are happy to give credit to someone else.”


  Take away: Share a book, or a story, or a podcast, or a movie, or a person, or a conversation, or another unexpected place in your life that has offered you a valuable insight or expanded your understanding of life or faith in a surprising (or saving) way. 
Is there something we all should read or listen to?

• Prayer

  Prayer from the sermon:

  
God of grace
  Who has been with us, patient, at every step along the human story,
  Calling us forward, timid by fearful step,
  Trusting that the path we walk can bring us back to you.

  In these moments where we reckon with the violence of our past,
  Both in our shared stories
  And in our personal journeys,
  Might we slowly learn to look back through the light of Christ,
  Christ who has saved us,
  Christ who is saving us,
  Christ who is teaching us how to make peace even today.
  Might our mistakes become lessons for our future,
  Might our shame illuminate your grace extended to us,
  And might our missteps and wandering paths
  Slowly come to be seen as part of the long way round to you.
  

  In that, might the crooked become straight.
  And the violent become peaceful,
  Might we slowly begin to look more and more 

  Like the image of your Son.

  In the strong name of the risen Christ we pray,

  Amen.

• Liturgy

  CALL TO WORSHIP John 14

  MUSIC Curated by Kevin Borst
  Bethel Music - I Believe
  Hillsong Worship - O Praise The Name Hillsong Worship - What A Beautiful Name
  Hillsong Worship - Forever Reign

  EUCHARIST INVITATION
  Written by Bobbi Salkeld
  
  Today is Pentecost Sunday, and we remember a group of scared, tired, faithful followers of Jesus huddled in a room together waiting for what Jesus promised them.

  The presence of the Holy Spirit.

  And we have carried on Pentecost-living ever since. We live and move and find our being in relationship with one another and with the divine Spirit.

  Spirit with us when we are afraid, when we are ecstatic, and when we are in need. And so I invite you to the Eucharist table – a table that welcomes us with our differences and our needs.

  And so, we remember the Lord’s supper.

  On the night he was betrayed,
  Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and said,
  This is my body – a body given for your healing and wholeness.
  Eat to remember.

  In the same way, Jesus took the cup, blessed it, poured it out, and said,
  This cup is filled with my life – and it is poured out for many.
  Drink to reconcile.

  As Jesus said a prayer before sharing, let us do that too.

  Creator God, present at this meal, the bread that we break and the cup that we share are places where our Saviour meets us.

  Broken, we are being made whole. Poured out, we are filled with joy once again. Holy Spirit, bless these elements of community.

  Amen.