After a quick read of Judges 4 and 5 in the Bible, you may be wondering why I chose Deborah’s Descendants as the web address for this website.  The story is very gory, barbaric actually.  Yet, I believe, as a part of the story of God, it has relevance for us today. For you see it describes a new approach to addressing the extreme oppression and cruelty the Israelites had been suffering at the hands of the Canaanites. First, someone who routinely dealt with justice was the one who saw the injustice: Deborah. Second, she clearly decided to instigate actions that would address the injustice. Finally, she was willing to invest herself in the re-establishment of justice for Israel.

Often we read the Bible and try to apply the actions of the people from the time and place where a story originated rather than plumbing deeper and seeing the methods and motivations behind the action.  It is in the methods and motivations that we find truths to apply in this time and place.

Rosa Parks was Deborah’s descendant albeit she applied non-violent actions to address the oppression she experienced and saw. Martin Luther King Jr. was also Deborah’s descendant as were and are countless people who see injustice for what it is, make the decision to instigate action to address it, and invest themselves in making justice a reality.

We, too, need a new approach to counter the things that divide us and keep us unaware of the actual injustice that surrounds us. I think it is time to come together and have the Covenental Conversation we need to re-align ourselves with God and step out in faith to bring justice to our land. To make that happen, I believe, we must also strive for wholeness and oneness.

Are you Deborah’s Descendant?