Othniel was the first judge of Israel. Then Ehud, the second judge of Israel, led the people in driving out their enemies. When Ehud died, the people began to turn away from God again.

The Lord allowed Israel’s enemy, Jabin, defeat them and rule over them. His home was at Hazor, north of the sea of Galilee. The captain of his army, Sisera, lived at Harosheth, on the Kishon river about thirty-five miles away to the southwest.

It seems that Jabin’s way of oppressing the people was to take most of their crops and their sheep and cattle. Jabin’s iron chariots pulled by swift horses would simply run over anyone who tried to stop them. The people were suffering and they turned to the Lord. They prayed to God for help.

True to the cycle of the times, the Lord sent a Judge to save the people – the prophetess, Deborah. Deborah is the only judge described as a prophet. A prophetess is a woman whom God chooses to convey His special messages to others. Other women who were prophets: Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Huldah (1 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14), and Anna (Luke 2:36). Since God told Deborah what to say, the people wisely went to her to have their quarrels settled. Deborah “held court under a palm tree”.

God told Deborah to have Barak gather and lead an army to Mount Tabor. That was near the home of Jabin’s captain, Sisera. God promised that Sisera would come to fight, but Barak would win. We can only guess the reasons for Barak’s hesitation. He might have been frightened. He might have wanted Deborah along to convey God’s instructions. He may have wanted Deborah to be a moral boost for his army. Whatever his reasons, he agreed to go only if Deborah would accompany him. Deborah agreed to go along but she pointed out that a man would lead in the battle, but a woman would get the credit for killing Sisera.

Zebulun and Naphtali were tribes of Israel living in the region near Jabin and Sisera. Probably they suffered most from the oppression, and the army was raised from among them. At that time, the Canaanites had a definite technological edge over the Israelites. With their iron chariots the Canaanites could control the plains. When Sisera heard about the Israelite army, he assembled his chariots and moved up the narrow plain beside the Kishon river to meet the opposition.

Again the prophetess promised victory, and Barak led his troops down from Mount Tabor. Chapter 5 explains how the Lord defeated Sisera. He brought a big rain (Judges 5:4-5). Their heavy iron chariots bogged down in the mud. This effectively evened out the advantage that Sisera’s army had. Sisera himself left his chariot and ran away on foot. The enemy troops fled back down the valley toward Harosheth, but Barak’s men destroyed them before they could get inside the city walls.

Sisera ran in panic trying to find refuge. There had been some friendly relations with the family of Jael so he made his way to her tent. This woman invited Sisera into her tent and told him to go to sleep. She gave him a warm cover. When he asked for water she gave him milk instead. All of this would have helped him sleep soundly. During the night, Jael used a hammer to drive a tent-peg through his skull.

After the rest of Sisera’s army was defeated, Jael’s heroism was celebrated in song. Just as Deborah said, a woman did receive the credit!

Directions

Step 1: Pour brown and green paint into a plate for the kids to dip their fingers in.

Step 2: Have them begin with the brown paint making a tall tree trunk for the palm tree.

Step 3: Have them use their finger to paint green palm leaves similar to the picture you see above.

Step 4. Have them take the brown again for some coconuts.

Step 5. Have them draw Deborah at the bottom of the palm tree using markers (or paint). They need to write "Deborah the Judge AND Prophet" on their.

Connection:

Talk about how what it was like for a woman such as Deborah to step forward and do and say as God directed back in those times. It must take a lot of courage and faith and trust in the Lord. How can we be more like Deborah in our lives today? I'm sure there are moments when it may be hard to step out and do and say as God wants us to.

Directions

Tape the signs at different ends of the play area. Or spaced around the room for multiple signs. Ask a true/false question about the Bible story. Example: “Barak did not ask Deborah to go with him to fight.” Kids should run to the correct sign (false). Guide kids to move to the middle of the room before you make another true/false statement. After you have reviewed the story, make true/false statements about right choices. Example: “Making a right choices is always easy.” Talk about the kids’ answers (which may differ) after each statement.

Directions

Step 1: Have the kids pick a color construction paper for the background and one for the tent.

Step 2: To make the tent, using scissors trim off about an inch off of the bottom of the paper and then fold it to look like the picture!

Step 3: Have the kids glue their tent on the background page and then decorate it to their desire!

Step 4: On the inside of the tent, have them write the scripture:

Connection:

Talk about how what it was like for a woman such as Deborah to step forward and do and say as God directed back in those times. It must take a lot of courage and faith and trust in the Lord. How can we be more like Deborah in our lives today? I'm sure there are moments when it may be hard to step out and do and say as God wants us to.

Musical Chairs

Grab the black chairs out of the closet (so that they are lighter to move around) and have the kids play musical chairs!

The 60 second game

This is a great game for settling a group down. Ask everyone to stand up and put their hands behind their back. Tell them they need to silently guess how long one minute is and sit down when they think it’s up. You do need a clock or watch so you can tell when the time is up. This game can be adjusted to a shorter period for younger children, but I’ve been surprised how well it works even with a Kindergarten group.

Cup stack races

Keep a stack of cheap plastic cups in your bag to pull out for a quick game. Two children can race each other in making the highest or biggest pyramid of upside-down cups in one minute.

Heads or tails

If you’ve got a coin handy, this is a quick and easy game that involves no skill. Children need to make their choice before the coin is flipped. They either put their hands on their head or hands on their ‘tails’ to indicate their choice. Those who guessed correctly stay standing, the rest sit down. Play a few rounds until there is a final winner.