Have you ever heard a message about the Davids coming forth or the Deborahs rising to their position in the church or in society? Over the years, I do not know how many times I heard things like this where the main character in the biblical account was the focus of the narrative.
I believe we can all agree that when looking at individuals like David, Daniel, Deborah, and John the Baptist, we are inspired and encouraged by the highlight reels of their lives. But are we called to emulate any of these individuals and to essentially be their disciples?
The account of David slaying Goliath has been used many times to tell us how to slay the giants in life. The account of Elijah and his mighty feats as a prophet of the Lord strikes a chord in those who want to operate in power and authority.
Being an “Esther” is also a well-known reference in helping to deliver those around us through prayer and going boldly before the king. Truth be told, we are all tempted at one time or another to find ourselves in the Bible, and when we do, we typically look for the hero or the heroine.
The Rise of the Deborahs
I recently heard a message centering on the rise of the Deborahs, focusing on Judges 4 and 5. Judges 4:5 states that she sat under the palm trees to judge the people of Israel as they came to her. In the song of Deborah and Barak, Deborah states that “the villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7).
The fact that Barak would not go to battle is seen as favorable to Deborah and her position, and the fact that Israel experienced 40 years of peace and rest is also favorable (Judges 5:31).
There are teachings based on these verses that the women of today are to rise up like Deborah. These women are to demonstrate authority and power in the church and in the world.
The concern in prescribing the account of Deborah to women in any time period is that this account is not prescriptive.
These are descriptive passages telling the history of Israel’s sin and idolatry against God. Though judges were provided by God in response to the cries of the people for deliverance from their enemies, peace was short-lived after the death of that judge. The people returned to their sinful and idolatrous ways in spite of each judge and their actions.
The Book of Judges helps us to see that neither man nor woman is capable of delivering people from their sin against God, and it typologically points to a greater Deliverer who would come and save His own people. His deliverance is assured and brings peace with God and rest for the soul that cannot be lost.
Why Is This Approach Problematic?
There are teachings that encourage us to look for ourselves in the scriptures, and as stated before, we are tempted or inclined to insert ourselves into the position of the hero/heroine. There is the desire to matter and to do something far bigger than what we can imagine or conceive.
It is not to say that we cannot be inspired and encouraged by the accounts found in Scripture. We can certainly be encouraged by the demonstration of faith seen in those such as David, Esther, Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego, and others.
However, when looking at any of these accounts in the Bible, we must remember that what we have in common with them is our need for salvation and redemption.
Every one of these individuals was a sinful fallible individual in need of grace and mercy from God, and yes, the grace of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ is exhibited throughout all of Scripture, including the Old Testament.
The concern in such teachings and beliefs is that the message moves away from being Christ-centered and onto being man or woman-centered. In remaining Christ-centered, we do not place Him at the periphery of the narrative.
We do not make Him the extra in our lifetime movie. If we place our hope in a man or woman to turn around a situation or to conquer the enemy, then we set ourselves up for disappointment and even despair.
As believers, we are to be Christ-centered, putting our hope and trust in Him as our Lord and Savior. We look to Him to deliver us and to sustain us. Teachings centered upon us can potentially lead us away from the truth of the Word and away from God.
This Is Our Hope
It is very encouraging to know that I am not called to be a Deborah, Esther, or any other woman in the Word of God. I can glean from them in various ways. For example, Esther not only demonstrated courage, but she simultaneously demonstrated weakness in having to go before the king.
In a recent devotional reading, Alistair Begg noted Esther’s faintheartedness when it came to her going before the king on behalf of her people. Esther had not been summoned by the king for at least 30 days, and it was known by all that to go before the king without his invitation risked one’s own life (Esther 4:10-11).
Though a focus may be placed on Esther’s courage, she was also faint in heart to do so. Begg states this regarding this passage, “We can be encouraged by the faintheartedness of Esther. When the word of Haman’s plot reached her, she was not enthusiastic about taking the initiative on behalf of God’s people.”
He notes that we are the same way when it comes to difficult things that may result in harm or loss. It may seem backward to be encouraged by the weakness of others rather than their strengths, but we can equally be encouraged by such weaknesses.
It is in the moments of weakness that we recognize our need for Christ’s strength in our lives, and our hope in Him in those weaknesses glorifies Him.
Paul rejoiced in his weaknesses and boasted in them, knowing that in his weaknesses, the power of Christ was made evident (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).
When reading the Word of God, an important thing we can do is to look for Christ being glorified. There are numerous accounts in the Old Testament containing types and shadows of Christ and the gospel.
Some of our favorite Bible characters are ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ. David conquering Goliath is a perfect example of a type and shadow of the One who would slay the sin giant. It is far better to look for Christ, who is our hope, than to place ourselves in the place of savior.
Be encouraged by those who have gone before us and have demonstrated both their faith and their failures before God.
Even though it is tempting to want to be Deborah or Esther, the call to be conformed to the image of Christ by the Word of God and by the leading of the Holy Spirit is a greater message of hope.
For further reading:
Why Are Some Characters of the Bible Called Heroes?
5 Things We Can Learn from the Women in the Bible
Why Is it Important to Study the Various Characters in the Bible?
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