Judges 4:1-5 - Deborah was leading Israel

4:1-3

We now come to one of the judges who gets a significant narrative, Deborah. The chapter begins with the usual “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord”, this happened after Ehud died. There is no mention of Shamgar. This leads some to speculate that he operated at the same time as Ehud. The actions of the Israelites were the same as before, and so was the response of the Lord. They were given into the hands of a foreign people, this time the Canaanites. Interestingly it says God “sold them into the hands ...”. Sisera was the army commander of the enemy, and he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron. These were the most advanced weapons of the day. They “cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years”, then the Israelites cried to the Lord for help. There is no mention in Judges of Israel ever repenting. 

4:4,5

Deborah is now introduced as a prophet. It is also mentioned that she “held court” and settled disputes. Given the societies of the time it is somewhat surprising that a woman had such prominence. She is clearly presented as the key figure in the events of this chapter, and a song of hers is given in the following chapter. No mention of her ancestry is given, and nothing is said to express surprise that a woman has such a leading role. This may have relevance for the role women have in the church.