After the time of Joshua, the Israelites became as aimless as their forefathers had been when they wandered through the desert. They went spinning into cycles of sin and repentance. The Canaanites oppressed them, and judges delivered them.During her time, Jabin, the king of Canaan, had a general named Sisera. With nine hundred iron chariots, they dominated the Israelites.Deborah, a prophetess with supernatural knowledge, rose to become the only woman judge of the tribes of Israel. She sat under a palm tree, where she resolved disputes and provided guidance. Her name in Hebrew meant beeAs God instructed her, she appointed Barak, a military commander in Israel, to gather ten thousand troops to go to battle against General Sisera. Barak refused to fight unless Deborah accompanied him.She agreed to go but told Barak that God would use a woman to win the battle.Barak and Deborah led the troops to victory at the battlefield called Megiddo, also known as Armageddon.She was a wise and courageous leader, inspired by God. Her story in the Bible appears in Judges, chapters 4 and 5.
