Last week we looked at Miriam: leader of Israel (Mic. 6:4), a worship leader (Ex. 15:21), and a prophet of God (Ex. 15:20). She was also the namesake of the mother of Jesus, Mary (Miriam in Greek). Today we look at the story of Deborah as told in the book of Judges. We will take this week, and next to look at Deborah.
Deborah lived somewhere between 1200-1100BC. Just as Moses and Joshua had done before hand, God appointed people (judges) over the people to help rule the nation and settle disputes. Don’t think courtroom judge. Think about judges like a governor, or tribal military leader. Judges 2 makes this process pretty clear.
18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
Jdg 2:18–19 NIV
During this time Israel struggles to maintain its identity as God’s people. In many ways they became just like the Canaanites they were to drive out, but God would raise up leaders to bring them back in line with who they were supposed to be. It is the Lord who appoints judges, not the people. And when the judges passed away, the Israelites rebelled against God. It is in this context that we are told about Deborah. Ehud, the previous judge, died and Israel returned to doing evil again. As punishment, God allowed Israel to be ruled by the Canaanite king Jaban, and his army commander Sisera. For twenty years the Israelites were mistreated by the Cannanites, and then Deborah is chosen as judge of Israel to correct, instruct them as prophet, and rescue them from the Canaanites.
The very first statement about Deorah tells us that she is a prophet and a wife (Jdg. 4:4), as well as a mother (Jdg. 5:7). Deborah was so well respected that the people, including Barak the military commander, didn’t want to go into battle unless Deborah was with them, a role that is usually reserved for a king! (Jdg. 4:8).
Usually at this point someone chimes in claiming that Deborah had to do these things because there was a lack of men to lead. That is an assertion that Scripture doesn’t support. Nothing in this story indicates Deborah should not be doing any of these things because she is a woman. Remember, the Lord appoints judges. In fact, the story elevates women greatly! Sisera is eventually killed by a woman, Jael, who drives a tent peg through his head into the ground. The name Sisera means snake, and Jael means Yahweh is God. Through two women, Deborah and Jael, the head of the serpent is crushed by God! (Gen. 3:15).
Due to the Lord’s work through the leadership of Deborah, and the bravery of Jael, Israel enjoyed peace for forty years. Next week we will look at Deborah’s celebratory song (Judges 5), and what it tells us about God and his people.
Living in the Word 
Where does it say the name Sisera mean snake? Can’t find that anywhere
Hi Nate, thanks for the question! This is an old post (2019), and I have somehow misplaced my notes from writing this post. Really wish I had a method for footnotes on this blog, but I digress. At the time I had a commentary that placed the name Sisera in an Akkadian dialect that meant serpant/snake. I cannot locate that source, and it may have been proven inaccurate by this point. It’s definitely not a Hebrew word, but scholars are divided as to what language the name stems from (I’ll link a few options below that have come out since this writing).
Of note is the sound of the name (think snake noises), and at least one scholar believes this to be a fictitious name simply to create that sound, which would explain why its etymology cannot be verified. Another suggestion is Egyptian language, with a meaning of “servant of Ra.” When you look at Ra depicted, his “servant” would be the serpant/snake that always appears on his head, or draped on him in some way (again, I’ll link a few options for further study.)
Aside from any of that, the imagery is clear in the passage as Sisera seeks to “strike” the Israelites, and “slithers away” to hide, and clearly has his head crushed (See Gen. 3:15). It’s the way the author tells the story as much, or even more than the direct etymology of the word Sisera. I hope this helps, and agian, thanks for the question! Blessings to you.
Possible Etymology of Sisera: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sisera/
Images of Ra with snake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra
New Podcast discussing this very theme (I recommend the entire series and the video in order to understand the serpant/snake/dragon theme present in the Bible): https://bibleproject.com/podcast/women-who-slayed-dragons/