以色列之母

以色列之母

• 另外一位底波拉，利百加的乳母
• 底波拉的意思是蜜蜂
• 現代的以色列之母，梅雅遜夫人
• 以色列之母心知肚明的事情: 以色列從出世開始已經需要掙扎求存
• 今天角度: 婦女在屬靈戰爭中所扮演的角色
• 屬靈戰爭: 士師記的周期
  • 秋季。以色列人行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。
  • 冬季。耶和華的怒氣向以色列發作，把他們交給四圍仇敵的手中。
  • 春季。耶和華因他們受欺壓迫害所發出的哀聲，就憐憫他們。
  • 夏季。耶和華為他們興起士師。
• 神在這些悲劇當中有一個美意。神要考驗以色列人，要教導他們。
• 神容許新一代的人經歷這些磨練，就是要他們親眼看見他的審判和救贖。
• 大體上，底波拉的故事吻合士師記的興衰循環。卻有一個獨特的地方，就是圈點出婦女在屬靈戰爭中可以扮演的角色。都不是平常女色所扮演賢妻良母的角色。

女先知(4:4-7)

• 南丁格爾護士之母: 任何戰爭都需要大量的南丁格爾。但同一時間。但單靠護士戰爭是打不贏的。
• 神所主導的屬靈戰爭，每一次都是由先知傳講預言，一針見血開始。
• 三點值得注意。
  • 如果說女先知在以色列很普遍，未免有些誇大。
  • 介紹底波拉為拉比多的妻子表達一個等級順序。
  • 除了女先知，底波拉也是一位士師，可以肯定底波拉熟讀摩西律法，並且非常有智慧。
• 有時候神也會在我們生命中重要的時刻，為我們預備一位底波拉，從她口中她清楚聽到神的話語。

女參謀(4:8-15)

• 巴拉嘗試討價還價。他願意去，但條件是底波拉要和他一起去。
• 底波拉跟巴拉同去，表明底波拉是一位真先知。
• 但底波拉也清楚要讓巴拉認識，巴拉提出這要求，顯示出他缺乏勇氣和信心。他選擇了退而求其次，就不能得到神原來是預備給巴拉完全的光榮。
• 神如果有說話透過你宣講，你不能不講。但要人做的事情，你不能代替他做。
• 底波拉唯一的建議是: 不要怕，今日就打。
• 她有一個屬天的眼光: 地上血氣中戰爭是天上屬靈戰爭的投影。

女殺手(4:16-24)

• 雅億的故事證明底波拉是一位真正的女先知。
• 這個非常不合體統的荒謬事情就好像一個寫照。描繪了一個野蠻的外族入侵流奶與蜜之地。
• 耐人尋味的橋段。西西拉是被雅億引誘跌進這個陷阱的。
• 耶和華神其實也是布一個陷阱，用以色列人做餌，將氣數已盡的仇敵徹底殲滅。
• 女人的後裔會打爛蛇的後裔的頭。
• 神在屬靈戰爭中有時將你放在一個劣境，被欺負壓迫，其實，可能是神預備你，在適當時機，做一個最致命的秘密武器。
• 在適當的時候將真相全盤托出。往往就是屬靈戰爭的殺手鐧。

你想成為哪一個母親？

• 是以色列的母親，還是西西拉的母親(5:28-30)？

Mother of Israel

Judges 5-6 Pastor Gideon Lee 5/12/2024

The Mother of Israel

• Another Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse.
• Deborah means bee.
• The modern-day Mother of Israel: Mrs. Meyerson.
• What the mother of Israel knew all too well: Israel has had to struggle for survival since the beginning.
• Today’s approach: The Role of Women in Spiritual Warfare
• Spiritual Warfare: The Cycle of Fall and Rise
  • Fall. Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD.
  • Winter. The LORD’s wrath came upon Israel and delivered them into the hands of their enemies on every side.
  • Spring. The LORD has compassion on them because of their lamentations over oppression and persecution.
  • Summer. The LORD raises up judges to deliver them.
• God has a good purpose in these tragedies. God wanted to test the Israelites and teach them.
• By allowing a new generation to go through these trials, God is allowing them to see His judgment and redemption for themselves.
• The story of Deborah fits generally into the cycle of rise and fall in the book of Judges. But it is unique in that it highlights the role that women can play in spiritual warfare. They are not the usual roles of women as wives and mothers.

The Prophetess (4:4-7)

• Mother of Nursing: Any war needs a lot of Nightingales. But at the same time. But wars cannot be won by nurses alone.
• Every God-led spiritual war begins with a prophet delivering a prophecy that cuts through and draws blood.
• Three things are worth noting.
  • It would be an exaggeration to say that prophetesses were common in Israel.
  • The introduction of Deborah as the wife of Lappidoth expresses a hierarchical order.
  • In addition to being a prophetess, Deborah was also a judge, and it’s safe to assume that Deborah was well versed in the Law of Moses and very wise.
• Sometimes God prepares a Deborah for us at important junctures in our lives so that we could God’s word clearly from her.

The Military Advisor (4:8-15)

• Barak tried to bargain. He was willing to go, but only if Deborah would go with him.
• The fact that Deborah went with Barak shows that Deborah was a true prophetess.
• But Deborah was also aware of the need for Barak to recognize that Barak’s request showed his lack of courage and faith. By choosing to settle for second best, he could not receive the full glory that God had intended.
• If God has a word to proclaim through you, you cannot refrain from speaking it. But you can’t do what another man is told to do in place of him.
• Deborah’s only advice was: Don’t be afraid, fight today.
• She had a heavenly vision: the bloody war on earth is a projection of the spiritual war in heaven.

The Murderess (4:16-24)

• The story of Jael proves that Deborah was a true prophetess.
• This very unorthodox and absurd story is like a portrait of a barbaric prophetess. It is an allegorical reference of a barbaric foreign invasion of the land of milk and honey.
• Sisera was lured into this trap by Yahweh.
• The LORD God is also laying a trap, using the Israelites as bait to wipe out the exhausted enemy.
• The seed of the woman will break the head of the seed of the serpent.
• In spiritual warfare, God sometimes puts you in a bad situation, where you are bullied and oppressed. But it may be God’s way of preparing you to be the most fatal secret weapon at the right time.
• The ultimate weapon in spiritual warfare is when the truth is revealed at the right time.

Which mother do you want to be?

• The mother of Israel or the mother of Sisera (5:28-30)?