And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, judged Israel at that time. And she lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.
(Judges 4:4-5)

prophetess
H5031
neb-ee-yaw’
Feminine of H5030; a prophetess or (generally) inspired woman; by implication a poetess; by association a prophet’s wife: – prophetess.

judged
H8199
shaw-fat’
A primitive root; to judge, that is, pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication to vindicate or punish; by extension to govern; passively to litigate (literally or figuratively): – + avenge, X that condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), (be a) judge (-ment), X needs, plead, reason, rule.

judgement
H4941
mish-pawt’
From H8199; properly a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (particularly) divine law, individual or collectively), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly justice, including a particular right, or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style: – + adversary, ceremony, charge, X crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just (-ice, -ly), (manner of) law (-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, X worthy, + wrong.

Deborah, a prophetess, enjoyed a special relationship with God and served Him in a special capacity. He gave her the responsibility to judge both women and men. This seems in contradiction with

1Ti 2:12 But I do not allow a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence.

Her primary role, which was mentioned first, was as a prophetess. Her authority as a judge seems to spring from that, as did her later role as a military leader. So her authority (civil and spiritual) was God-ordained. The specific example of her authority and the respect she commanded is here:

And she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, Has not Jehovah, the God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun? (Judges 4:6)

And Barak said to her, If you will go with me, then I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go. (Judges 4:8)

She sent for Barak and he came – whether he perceived himself as subordinate to her position as a civil authority or in recognition that she was God’s special servant and it was to his benefit to come. She clarifies that Jehovah is talking; this is not some whim of Deborah’s to send him out to battle. But Barak’s faith is weak. The word of God, delivered via Deborah, is not enough. He needs some hand-holding here, but he is at least willing to go. However, when we don’t do what God wants when He directs us to do it, consequences are inevitable – the blessing of being the instrument used to enact God’s will goes to someone else.

And she said, I will surely go with you. But the journey that you take shall not be for your honor, for Jehovah shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Judges 4:9)

(Barnes) Mark the unhesitating faith and courage of Deborah, and the rebuke to Barak’s timidity, “the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman” (Jael, Jdg_4:22). For a similar use of a weak instrument, that the excellency of the power might be of God, compare the history of Gideon and his 300, David and his sling, Shamgar and his ox-goad, Samson and the jawbone of the ass. (See 1Co_1:26, 1Co_1:31.)

You know the rest of the story – or if you don’t go read Judges 4 and 5. I have been mulling over this for a week about Deborah’s authoritative role in comparison with other edicts concerning the roles of men and women. Do I think women ought to be barefoot and pregnant and subservient to men? NO. But then that’s not God’s plan either. Women are not biblically restricted from having jobs or businesses, in fact the entrepreneurial spirit in women is specifically encouraged in several places in the bible. But where a woman enters into a marital contract and subsequently bears children, the bible insists that those obligations supercede all others except obligations to God. One thing I noticed is that Deborah apparently does not have children. Maybe that’s part of the answer. Husbands take some maintenance, but a lot less than kids. As to the teaching and exercising spiritual authority over man, I need to continue to study this, and hope to post again on it after I conclude something worth writing about.

And Moses called to all Israel and said to them, You have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants, and to all his land. Your eyes have seen the great trials, the signs, and those great miracles. Yet Jehovah has not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until today. (Deuteronomy 29:2-4)

Deu 29:4 – Yet the Lord – That is, you have perceived and seen them with the eyes of your body, but not with your minds and hearts; you have not yet learned rightly to understand the word and works of God, so as to know them for your good, and to make a right use of them, and to comply with them: which he expresseth thus, the Lord hath not given you, &c. not to excuse their wickedness, but to direct them to whom they must have recourse for a good understanding of God’s works; and to intimate that although the hearing ear, and the seeing eye, be the workmanship of God, yet their want of his grace was their own fault, and the just punishment of their former sins; their present case being like theirs in Isaiah’s time, who first shut their own eyes and ears that they might not see and hear, and would not understand, and then by the righteous judgment of God, had their eyes and ears closed that they should not see and hear, and understand. God’s readiness to do us good in other things, is a plain evidence, that if we have not grace, that best of gifts, ’tis our own fault and not his: he would have gathered us, and we would not.  (John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes)

Predestination by inference.  We are so inherently evil that in the face of the great miracles God had done for the Israelites, we STILL do not seek God.  We just take, and take.  But in taking the material things (manna, etc.) at face value, we miss out on the best - the daily wonder of seeing God at work in our lives.

