In 1907, Anna Jarvis, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, had an idea. She wanted to do something special to honor her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. So, she solicited the help of hundreds of legislators and prominent businessmen to create a special day to honor mothers. The first Mother’s Day observance was a church service honoring Anna’s mother. Anna handed out her mother’s favorite flowers, white carnations, as they represent sweetness, purity, and patience. Anna’s hard work finally paid off in the year 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.

Slowly and gradually the Mother’s Day became very popular and gift giving activity increased. All this commercialization of the Mother’s Day infuriated Anna as she believed that the day’s sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.

Regardless of Jarvis’s worries, Mother’s Day has flourished in the United States and has spread to various countries of the world. Many countries celebrate Mother’s Day at various times during the year, but some such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium also celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May.

As we honor our mothers today, we continue our series of Major Characters of the Bible by remembering Deborah, who was called “a mother of Israel.” We learn about her life in Judges 4 and 5. Judges 4 tells us the story of how God used her to liberate the people of Israel by leading them in battle against the Canaanites. Judges 5 records the song that Deborah composed and sang in response to the Lord’s deliverance. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of Hebrew poetry ever written.

Let us take a look at this wonderful woman that God used to lead his people! Let us take a look at the life of Deborah—a mother of Israel!

The Cycle of Sin Continues (4:1-3)

After Ehud assassinated Eglon, king of Moab, the Israelites experienced peace in the Promised Land for 80 years. Under Ehud’s leadership, the people stayed on the straight and narrow path. They worshipped the one true God and remained faithful to him. But after Ehud died, the Israelites continued in the cycle of sin that is so prevalent during the period of the judges. They did evil in the eyes of the Lord by turning their hearts toward idols. They forsook the Lord as the top priority in their lives.

Just as in the days before, God disciplined his people by allowing them to experience oppression at the hands of a foreign enemy. This time God sold them into the hands of Jabin, the king of the Canaanites, who reigned from the northern city of Hazor. The commander of Jabin’s army was Sisera, who cruelly oppressed the Israelites with his 900 chariots for 20 years.

Every time we see this pattern of God disciplining his people for doing evil in his eyes, it should cause us to reflect on the condition of our own souls. When we continue to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, it is only a matter of time until we experience his discipline. When we turn our backs on him and go our own way, he orchestrates the events of our lives so that we see our need for him. Just as the Lord rose up Jabin and Sisera to discipline the Israelites, he rises up all sorts of calamities and sufferings to bring us back to him today.

If you have been persisting in some cycle of sin, stop! If you are engaging in some evil endeavor, stop! If you have turned your heart away from the Lord, come back! Come back before you endure God’s discipline!

Deborah: An Unlikely Leader (4:4-5; 5:7)

It took the Israelites 20 years to humble themselves before the Lord—20 years of oppression and misery, but eventually they cried out to the Lord for help. And as he had done so many times before, God heard the cries of his people, and he poured out his grace on them by raising up another judge to deliver them. This time he raised up a woman named Deborah!

When we read verse 4, we should be shocked. In a time and culture that was almost exclusively patriarchal, it is astonishing that God would raise up a woman to fulfill these unlikely roles. Notice first, she was a “prophetess.” This is an extremely rare role; the term is only found in the Bible 8 times. Like her male counterparts, she received and proclaimed God’s Word to the people. She served as God’s mouthpiece to deliver instruction to the nation of Israel.

Secondly, she was the wife of Lappidoth. This is a more traditional role for the time. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about Lappidoth or their marriage. Because of Deborah’s other roles, we can assume that her role as a wife would have been considerably different from the typical wife of the time.

Thirdly, she was “judging (or leading) Israel at the time.” This is the most remarkable role of all. During this period of Israelite history, the judge was the top position in the nation. She had final legislative, judicial, social, and military authority. She led the people and spent considerable time deciding cases in court, which she held under the palm tree that was named for her in the hill country of Ephraim. Long before Judge Judy draped herself in a judge’s robe or opened her big mouth on television, Deborah administered real justice in Israel!

Finally, in 5:7, Deborah sings that when village life in Israel ceased, she arose as a “mother of Israel.” When the life and livelihood of the people in the villages of Israel were being oppressed, she came to power and delivered her people. All of her roles (prophetess, wife, judge, and leader) are encompassed this term. As a mother fulfills many roles for her children, Deborah did all of these things for the children of Israel. We don’t know if Deborah had any biological children, but we do know that God called her to be a spiritual mother of the whole nation.

Deborah’s unlikely leadership roles in Israel remind us that God is not limited by historical periods or cultural customs. Even in a patriarchal culture, if God wants a woman’s touch at the top of a nation, he can do it. I am so glad that he raises up spiritual mothers like Deborah to shepherd his people today.

