QT 20 Jan 17, Judg 4:4-9, Men have the responsibility to lead spiritually, not because they are better (they are not), but because that is their role

Judges 4:4–9 (ESV) — 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

NOTE: I certainly have no problem with women in leadership and I find the passage above refreshing, but with hints that things may not be going so well. I do have a concern when women spiritually lead a nation or a body of believers, like a church. The problem is that men have a God-given role to spiritually lead their households, and when a man sees a woman leading spiritually in an approved setting such as a church, he concludes that the woman can lead the household spiritually as well and therefore he has no responsibility in the matter. There is no question that women can do the role, but is that what God desires? In this case, Deborah challenges Barak that God had "commanded" him to attack Sisera, but Barak has not gone. He refuses to go unless Deborah is with him. Deborah wants him to assume the leadership, but Barak timidly refuses unless Deborah accompanies him. Barak is making a lot of mistakes. For one, God commanded him to go. And secondly, he trusts in Deborah's presence more than God's presence. No wonder there are no men leading the nation spiritually--they are all spiritual cowards. What this suggests to me is that the family structure is starting to break down. Men are not taking the lead in the nation and probably not in the household as well. Surely God could find one men in Israel, but I think Barak represents the men of Israel in this region during this time.