“Deborah was a person of tremendous emotional and spiritual strength, great wisdom and prophetic insight.” (Andrew Skinner, Prophets, Priests and Kings, Deseret Book p. 126)
Deborah served as judge and prophetess during the Reign of the Judges in the Old Testament (Judges 4). She ministered unto the Israeli people, both in a secular and spiritual fashion. Her story became quite famous. In short, under inspiration from the Lord, she gave Barak the guidance to free Israel from the oppression of King Jabin and his military commander, Sisera. Barak wasn’t the most trusting or faithful of servants and demanded that Deborah accompany him into battle against the king. She did so, and Israel was freed through the actions of another woman.
So, I asked myself, what is a prophetess? Andrew Skinner explained in his book “Prophets, Priests and Kings”:
“That women were called of God to hold the prophetic office at various times in history is consistent with the Lord’s teachings. . .Of course, there is only one man on the earth at a time upon whom all the keys of the priesthood are conferred. But in both Old and New Testament times, the Lord authorized prophetesses to function alongside constituted priesthood authority. . .the power and authority to disseminate the official word of the Lord was given to some women, who possessed the gift of prophecy in rich abundance. The ability to serve as conduits to heaven was their great gift. Such a gift is not limited to men, an idea that is in harmony with the doctrine of gifts described in the revelations of the Restoration.”
As a young teenager and throughout my adult life I wondered why there was so little in the books of scripture written by or about women. As I studied history and came to understand the actions of certain organizations that reason became a little more clear. But I can’t tell you how deeply the brief description of Deborah has affected my life. And as I quoted at the beginning of this blog, “Deborah was a person of tremendous emotional and spiritual strength, great wisdom and prophetic insight.” And so I hope, that one day, this may be said of me.
Now one might assume that I aspire to attain the spiritual role of prophetess. No, that is not the case. But I believe with my whole heart that as Andrew Skinner said, “Warriors save nations, but so do mothers. Both are deliverers. The roles of prophet and judge are important and impressive, but for Deborah, these roles grew out of the role that defined who she was fundamentally — a mother in Israel.” He goes on to suggest we would be wise to listen to the counsel of women who possess such powers, such as our mothers, and follow them. For there is great wisdom in following the counsel of a wise, spiritual woman who functions in harmony with the powers and responsibilities of the priesthood.