Excerpt from the book, Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible by Linsey Driskill
Chapter 8
Rising Up—Deborah
(Judges 4–5)
Words for Your Heart
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)
When have you forgotten something really important? Well, for some time, the Israelites forgot about God. They also did wrong things that angered the Lord. Because of their choices, God allowed them to be defeated by Jabin, a king of Canaan. Sisera was the commander of Jabin’s army. He had nine hundred iron chariots, and he treated the Israelite people cruelly for twenty years.
The Israelites finally remembered the Lord and cried out in prayer. Do you think the Lord showed mercy and listened to the Israelites? He did. God raised up a courageous woman named
Deborah to help them.
Deborah was a leader and a judge in Israel. The Israelites came to her court to have their arguments decided. Her court was located under a palm tree called the Palm of Deborah in the
hill country of Ephraim. If you had a court under a palm tree, what would you name it?
God gave Deborah a gift—a special ability. First Peter 4:10 tells us to use the gifts God gives us to serve others. We can use God’s gifts to serve Him, just as Deborah did. The Lord gave Deborah the gift of being a prophetess like Miriam, Moses’ sister. Do you remember what a prophetess is? It means that the Lord gave that person messages to share with others.
Deborah relayed a message from God to a military leader named Barak. She said, “The Lord commands you: ‘Take ten thousand men with you to Mount Tabor. I will draw Sisera and his army to the Kishon River and give him over to you.’” Do you think Barak went or was too afraid to go?
Barak told Deborah, “If you go with me, I’ll go. But if you don’t go, then I’m not going.” How do you think Barak felt taking ten thousand soldiers to attack Sisera? Everyone feels afraid sometimes, but when you feel this way, remember that God is with you.
Deborah answered, “I will go with you. But now the honor won’t be yours. God will hand Sisera over to a woman.” Deborah was a strong and confident woman. She continued telling God’s message. Where do you think Deborah got her confidence from?
Sisera, the evil leader, heard that Barak and his soldiers were at Mount Tabor. So he gathered his nine hundred chariots and went to meet them for a battle.
Remember that Deborah was a prophetess. She told Barak, “Go! Today you will win against Sisera. God has gone ahead of you.” What do Deborah’s words tell you about her confidence in God?
After seeing Deborah’s confidence in the Lord, Barak chose to have faith in Him. Barak went strongly into battle, followed by his ten thousand men. The Lord confused Sisera’s men, and they
panicked. The Lord defeated Sisera’s army, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and ran away.
The Lord won the battle that day, and Deborah and Barak overcame the cruel Sisera! The great strength of the Lord is far more powerful than anything. Deborah and Barak didn’t forget
about God like the other Israelites had in the past. Instead, they trusted Him for their victory. They sang this song in celebration:
“Listen, kings. Pay attention, rulers!
I myself will sing to the Lord.
I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
Questions
• How did Deborah’s confidence in the Lord encourage Barak to change?
• How can we have confidence like Deborah when we feel afraid?
• What is beautiful about Deborah’s heart?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Deborah’s bravery and confidence in You. When we are afraid, please help us be leaders who are brave and confident like she was. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daughters in Action
Just as Deborah was a confident leader, your daughter can practice being a leader by planning a volunteer outreach with family and friends. Help her brainstorm her God-given gifts and how she
could use her gifts to help others. For example, if one of her gifts is art, she could draw or paint pictures to give to an elderly person. If it’s singing, she could sing a song at a nursing home. If it’s being a hard worker, she could offer to do a single parent’s yard work. If your daughter is good at organizing, she could help organize a food pantry or clothing at a shelter, or if she’s gifted at cooking, she could prepare a meal for a struggling family.
Once the project is chosen, decide which friends and family members you’d like to invite to help.
Creative Fun
Materials: Supplies for making invitations
With your daughter, create invitations for the people you’re asking to help you with the Daughters in Action volunteer outreach. Include the what, when, where, and why details. Deliver the invitations and have fun volunteering together.
Order your copy of Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible by Linsey Driskill
Download free chapters of the book!
