March 7: Demonstrating Spiritual Leadership

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

In our series on the subject of demonstrating spiritual leadership, we begin with a brief study of Deborah, one of Israel’s most valiant leaders. We understand the Book of Judges better if we remember the key given in the last verse of the book, that every man did that which was right in his own eyes (21:25b). In the absence of a king to enforce moral standards, anarchy periodically swept the nation. From about 1380 to 1050 BC a fourfold pattern developed: sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. In prosperity Israel sinned, after which God sent an oppressor. Israel would repent, and God would send a deliverer: In Deborah’s day, king Jabin of the Canaanites led the oppression.

• Deliverance from danger came from visionary leadership (4:4- 5). Deborah made her entrance onto the stage of Israel’s history in a dismal set of circumstances. With King Ehud’s death came the end of 80 years of peace. Israel almost immediately lapsed into a life of evil. God judged them by raising up an oppressor, Jabin, king of Canaan. Nevertheless, a godly woman, a prophetess, had been communicating God’s messages under a favorite palm tree. Israelites traveled across the land to the "Palm Tree of Deborah." She was a visionary, seeing beyond the dangers represented by Jabin’s general, Sisera, and his thousands of troops.

• Deborah’s actions illustrated another quality of spiritual leadership, the importance of delegating responsibility (vv. 6- 10). She knew she would never lead Israel’s armies against the Canaanites, but she chose someone who could, a trained warrior named Barak from the tribe of Naphtali (v. 6). She passed along God’s command, not her personal views. God had assured her of victory over Sisera in the battle to come. Barak was stricken with a set of nerves. No matter what she thought, he would not go into combat unless she accompanied him to the battle zone.

• The actual battle between the armies of Barak and Sisera shows the importance of persistence in the work (vv. 14-16). Only eternity will reveal how many battle victories were lost because a commander lost his nerve at the last moment and called on his troops to retreat. Similarly, spirit battles are forfeited if God’s people do not persevere in prayer, as Jesus taught in the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-6).

At Deborah’s insistence, Barak led ten thousand troops down the slopes of Mt. Tabor and joined the battle with Sisera. The latter sensed the coming defeat, dismounted, and fled on foot for his life. The unseen hand of God brought about victory (v. 15).

• Spiritual leaders always celebrate the victory by honoring God in praise to Him (5:1-2). In an understandable outbreak of patriotic joy, she and Barak joined their voices in a touching duet. Israel had been cast down, dispirited, and disgruntled. God honored His words of promise to the unfaithful nation after they got their hearts right with Him. The key phrase for victory was, "the people willingly offered themselves."

• Deborah understood that revival had come to Israel (vv. 6- 9). She recounted in her song how God had made His power known in physical events in nature (vv. 4-5). She described the desolate, deserted roads as people withdrew to their homes in fear during the days of Shamgar. Tragically, Israel had lapsed into idolatry in a vain attempt to find relief from oppressors. Their condition had become more desperate as the conquering forces had confiscated the shields and spears of Israel’s elite soldiers (v. 8). Deborah realized the governors of the people had rallied the people to renewed loyalty to God. Revival had come.