If a man has a son who is stubborn and rebels, who will not obey his father’s voice or his mother’s voice, even when they have chastened him he will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place. And they shall say to the elders of his city, this son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones so that he dies. So shall you put evil away from you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)

And He said, A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that is coming to me. And he divided his living to them. And not many days afterward, the younger son gathered all together and went away into a far country. And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely. (Luke 15:11-13)
And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

Jesus presented a radical departure from conventional wisdom of the day. I don’t know how many rebellious sons were actually killed – I doubt many, if at all, but you never know – people were certainly stoned and otherwise executed in those days. In the verses from Deuteronomy, the rebellious son is not given an opportunity to repent, or if he is, it doesn’t matter that he repented, it’s too late once the sin is committed. Or is it that a person in rebellion by definition will NOT repent so the point is moot? In Luke, the father is patient and kind, went above and beyond anything he ought to have done. The son was not entitled to anything, but the father gave without complaint, even though he must have known what was going to happen. The simple fact that this kid had the nerve to ask for his inheiritance shows his attitude and state of mind. I wondered if these two passages showed some kind of change on God’s part; then realized that this is not possible, God does not change.

“All that God is He has always been, and all that He has been and is He will ever be.” Nothing that God has ever said about Himself will be modified; nothing the inspired prophets and apostles have said about Him will be rescinded. His immutability guarantees this. A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy(New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1961), 50.

Justice vs. Mercy. So did God mellow out, having realized that He was going to have to kill us all if He didn’t? No. He knew that from the beginning. There is no dichotomy, any more than there is between predestination and free will. God has always been just and holy, and God has always been merciful. What seems like a change from a human perspective, when considered from an “eternal” perspective where God is on the throne is completely different. If He does not complete an illustration in our lifetime, that doesn’t make the lesson invalid. The more I read the Bible, I find that things that seem contradictory on the surface are not, when you look at it from the perspective that it’s all about God, always has been, always will be. We exist ONLY to glorify Him.

And Jehovah spoke to Moses saying, Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes. And it shall give forth its water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock. So you shall give the congregation and their animals drink. And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said to them, Hear now you rebels. Must we bring water for you out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he struck the rock twice. And the water came out plentifully, and the congregation and their animals drank. And Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.(Numbers 20:7-12)

And I begged Jehovah at that time saying, O, Jehovah God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness, and Your mighty hand. For what God is there in heaven or in earth who can do according to Your works, and according to Your might? I pray you, let me go over and see the good land beyond Jordan, this good hill-country and Lebanon. But Jehovah was angry with me because of you and would not hear me. And Jehovah said to me, Let it be enough for you. Speak no more to Me of this matter. Go up into the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and behold it with your eyes. For you shall not go over this Jordan. (Deuteronomy 3:23-27)

This perplexed me a great deal, because it seems as if God would cut Moses a little slack – after all, God had given him a pretty big job to do, and most of the time, Moses did pretty well, right? Well, after reading carefully, I find it was a pretty big offense. 1. That same temper that caused him to kill the Egyptian so many years before was not completely eradicated. “Listen up, you ungrateful brats!” 2. He seems to take credit for what God is about to do – “must we bring water for you,” is a rhetorical sentence. He knows he must; God just told him to do it. Phrasing it the way he did implies Moses and Aaron are going to all this trouble themselves. 3. Next, he adds to the instructions God gave him, by hitting the rock (twice! more display of temper) instead of speaking to it. Was he provoked? Certainly. I wonder if anyone in the history of the world was ever provoked more than Moses was. But clearly provocation doesn’t give us a free pass to rage on about something. Having said that, why didn’t God forgive him and cut him some slack? Should this one display of temper trash decades of service?