Today on Mother’s Day, let us give thanks for the spiritual mothers that he has placed in our lives. Mothers who speak God’s Word! Mothers who stand up for justice! Mothers who are willing to serve God in all sorts of roles! Mothers like Eleanor Dodd and Pricilla Gates! Praise God for spiritual mothers!

Deborah’s Courage, Barak’s Cowardice (4:6-10)

God revealed to Deborah that Barak was to gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun to prepare for battle against Sisera by the Kishon River near Mount Tabor. There the Lord would lead Sisera into a trap and give Barak and the Israelites victory. God chose the leader of his army, the place of the battle, and he also guaranteed the victory; all Barak had to do was trust the Lord.

Barak’s faith was weak and he showed his cowardice when he said to Deborah, “If you go, I’ll go; but if you don’t go, I won’t go.” He was like a little a little boy walking into a dark room who says to his mother, “I’m scared, mommy! You go with me!” I love Deborah’s response, “Very well, I’ll go with you.” But she warned him that he would not receive the honor; for the Lord would take Sisera by the hands of a woman. This was her way of telling him, “No guts, no glory!” So, Deborah and Barak summoned the soldiers and gathered them for battle.

This scene should serve as a lesson for us today. How often does God call us to do something, yet we are reluctant to obey because we are afraid? How often does God reveal his plan for us, yet we are still paralyzed by fear? Even though God already guaranteed the victory, all Barack could think about was 900 iron chariots. When God calls you to do something, will you have the cowardice of Barack or the courage of Deborah?

Jael Kills Sisera (4:11-24; 5:24-31)

Now it was the family of Heber the Kenite who first warned Sisera that Barack was planning a revolt at Mount Tabor. Sisera’s 900 iron chariots made him cocky and arrogant. His forces hadn’t seriously been challenged in years, but he did not know that the Lord God of Israel has the power to turn mighty chariots into tinker toys. This God is the creator of heaven and earth and is all powerful.

As Sisera and his chariots rode toward the Israelite army, God sent fierce rains upon the land that made the Kishon River overflow and turned the battlefield into a sea of mud. The chariots were rendered immobile and the Israelites completely routed the Canaanite army. This unexpected rainstorm during the dry season would have messed with the Canaanite’s minds. Remember, the Canaanites worshipped Baal, the supposed God of storms. God proved his superiority and sovereignty over all other gods.

While Barack and his men were defeating the Canaanite army, the mighty warlord Sisera abandoned his chariot and ran for his life. He was probably heading for Hazor, but his strength began to give out and he sought refuge in the tents of Heber the Kenite, the one who had originally warned him about the Israelite revolt. Since the Kenites had been friendly toward Jabin, he assumed that this would be a safe place to rest.

As he approached the tents, Heber’s wife Jael came out to greet him. She immediately recognized who he was and why he was on the run; we might say “She had him pegged from the start!” She got him some milk to drink and prepared a place for him to sleep. Just as Sisera had no idea that God had planned to rout his army by sending a rainstorm, he had no idea that God had planned for a woman to take his life. He didn’t suspect any danger, so he rested in peace.

As Sisera slept, Jael picked up a long tent peg and a hammer and quietly knelt down by his head. She held the peg in one hand and the hammer in the other, set the peg up against Sisera’s temple, and drove it into the ground. In this culture it was the woman’s job to set up the tents, so she knew how to hammer a tent peg. In this way, God kept his promise that Sisera would fall by the hands of a woman.

When Barack arrived on the scene, Jael showed him what she had done. From there, the Israelites grew stronger and eventually the Lord used them to overthrow Jabin, king of Canaan. Under Deborah’s leadership, the land experienced peace for forty years.

This scene betrays all of our expectations. We would expect God to raise up a powerful Israelite warrior to kill Sisera with a sword, not a housewife with a hammer. Even when Deborah tells Barak that he would fall by the hands of a woman, we expect that it would be Deborah, not some obscure Kenite woman. This would be the equivalent of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders taking out Osama Bin Labin instead of the Navy Seals.

But God often uses unexpected people to accomplish his plans. He likes to break our expectations to show his sovereignty over all things. That is really what the whole Book of Judges is about—a long list of unlikely heroes. No one would expect God to use disabled Ehud to deliver his people from Moab, but he did! No one would expect God to use Deborah to lead Israel, but he did! No one would expect God to use a housewife and a hammer to conquer the greatest military leader of the day, but he did! No one would expect God to sacrifice his own Son to save us from our sins, but he did that too! God often uses the unlikely people to accomplish his purposes. I wonder how he is going to use you?

As I conclude, I would like to leave you with three exhortations from today’s text: 1.) If you are sinking somewhere in the cycle of sin, repent before you incur God’s discipline! 2.) When God calls you to do something, respond with faith instead of fear. 3.) Expect God to use unexpected people to accomplish his plan—people like you!

Deborah epitomizes what Mother’s Day is all about! She was a women of the Word—a woman of faith—a woman of justice—a woman of courage—a woman of service! Praise God for our spiritual mothers!