Staff Writer - Audrey Linton
‘Who on earth is Deborah?’, I hear you say. ‘And what has she got to do with leadership and bees?”
Well let me explain. Deborah was one of the Judges who governed Israel back in the day (1107- 1067BC) to be precise. So yes, we could call her one of the ancient leaders in Israel’s history.
She was a wife, mother and held the privilege position of being a Prophetess (yes, she could foretell the future!).
As one of Israel’s Judges, she held a very high profile position. Her place of work was usually under a palm tree where people would come so that she could discuss and judge their case. Deborah was appointed to lead Israel at a time when they were being oppressed by one of their greatest enemies, the Canaanites. They were a force to be reckoned with and their mighty army was led by Sisera who had over 900 iron chariots. I suppose we could liken this to weapons of mass destruction!
The interesting thing about this story is that one day Deborah sent for Barak the leader of Israel’s army and gave him a message from the Lord.
“Barak, I have a message for you from God.” professed Deborah. “Gather your warriors from two of Israel’s tribes – Naphtali and Zebulun – onto Mount Tabor and God will ensure that He leads your enemies, the Canaanites, into your hands.”
Barak spluttered and anxiously said “not likely, I’m not going to fight that bull dog unless you come with me!”
Was this the Commander of Israel’s army quaking in his boots? Did we hear right, was he saying that unless Deborah – a wife and mother – came and fought the battle with him, he would not even consider challenging the might of the Canaanites? Yes that’s what he said!
So what was it about Deborah that even the top leader not only craved her help and advice but wanted this woman to come and fight as well?
Interestingly enough the Arabic meaning of Deborah means ‘bee’ – ‘honey bee’ as a matter of fact. This might be a telltale sign of why she was not only a chosen leader but had the reputation as a fearless leader.
Well let’s examine the way of the bee.
Bees produce honey
Honey is a natural sweetner and high in nutrition. It covers most vitamins and minerals needed by humans. It gives energy and nurtures.
Could that be how Deborah spent he time under the Palm Tree – being an energy giver, nurturing and sweetening conflict torn lives. Remember the Canaanites had oppressed Israel for many years. Many were probably worn down by this oppression.
Bees carry pollen
Pollen is the powder inside flowers which fertilizes other flowers. Can you imagine how this Judge and Prophetess would fertilize those that came to her everyday for advice and guidance?
Bees are interdependent and live in colonies
The queen bee, worker bee and drones are all dependent on each other for survival. They prefer hives that are clean, dry and protected from the weather. Deborah’s mission was to empower leaders. Deborah probably could have wiped out the mighty Canaanite army, but she respected delegated authority and knew what she was called to do from what she was not assigned to.
The queen bee is carefully prepared to reproduce
The queen bee is usually the mother of most bees in the hive. She cares for her offspring and her function is to reproduce. Deborah was a giver of life.
Bees sting
The queen bee can sting repeatedly without dying. As a prophetess there were times that Deborah’s word would probably carry a sharp sting, but her sting was not to destroy but to give life. Like a surgeon’s scalpel her judgements were fair and just.
Bees do not see red
Red is often associated with danger. Deborah did not consider the mission that was assigned to Barak as dangerous. She was extremely confident in knowing that God would be true to his word and give the Canaanites into the hands of Israel.
So what leadership lessons can we learn from a queen bee:
- Leaders nurture
- Leaders are interdependent
- Leaders reproduce other leaders
- Leaders grow potential leaders
- Leaders overcome the fear of failure
Let me know your thoughts.
Biblical reference for Deborah is Judges chapter 4 and 5
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