Read an interview with the author, Linsey Driskill
The post Beautiful Hearted Women: Deborah appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
Chapter 8
Rising Up—Deborah
(Judges 4–5)
Words for Your Heart
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)
When have you forgotten something really important? Well, for some time, the Israelites forgot about God. They also did wrong things that angered the Lord. Because of their choices, God allowed them to be defeated by Jabin, a king of Canaan. Sisera was the commander of Jabin’s army. He had nine hundred iron chariots, and he treated the Israelite people cruelly for twenty years.
The Israelites finally remembered the Lord and cried out in prayer. Do you think the Lord showed mercy and listened to the Israelites? He did. God raised up a courageous woman named
Deborah to help them.
Deborah was a leader and a judge in Israel. The Israelites came to her court to have their arguments decided. Her court was located under a palm tree called the Palm of Deborah in the
hill country of Ephraim. If you had a court under a palm tree, what would you name it?
God gave Deborah a gift—a special ability. First Peter 4:10 tells us to use the gifts God gives us to serve others. We can use God’s gifts to serve Him, just as Deborah did. The Lord gave Deborah the gift of being a prophetess like Miriam, Moses’ sister. Do you remember what a prophetess is? It means that the Lord gave that person messages to share with others.
Deborah relayed a message from God to a military leader named Barak. She said, “The Lord commands you: ‘Take ten thousand men with you to Mount Tabor. I will draw Sisera and his army to the Kishon River and give him over to you.’” Do you think Barak went or was too afraid to go?
Barak told Deborah, “If you go with me, I’ll go. But if you don’t go, then I’m not going.” How do you think Barak felt taking ten thousand soldiers to attack Sisera? Everyone feels afraid sometimes, but when you feel this way, remember that God is with you.
Deborah answered, “I will go with you. But now the honor won’t be yours. God will hand Sisera over to a woman.” Deborah was a strong and confident woman. She continued telling God’s message. Where do you think Deborah got her confidence from?
Sisera, the evil leader, heard that Barak and his soldiers were at Mount Tabor. So he gathered his nine hundred chariots and went to meet them for a battle.
Remember that Deborah was a prophetess. She told Barak, “Go! Today you will win against Sisera. God has gone ahead of you.” What do Deborah’s words tell you about her confidence in God?
After seeing Deborah’s confidence in the Lord, Barak chose to have faith in Him. Barak went strongly into battle, followed by his ten thousand men. The Lord confused Sisera’s men, and they
panicked. The Lord defeated Sisera’s army, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and ran away.
The Lord won the battle that day, and Deborah and Barak overcame the cruel Sisera! The great strength of the Lord is far more powerful than anything. Deborah and Barak didn’t forget
about God like the other Israelites had in the past. Instead, they trusted Him for their victory. They sang this song in celebration:
“Listen, kings. Pay attention, rulers!
I myself will sing to the Lord.
I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
Questions
• How did Deborah’s confidence in the Lord encourage Barak to change?
• How can we have confidence like Deborah when we feel afraid?
• What is beautiful about Deborah’s heart?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Deborah’s bravery and confidence in You. When we are afraid, please help us be leaders who are brave and confident like she was. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daughters in Action
Just as Deborah was a confident leader, your daughter can practice being a leader by planning a volunteer outreach with family and friends. Help her brainstorm her God-given gifts and how she
could use her gifts to help others. For example, if one of her gifts is art, she could draw or paint pictures to give to an elderly person. If it’s singing, she could sing a song at a nursing home. If it’s being a hard worker, she could offer to do a single parent’s yard work. If your daughter is good at organizing, she could help organize a food pantry or clothing at a shelter, or if she’s gifted at cooking, she could prepare a meal for a struggling family.
Once the project is chosen, decide which friends and family members you’d like to invite to help.
Creative Fun
Materials: Supplies for making invitations
With your daughter, create invitations for the people you’re asking to help you with the Daughters in Action volunteer outreach. Include the what, when, where, and why details. Deliver the invitations and have fun volunteering together.
Order your copy of Beautiful Hearted Women of the Bible by Linsey Driskill
Download free chapters of the book!
Read an interview with the author, Linsey Driskill
The post Beautiful Hearted Women: Deborah appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...