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The Thrill of Victory,
The Agony of Defeat
The Book of Judges:
Deborah [Mother’s Day]
5-10-09 Text:
Judges 4:1-3; 5:1-9 ● I
love moms. I love watching the joy that mothers seem to get out of even
changing a poopy-diaper: the sheer delight you take in your children. It
seems like there’s nothing like the smell of a good wet-wipe and the wafting
scent of baby powder to push you through the frustration. I’m amazed at how
versatile and how available you need to be. ● Not
only are you trying to sort this whole MOTHERHOOD issue out in the midst of
reality (no “mock-motherhood-drill” in a controlled environment), but you
are also dealing with the “mothering-template” that’s been passed along by
your own mother. I’m aware that some of you are not so sentimental when it
comes to this day and just hearing some of these things requires an extra
measure of grace (It’s why there’s so much pressure to choose just the right
card on Mother’s Day: overly sentimental, she’s not buyin’ it; overly
comical, she’s disappointed). ●
There’s so much we do not know about Deborah. We are offered nothing in
terms of her genealogy; we know very little about her family.
We do know that she lived in a very tumultuous time in
“God’s choice for his
people during this particularly troubling season of their lives?” A
“mother”. God
knew that what his people needed most was “mothering”.
After all, it’s what mothers do---
respond to cries, right? God,
once again, chooses to guide the Israelites through the most improbable and
unlikely of actions: he chose a woman,
not a man, to be the deliverer of his
people;
a mother, not a warrior, in
order to re-direct his people and instill wisdom, courage and trust (not
coddling or pampering, but mothering).
Deborah was wife, judge,
prophetess, commander-in-chief… but she saw herself more as a “mother” than
anything else.
“I arose as a mother to In my
own life, I’m not sure I could even count the number of times that someone
said to me, “Your mom was like a
mother to me”. Even many of our own kids’ friends would lovingly refer
to Lynette as “mom” when they would address her. ●
Israel has proven to be the consummate “wayward child” (in actuality, the
story of the prodigal son is about Israel wandering from God, only to be
welcomed back as they came to their senses). [Isaiah 1:2
“I raised children and brought them
up, but they have rebelled against me”.] ● By
raising up Deborah as a “mother to
The Israelites were a
people…
…struggling with their sense
of identity (who is this God? who am I? why am I here?),
…attempting to make sense of
all the change they were experiencing,
…wrestling with temptation
and not sure how they fit into this new environment,
…longing to be unique, but
pressured to conform at every turn.
Sounds like adolescence,
doesn’t it?
Motherhood involves the task of building into children’s lives the capacity
for great strength and courage amidst feelings of insecurity and fear. ●
Deborah was identified as a
“prophetess”--- Her role was
to discern God’s heart for his people and convey that in such a way that it
would affirm that God was real and active in their lives and offer them an
image of what life could look like as it was ordered around him.
“judging This
validates my conviction that the only line I needed to learn as a father
was,
“Go ask your mother”. It’s
not always easy for moms because God’s voice (revelation) has to be filtered
through her own sense of fatigue and frustration.
Deborah refused to
accept the troubling circumstances as inevitable.
It’s not even that she was ‘intuitive’, just aware and discontented
with the circumstances (people staying off the main roads, refusing to live
in the open, etc.) “Does anybody not
see what’s happening here?”
Dads, we just always assume that the kids will eventually figure it
out, right? (“Let him stick that screwdriver in the socket… he won’t do it
again!”) ● Her
motherly instincts refused to allow her to remain silenced and sidelined
while her children were living in such fear and dysfunction; she not only
perceived the problem, but she took definitive action to bring about a
resolution. She
was simply attempting to interrupt the harmful patterns and prevent further
damage and discouragement, while helping to create a better future for her
children, the Israelites. It may
have appeared she was being critical and meddling, but it was prompted by
her fierce love of her children.
“Love without criticism
brings stagnation, but criticism without love brings destruction”. John
Gardner
Motherhood involves healthy measures of warning and correction as
well as massive doses of grace and mercy. Loving
criticism does not stop with disparaging words and comments, but offers
guidance toward a more hopeful outcome.
God used Deborah (as a
mother) to prepare Barak for the role that he was to play in the restorative
work of God. In a
male-dominated society, Deborah must find a way to encourage and empower
Barak without appearing to coerce or manipulate.
●
Barak--- he was already skilled as a soldier, but he lacked the confidence
to engage his circumstances. He was insecure about his own abilities and
uncertain about the necessity of his involvement. Judges
4:8 “…if you will not go with me, I
will not go”.
In a sense, moms, you go with your children; wherever they are, you
are. Your investment has significantly shaped and influenced them.
I’ve always found it interesting that although Deborah’s role was
fundamental to Barak’s success, his name makes it into Hebrews 11 and hers
does not [maybe while Barak’s soaking up all the glory, there’s Deborah with
that motherly smile].
“With you”…
that’s where you’ll find mom; that’s where she’s most effective- right in
the middle of whatever’s happening! [recitals, practices, dental
appointments, etc.] He may
have felt that her presence with him as a prophetess would have ensured
victory, but her presence with him as a mother would have bolstered his
sense of security.
She believed in him;
believed in him when he could not believe in himself.
She was entrusting him to God when he couldn’t trust God. She saw
something in him; something that God had revealed about him which was
already resident in him, if not already apparent. Motherhood is simply
drawing it out. Love
must allow him to choose, but also position him to make the best possible
choice (given her knowledge, experience and wisdom).
Sometimes ‘saving’ your
children means intentionally positioning yourselves in harm’s way; sometimes
it requires getting out of the way! ● In
nature, one of the worst possible scenarios for you to find yourself in is
somewhere in the path between a mother and her young. In life, one of the
most detrimental positions you can take is somewhere between God and what
he’s attempting to do in your child’s heart. ●
Deborah discovered that she could affirm and encourage, but she could not do
it for him. Herein lies the challenge that many mothers face:
the fine and often hard to
distinguish line somewhere between encouragement and enablement (too
often blurred).
The pain of childbirth
lasts a lifetime.
You watch as your kids develop and begin to “grab” for things- smack
their hands and teach them lessons (if your disciplinary pattern allowed for
that).
Then, you watch as your children get older and begin to “grab” for things in
life which are certain to cause harm and detriment; YOU CAN’T STOP THEM! Then,
your often left with their hurt and your hurt… and your
hurt for them!
Then, like most mothers,
she sings over her children. I have
heard you sing those songs that don’t rhyme and have no distinguishable
rhythm! Those songs shape, comfort and affirm your child; they celebrate
their inherent value long before that value gets judged by their
performance. ● In
the midst of all your quiet strengths and capacities, I have always detected
a note of insecurity; never really sure how you’ve done or how efficiently
you have executed your role. Moms, your children will never love you as much as you love them…God loves you more than you love him…God loves your children more than you do.
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