God did forgive him – but sometimes consequences are necessary, not just for the offender, but for other people involved. According to Matthew Henry, Israel, in addition to Moses, was punished by Moses’ exclusion from the Promised Land.

The removal of Moses at that time, when he could so ill be spared, was a rebuke to all Israel, and a punishment of their sin. Or, [3.] It was for their sakes, that it might be a warning to them to take heed of offending God by passionate and unbelieving speeches at any time, after the similitude of his transgression; for, if this were done to such a green tree, what should be done to the dry?

With all of the goodness and mercy God has shown to me, even when I feel provoked or treated unfairly, I don’t have the right to be offended. If vengeance is warranted, God will take care of it. And if He gives the offender repentance, wouldn’t I rather accept their apology than have to accept theirs, AND proffer one of my own?

And the people were evil, as those complaining in the ears of Jehovah. And Jehovah heard, and His anger was kindled. And the fire of Jehovah burned among them and devoured in the outermost parts of the camp. And the people cried to Moses. And when Moses prayed to Jehovah, the fire was put out. (Numbers 11:1-2)

That’s a pretty big indicator, right there, of what happens when you complain to God for no good reason. Why do I say no good reason? They were set free from slavery. Their former captors loaded them down with riches. They were handed what is arguably the biggest military victory EVER. Much later, before they enter Canaan, Moses recaps this little road trip:

And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger, and then He fed you with manna, which you did not know, neither did your fathers know it, so that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of Jehovah man shall live. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell, these forty years. (Deuteronomy 8:3-4)

True, they were walking in the hot desert, but God took care that their feet did not even swell. But they grumbled, God zapped them, and still they didn’t have the good sense to straighten up and fly right. Proof that Darwin’s theory is dead wrong, because even today, people are STILL this stupid. They were right back at it, this time about food.

We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all besides this manna before our eyes. (Numbers 11:5-6)

Oh, the drama! Their very soul was dried away! How sad. Here is how Matthew Henry describes the “mixed multitude” (Exodus 12:38) who was doing the griping:

They were hangers on, who took hold of the skirts of the Jews, and would go with them only because they knew not how to live at home, and were disposed to seek their fortunes (as we say) abroad. These were the scabbed sheep that infected the flock, the leaven that leavened the whole lump. Note, A few factious, discontented, ill-natured people, may do a great deal of mischief in the best societies, if great care be not taken to discountenance them. Such as these are an untoward generation, from which it is our wisdom to save ourselves, Act_2:40.

The Jews permitted and even followed this “mixed multitude” and so were included in God’s punishment. Now Moses loses it, to the point of asking God why God didn’t just kill him rather than make him deal with these knuckleheads. As to the knuckleheads, since being recently zapped with fire from God did not do the trick, God said “You want meat? I’ll give you meat. You’ll wish you had never HEARD of meat.”

And a wind went forth from Jehovah. And it cut off quails from the sea and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits high upon the face of the earth. (Numbers 11:31)

Two cubits is around 3.5 feet deep. That’s a LOT of quail.

And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah struck the people with a very great plague. (Numbers 11:33)

Lusting after the things of the world, even if you get them, or maybe especially if you get them, will just bring unhappiness. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible in this chapter:

We hear of such punishments, and yet walk in the same way, presuming on God’s mercy, while we continue to provoke his justice. Let us settle it in our minds as an indisputable truth, that God is better acquainted with our wants than we are ourselves; that he knows infinitely better what we need; and that he is ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and is wont to give more than we can desire or deserve.

