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Godly Leadership: Deborah and Gideon's Journey in Judges 5-6
May 1, 2026 · 12 min
Exploring the powerful stories of Deborah and Gideon as models of God-appointed leadership.
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When Leaders Lead: Deborah's Song 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning as we look at Judges chapters 5 and 6 today, verse 2 of chapter 5. When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly0:21 offer themselves, bless the Lord. Good things happen when you've got godly leaders that the people can follow. Alright. This journey through the Bible just keeps getting better and better as we see how God0:33 works in and through the lives of people who are often overlooked in the eyes of the world yet raised up by God to accomplish his purposes. Today, we're gonna continue0:45 looking at Deborah, and then we're gonna look at Gideon. You know, Deborah was a woman in a man's world, and Gideon, admittedly, was the weakest of the weak. So chapter 5 is a continuation of this powerful story of0:56 powerful story of the prophetess Deborah with a song of what God did, and then in chapter 6, the call, commission, and consecration of Gideon. Verse 1, chapter 5. Then1:08 Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoheb, sang on that that day saying now let me start right here. Have you ever noticed how songs have been used in the bible? Songs tell stories1:20 of these pivotal moments in the the lives of the people where God's power, delivered them. And and music and poetry are powerful mediums that are used to1:32 communicate important messages in a way that stick with people. And that's why these songs that help them remember it, but powerful. And so even today, I mean, think about some of the songs or the poems that you've been1:43 exposed to. Years ago, you can still recall them. So it's a powerful medium. Alright. Verse 2. When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the Lord. Hear,1:54 o kings. Give ear, o princes. I, princes. I, even I, will sing to the Lord. I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. Lord, when you went out from2:07 Seir, when you marched from the field of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens poured. The clouds also poured water. The mountains gush before the Lord, this Sinai before the Lord God of2:19 Israel, in the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased.2:31 It ceased in Israel until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods, then there was war in the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among2:43 40000 in Israel. Now a few observations here. When leaders lead as directed2:58 goes unchecked and sin abounds. The roads are not safe. Commerce suffers as fear grips the heart of the people. The underlying issue, though, we've got to look at was3:10 spiritual apostasy, and God raised up a woman to lead in a time when women were second class citizens. As we as we see throughout scripture, god's selection is not based upon3:22 what the eye of man sees on the outside, but what god sees in the heart, the very core of our being. This is true of Gideon as well. I love3:33 Judges chapter 6. In fact, let's move on to to chapter 6 of Judges. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for 7 years. And the hand ofFrom Fear to Calling: Gideon's Encounter 3:45 Midian prevailed against Israel because of the Midianites. The children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. So for after Deborah for 40 years, they were3:56 good, but then the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian. So the rejection of God and his ways brought about4:08 oppression, fear, and insecurity. The Israelites, who you will recall, just the dimension. Remember remember when, when they took Jericho and, Rahab talked about we4:20 heard. You know, we've heard about you. We all the way back to the parting of the Red Sea. So God had and when they were walking with God, God struck fear in the hearts of4:32 their opponents. But now but now they were hiding wherever they could. The Israelites were hiding wherever they could. Where there is spiritual compromise.4:44 Right, this is still true today. This is a principle. Okay? This is a principle. Wherever there is spiritual compromise, there will soon be moral cowardice. About 100 years ago, archaeologists from Zeno4:56 Seminary and American School uncovered many hidden grain pits in the stratum belonging to this period of the judges. You see, insecurity is a direct result of5:07 societal sin. Verse 6. So Israel was greatly impoverished because the Midianites and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Rejection of his of God and his ways brings spiritual5:19 impoverishment, which will often, result in circumstances like war, like oppression, that lead to material impoverishment. Verse 6. Now the angel of the5:31 Lord came and sat under the terubim tree, which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezerite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress5:43 in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, the Lord is with you, mighty man of valor. Now, again, we've looked at this before.5:54 The angel of the Lord, this is a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry writes that Gideon was a man of brave active spirit and yet buried alive in obscurity through the6:06 iniquity of the times. We don't see Gideon at this point as a mighty man of valor, but God did. Why? Gideon was pressing forward despite the opposition, doing what he had to6:18 do, though forced to do it on a small scale. He was not giving up, and God knew what was in Gideon's heart. And we should be encouraged by the fact that God knows our hearts. If our6:30 hearts are toward him, he knows that. He sees that. You know what? You may be rowing against the current of the culture as you serve God. Don't give up. Don't give6:41 in. Keep trusting God that the breakthrough moment may come as God becomes the wind in your sail. Verse 13, Gideon said to him, oh my Lord, if the Lord is with6:53 us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his miracles which our father told us about, saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered7:05 us into the hand of the Midianites. Then the Lord turned to him and said, go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?7:18 Here is the call of God in the commissioning of Gideon. Go. Have I not sent you? Remember, Jesus commissioned his disciples, commissioned us in Matthew chapter 28. Go7:29 therefore, because all authority had been given to to Jesus, he commissions us and gives us the authority to go and make disciples. Verse 15. So he said7:41 to him, oh my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said to him, surely I will be with you, and you7:53 shall defeat the Midianites as 1 man. You know, Gideon honestly has the right response. Like Moses, when he when Moses encountered God at the burning bush,8:05 he recognized his own weakness. If if we think that we can do something that we believe God is calling us to, then we've missed the call of God. God wants us to be dependent8:17 upon him, and he calls us to God sized challenges so that we do have to rely on him. Verse 17, then he said to him, if now I have found favor in your sight, then show me8:29 a sign that it is you who talk with me. So he asked for a series of signs, and he got them. It's okay okay to ask. Then he has to step out in obedience. Alright? There comes a point where you gotta make that decision.Obedience Unleashes God's Power 8:41 And it begins with the heart of the matter, spiritual reformation and commitment to the truth. He was to tear down the community idols and offer worship to the true God in a way8:53 that was gonna draw a bright line of contrast between him and the neighbor the the others in the neighborhood. Verse 25, now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, take your father's young bull,9:05 the second bull of 7 young years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it, and build an altar to the Lord, your God, on top9:17 of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the image which you shall cut down. So Gideon took 10 men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said9:29 to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. Now a note on the fact that he did this at9:41 night. Alright? I I think, actually, that was wisdom in in avoiding the resistance, fully aware that retaliation would come, and it did. But don't miss this. Verse 34, but the spirit of the Lord9:53 came upon Gideon, then he blew the trumpet and the Abir Abirzites gathered behind him. The consecration of the commission to lead the people came after Gideon10:04 stepped out personally in spiritual obedience to the Lord. See, the power of God comes when we pursue the presence of God and walk in the purpose of10:16 God. Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for loving us. Thank you, Lord, for encouraging us through your word as we see that you you look upon the heart, you will work in and through10:28 those that the world overlooks. And that encourages us, Lord, because often we're the ones that the world overlooks. But you you look upon the heart. So father, I pray that you would strengthen10:40 our faith and that you would use us in this hour, in this day in which we live to make a difference for your kingdom, to to to push back the oppression that all people suffer from because of sin.10:52 Lord, may we proclaim your truth as we live out that truth. And, Lord, may the Holy Spirit continue to guide us on this journey, showing us how to apply these truths to our lives in11:03 this world in which we live. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning, and until next time, keep standing on11:14 the word. Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a11:26 day, you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 When Leaders Lead: Deborah's Song3:39 From Fear to Calling: Gideon's Encounter8:41 Obedience Unleashes God's Power
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