Deborah, Prophet and Judge, Reflection on Judges 4:1-7

In Exodus, God did something good for them. They were pleased for a while, then misbehaved or complained. When things turned bad, they cried out. God heard them. God over and over saved them again.

In the book of Joshua, they enter the Promised Land, defeat many enemies, and begin to settle in. There they are in a land on which they had not labored, in towns they had not built, eating fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that had not planted (See Joshua 24).

God has once more done something good for them. They once more were pleased for a while. And once more they misbehaved. Once more things turned bad. Once more they cried out and were heard.

The prophet and judge, Deborah, tells them how God is planning to save them once more.

The Old Testament has not saved for us the speeches or even the names of very many women. In Exodus, a fragment of Miriam's song appears. And, as in the case of Deborah, someone else, in Miriam's case, her brother Moses, does the actual work. Reading ahead, Huldah will also speak God's word--in her case, a not very reassuring one (2 Kings 22:14-20).

Lectio Divina: Psalm 123:1-4