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them. And there went out fire from Jehovah and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah. Then Moses said to Aaron, It is that which Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, Come near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp. And they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and lest He be angry on all the people. But let your brothers, the whole of Israel, mourn the burning which Jehovah has kindled. And you shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die. For the anointing oil of Jehovah is on you. And they did according to the word of Moses. And Jehovah spoke to Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest you die, a statute forever throughout your generations. Even for a distinction between the holy and unholy, and between the unclean and clean and so that you may teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah has spoken to them by the hand of Moses. (Leviticus 10:1-11)

I read this, said, “Huh?” and read it again. Seemed a bit harsh! Next I consulted Matthew Henry on the matter. (I’m REALLY looking forward to meeting him in heaven, along with CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Charles Finney, and Watchman Nee. But that’s for another post…) So what was the offense, punishable by death, and so bad that their father was prohibited from mourning them? According to Matthew Henry,

1. It does not appear the they had any orders to burn incense at all at this time. It is true their consecration was completed the day before, and it was part of their work, as priests, to serve at the altar of incense; but, it should seem, the whole service of this solemn day of inauguration was to be performed by Aaron himself, for he slew the sacrifices (Lev_9:8, Lev_9:15, Lev_9:18), and his sons were only to attend him (Lev_10:9, Lev_10:12, Lev_10:18); therefore Moses and Aaron only went into the tabernacle, v. 23. But Nadab and Abihu were so proud of the honour they were newly advanced to, and so ambitious of doing the highest and most honourable part of their work immediately, that though the service of this day was extraordinary, and done by particular direction from Moses, yet without receiving orders, or so much as asking leave from him, they took their censers, and they would enter into the tabernacle, at the door of which they thought they had attended long enough, and would burn incense. And then their offering strange fire is the same with offering strange incense, which is expressly forbidden, Exo_30:9. Moses, we may suppose, had the custody of the incense which was prepared for this purpose (Exo_39:38), and they, doing this without his leave, had none of the incense which should have been offered, but common incense, so that the smoke of their incense came from a strange fire. God had indeed required the priests to burn incense, but, at this time, it was what he commanded them not; and so their crime was like that of Uzziah the king, 2Ch_26:16. The priests were to burn incense only when it was their lot (Luk_1:9), and, at this time, it was not theirs.
2. Presuming thus to burn incense of their own without order, no marvel that they made a further blunder, and instead of taking of the fire from the altar, which was newly kindled from before the Lord and which henceforward must be used in offering both sacrifice and incense (Rev_8:5), they took common fire, probably from that with which the flesh of the peace-offerings was boiled, and this they made use of in burning incense; not being holy fire, it is called strange fire; and, though not expressly forbidden, it was crime enough that God commanded it not. For (as bishop Hall well observes here) “It is a dangerous thing, in the service of God, to decline from his own institutions; we have to do with a God who is wise to prescribe his own worship, just to require what he has prescribed, and powerful to revenge what he has not prescribed.”
3. Incense was always to be burned by only one priest at a time, but here they would both go in together to do it.
4. They did it rashly, and with precipitation. They snatched their censers, so some read it, in a light careless way, without due reverence and seriousness: when all the people fell upon their faces, before the glory of the Lord, they thought the dignity of their office was such as to exempt them from such abasements. The familiarity they were admitted to bred a contempt of the divine Majesty; and now that they were priests they thought they might do what they pleased.
5. There is reason to suspect that they were drunk when they did it, because of the law which was given upon this occasion, Lev_10:8. They had been feasting upon the peace-offerings, and the drink-offerings that attended them, and so their heads were light, or, at least, their hearts were merry with wine; they drank and forgot the law (Pro_31:5) and were guilty of this fatal miscarriage.
6. No doubt it was done presumptuously; for, if it had been done through ignorance, they would have been allowed the benefit of the law lately made, even for the priests, that they should bring a sin-offering, Lev_4:2, Lev_4:3. But the soul that doth aught presumptuously, and in contempt of God’s majesty, authority, and justice, that soul shall be cut of, Num_15:30.

A recurring theme in Leviticus is to not treat holy things as ordinary, and not treat ordinary things as holy. Remember that according to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “That is holy which belongs to Yahweh.” Even now that we are under a covenant of grace and not of law, it bears remembering. God is not due any less respect than He was in Leviticus, even if He has dispensed with all the rituals.

