Sources

Kam, Ruth Sallberg. Their Stories, Our Stories. New York: Continuum, 1998.

Labowitz, Shoni. God, Sex, and Women of the Bible. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Lane, Megan. "Why are there so few women judges?" BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3383729.stm

Phipps, William E. Assertive Biblical Women. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1992.

Younger, Lawson K. Judges/Ruth: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2002.

A Song of Victory

I let the Senator know that it would be through a woman that he would gain victory, even if he assumed that I was talking about myself. In reality, a woman named Jael is the one who would take down our opponent. When the day was done, and we realized we'd won, we sort of had this spontaneous creative time where we recorded the events in song. I know how crazy that sounds! The song expresses our excitement over the victory and even attempts to relate to how our opponents must feel and their families.

Janet Scott Batchler says, “If God truly put you on this Earth to dance, it would be a sin if you didn’t do it. A dancer dances. An actor acts. A writer writes.” I fully believe I was put on this earth to be a judge and a prophet. God used the gifts he'd given me to bring victory to those he'd chosen to favor. I know I don't have all the answers. I'm not perfect. But I do feel that my story is one that should be told and retold. I am truly amazed when I hear women say they feel less than whole if there's not a man in their lives or that they're just biding their time until marriage. God has a greater purpose for each and every one of us, and we have such a short time to do it. So dance, act, write, sing, tell jokes, cut hair, pick up recycling...do what God has gifted you to do!

What is a prophet?

There are certainly a lot of people throwing around the terms prophecy and prophet these days, so I can see some eyebrows might raise when I tell you that I am a prophet. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Maybe one of the many who've prophesied a specific date for the end of the world, and then lived to see that date come and go. Perhaps you think of someone holding a sign on a busy street corner, shouting "The end of the world is near."

Every prophet has a different style. In the Old Testament, we read about all sorts of prophets. There were some who ran kicking and screaming from this call on their lives. Being a prophet pretty much ensures that there are difficult times ahead for you. The 2005 film "Hustle and Flow" included an Oscar-winning song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." Now I'm sure that the life of a pimp is no picnic, but try being a prophet. For Old Testament prophets, their role was often to pronounce God's judgment against the Israelites. There was a cycle of the Israelites sinning against God, a prophet letting them know God would be punishing them for their behavior, and then the Israelites repenting before it all started over again.

For me, the prophecies God gave me dealt specifically with delivering those around me from oppressive rule. I first went to Senator Barak to let him know God had chosen him to be the leader in an upcoming war. He was very hesitant to step out in such a public way, especially considering he was a presidential hopeful. It wasn't like I had contributed to his campaign or was a prominent figure in his political party, but something in him knew to trust that this was from God. He agreed to go to battle on this issue if I would join him in advocating for the cause. I was happy to do so. He did seem taken aback when I said because of the way he went about doing things, he would not ultimately get the credit for routing the oppressor. Instead, a woman would get the glory. You'd think in this day and age that wouldn't be such a big deal, but I guess some things never change!

A Female Judge?

“We never hear sermons pointing women to the heroic virtues of Deborah as worthy of their imitation. Nothing is said in the pulpit to rouse them from the apathy of ages, to inspire them to do and dare great things, to intellectual and spiritual achievements, in real communion with the Great Spirit of the Universe. Oh, no! The lessons doled out to women, from the canon law, the Bible, the prayer-books and the catechisms, are meekness and self-abnegation; ever with covered heads (a badge of servitude) to do some humble service for man.” -Elizabeth Cady Stanton

I did not set out to be some sort of role model for women. There are plenty of people who would have liked to see me put my head down and keep my mouth shut, just go with the flow and not strive for anything different. But as Rose Salberg Kam says in Their Stories, Our Stories, "Men may choose to deny women's gifts, but Yahweh does not." God called me to serve him, not only as a judge, but also as a prophet and a military adviser. Believe me, this is not the road I would have chosen for myself. I'm the first female judge, and there weren't too many females preceding me in the role of prophet or military adviser either. I had to completely rely on God's strength to sustain and guide me. If it were up to me, I would have stuck to something a little more run-of-the-mill, but I no I had no choice but to obey Yahweh.

The BBC recently had an article on its website entitled: "Why are there so few women judges?" In England, the article explains, only 7% of judges in the High Court or beyond are female. The author expresses astonishment at this state of affairs, considering women have been practicing law there for 80 years. This statistic does not surprise me in the least, but I do think it sheds light on my own story. As hard as it is for judges today, imagine what it must have been like for me starting out. I don't mean to have a pity party by any means, only to again point out God's sovereignty throughout the course of my life.

Introduction

All rise. The Honorable Judge Deborah is now presiding. Those are the words that start my day in court every morning. I never imagined when I passed the bar exam way back when that one day I’d be ruling on cases in front of millions of people on live television. When I started law school, a female judge was unheard of. I would never have dared to express that as an aspiration, which was ironic since my male colleagues came to me to help settle their disputes. I lived at an apartment complex called The Palms, and eventually I set up a little office there for people in the community to come for legal advice. I went on to become the first female judge in the entire country, but I know that I made it that far only through the grace of God.

I think one of the things that distinguishes me from many other judges is that I make it very clear that I get direction and wisdom from the Lord. Everyone from the bailiff to the attorneys to the viewers at home know that the rulings I make are the result of communication with God. Fans have affectionately begun calling me "Queen Bee," a play off the meaning of my name. I like to think it's because with the sting of my rulings comes some sweetness.