https://odb.org/2026/08/06/part-of-his-story
Judges 4:4–9 (NIV): 4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’ ”
8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”
9 “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.
Archaeologist Jodi Magness and her team have been excavating a synagogue in the ancient village of Huqoq in Lower Galilee, where they’ve found an incredible collection of mosaics, paintings, and carvings. Particularly rare, however, is a mosaic telling the biblical story of Deborah and her role in Israel’s battle against the Canaanites; there’s no other known ancient depiction of this heroine. The Bible preserves for us a literary mosaic of historical events in the life of God’s people—collectively and individually. We can take courage from these examples to heed God’s instructions even in the face of hardship and struggle. We can trust Him to equip us with the strength to do so. (Kirsten Holmberg, Our Daily Bread 6th August 2026)
The book of Judges bridges the times between Joshua and the beginning of the monarchy under Saul (see 1 Samuel 9). It’s characterized by what some scholars call the “cycle of apostasy.” Each cycle begins when Israel falls away from God. Then He sends a neighboring nation to discipline them, followed by God’s provision of a judge to deliver them from that nation, and then a season of spiritual revival. Twelve different judges, from Othniel to Samson, are God’s instruments of rescue. Deborah is the fourth of those judges (Judges 4), whose season of leadership over Israel lasted about forty years, second only to Ehud, who judged for eighty years. (Bill Crowder, Insight, Our Daily Bread 6th August 2026)
Knowing the stories and timelines in the bible helps us understand the various seasons Israel had with Yahweh starting from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We then have Joseph who was sold to slavery by his envious brothers but as the LORD was with him and his heart was pure, he ended up as the prime minister in Egypt, the superpower of this side of then known world. As God revealed the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream to him, he saved the 70-strong tribe of Jacob as well as the Egyptians from the severe famine that lasted 7 years by storing up 7 years’ worth of grain in large barnhouses.
The clan stayed on in Egypt for 430 years and ended up as slaves to the Egyptians but God raised up Moses, an adopted Hebrew raised in Pharaoh’s court as a prince, to bring the Hebrews out of Egypt back to Canaan. Canaan or the Promised Land is the place the LORD had earmarked for the clan when He called Abraham out of the Url of the Caldeans. Canaan was where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob resided before their time in Egypt.
The strange thing was the Hebrews were rebellious and insolent (a trait resurfacing time and time again in future generations) despite witnessing miracles like the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. What could have been just a 40-day journey through the wilderness to Canaan ended up as a 40-year sojourn with the presence of God residing amongst them in the Tent of the Meeting (later became the basis for the Holy of Holies in the Temple) and although they were moving about led by a pillar of cloud in the day and a ball of fire in the night, they spent most of their time at a desert oasis south of Canaan called Kadesh Barnea. All who were 20 and above in age died in the desert, except Joshua and Caleb. Joshua then led the second generation of Israelites into Canaan.
Thus the book of Judges as mentioned by Bill Crowder bridges the time of Joshua until the time of kings starting with Saul and later David and Solomon (recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles). It was after Solomon that Israel split into two kingdoms, Judah (capital in Jerusalem) and Northern Israel (capital in Samaria). The era of the kings was also where Yahweh used conquering nations to discipline the children of Israel with the first exile by the Assyrians and later by the Babylonians.
As much as these bible stories and historical events teach us God’s relationship with His chosen people and nation, it is also a reflection of how He relates with us as born-again believers in Jesus Christ. We are the modern-day Israel, in the spiritual sense, and we continue to write His story with His people through our own life stories from the days of the Acts of the Apostles until the day of the Lord. We face similar issues of overcoming the desires of our flesh against the call to righteousness by the Lord. As we suceed and fail, we write our stories with Him, all that we have ever done and will do, recorded in some heavenly annal like how the stories of the prophets and judges and kings are preserved throughout the ages. Our life stories are written down and recorded as our names are also written down in the Book of Life. Always remember and I remind myself today, when we do something good and noble, when we pursue righteousness in our hearts – even if no one sees, our Lord Jesus Christ sees and His angels write them down. As He writes, allow Him to rewrite our stories into His image and His plans and purposes for our lives!
Have a good day ahead, everyone! Let’s continue His story with us with our own life stories written and rewritten by the Lord, giving glory and honour in all that we do! Amen!
Ronnie's Thoughts 