And the sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses. And they asked articles of silver, and articles of gold, and clothing from the Egyptians. And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they granted their request, and they plundered the Egyptians. (Exodus 12:35-36)

The culmination of all the plagues – their children were dead. The Egyptions at that point would hand over whatever was requested, just to get rid of the Hebrews. But don’t feel too sorry for them – Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on this section:

Exo 12:29-36 – The Egyptians had been for three days and nights kept in anxiety and horror by the darkness; now their rest is broken by a far more terrible calamity. The plague struck their first-born, the joy and hope of their families. They had slain the Hebrews’ children, now God slew theirs. It reached from the throne to the dungeon: prince and peasant stand upon the same level before God’s judgments.

Here’s what “got” me: God provided Israel with loads of material possessions. He didn’t give them any instructions at this point on what to do with them. But if you keep reading, he starts handing out instructions later, on building things for His service and worship. Tents, priests’ clothing, the ark of the covenant, various ceremonial doo-dads… made with precious metals and fine fabrics and loaded down with jewels. Not items you expect slaves to have, and there’s no mention of God delivering these things like manna, so it’s safe to conclude that this is the stuff they got from the Egyptians. The moral of this story? God doesn’t especially want us all to drive a Mercedes and live in a mansion. He may or may not be against the concept of a Mercedes, what do I know? But when he gives his children an abundance of wealth, maybe we should hang onto it a while (note: NOT “hoard” it!) and see if we get some instructions on how to spend it in His service. Just because we don’t receive the wealth WITH the instructions doesn’t make it any less His money and doesn’t give us the freedom to blow it on what we please. So the next time I have more in the bank than my bills will consume, I think I’ll drive on past the ATM instead of stopping. Just in case…

And Jehovah said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, Thus says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go so that they may serve Me.
(Exodus 9:1)

I’ve made it to Exodus. The story of Joseph in Genesis leads into it, of course. That’s how the Jews got into Egypt to begin with. At the time Joseph was deeply respected and honored by the current pharaoh, because he had saved the country. But time passes, and people die, and the pharaoh at the time of Moses didn’t know or care about Joseph. Eventually the Jews had become enslaved, and while the Egyptians were above all fearful of an uprising, they also didn’t want to change the status quo and have to do their own work. The part of all this I never really caught on to before – God was not just saying, “Let My people go,” because He had looked on them and was moved to pity – although that is part of it. He completed the sentence with, “so that they may serve Me.”

Serve
‛âbad
aw-bad’
A primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.: – X be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, + husbandman, keep, labour (-ing man), bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve (-ing, self), (be, become) servant (-s), do (use) service, till (-er), transgress [from margin], (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper.

This is the old Testament Hebrew word, and it appears 294 times. The three Greek words for “serve” in the New Testament appear less frequently. Here are the definitions:

G1247 (40 occurrences)
diakoneo
dee-ak-on-eh’-o
From G1249; to be an attendant, that is, wait upon (menially or as a host, friend or [figuratively] teacher); technically to act as a Christian deacon: – (ad-) minister (unto), serve, use the office of a deacon.

G1398 (27 occurrences)
douleuo
dool-yoo’-o
From G1401; to be a slave to (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily): – be in bondage, (do) serve (-ice).

G3000 (22 occurrences)
latreuo
lat-ryoo’-o
From λάτρις latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), that is, render religious homage: – serve, do the service, worship (-per).

Service is not less important now than it was in the days of Moses – however, our salvation is not contingent upon it. One thing Jesus said about service:

Blessed is that servant when his lord comes and finds him so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the male servants and women servants, and to eat and drink and to be drunk, the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and at an hour when he does not know. And he will cut him apart, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his lord’s will and did not prepare, nor did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he not knowing, and doing things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For to whomever much is given, of him much shall be required. And to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:43-48)

However, He said that two chapters AFTER He told Martha – in response to her request that he tell Mary to get off her butt (where she was sitting at Jesus’ feet) and help out in the kitchen –

And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)

Service. It’s why God took the Jews out of Egypt. It’s what we were created for. This includes the everyday worship of honoring God in our jobs and daily lives (G1247), it includes obedience(G1398) and it includes worshipping God (G3000). As saved people, we have been freed from bondage to sin. The rest of the sentence – so that we may serve Him.