Read Judges 4-5.
I've never been a big fan of horror movies. I just am not someone who enjoys sitting down for 2 hours for no other purpose than to get scared half to death. However, the few I have seen have left me with this impression: people in horror movies are stupid. There's some homicidal maniac on the loose, so why don't I walk down this dark hallway all by myself? It's like they expect the enemy to just come walking straight toward them, visible from a mile away.
Don't they know that the enemy tends to always surprise us from our blind spot?
When Deborah, the Israelite judge, tells Barak that God is commanding him to lead the Israelites into battle against the Cannaanites, Barak says, "If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." Plain and simple: I don't want to walk this dark hallway by myself; I will feel much safer if you are with me.
Barak knew what the people in these horror movies don't ever seem to know: it is not good for us to be alone (didn't God say something about that?), we need people who we can trust to watch our backs. We need Deborahs.
In this chapter, Sweet seems to take a pretty critical stance on Christians and the church. He writes, "In the Bible, Deborah covered Barak's back so he could fight against the armies of the Canaanites; unfortunately, Deborahs today often cover your back so you can fend off the armies of the churches. This should not be so." What is your response to Sweet's observation? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
What role does a Deborah play when we are dealing with attacks from fellow Christians?
Sweet goes on say, "The ultimate betrayal is when the back-guard becomes the back-stabber. Look around you at your circle of friends. You can be certain of one thing: One of them will betray you. You say, 'No, certainly not! Not my friends.' I say, 'Are you better than Jesus?'" What does it feel like to have someone you see as a Deborah become a Judas?
Jesus was prepared for Judas to betray him. In fact, he was ready to be betrayed by all of his disciples. Mark 14:27-28 says, "And Jesus said to them, 'You will all become deserters; ... But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." What do you learn from Jesus about how to deal with betrayal?
What qualities do you think are important for someone who is a Deborah, a back-protector?
Sweet writes, "Some people have a holy spirit, and the presence of that holy spirit in your life is enough to be your Deborah." Have you ever known anyone with this kind of spirit? Tell their story and their impact in your life as a Deborah.
Who are the people that God needs you to be a Deborah for? I think there are a lot of folks who feel like they are walking down a dark hallway all alone, dreading when that big monster is going to jump out and consume them. They don't know from what direction the hurt or pain is coming, they just know it is coming and they don't think they have anyone helping them. Maybe it is time for you and I to start blanketing that person with prayer and doing what we can to watch their back.
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