Adaptable Meeting Guide: Unsung Bible Heroes – Deborah

What makes a hero?

10 minutes

Ask the following questions to the group and note down answers on the flip chart.

• What makes a hero? Do they have to be like Superman in tights and a cape? Do they have to be superheroes or just good people?
• What motivates a hero? Is it doing good deeds to help others? Is it being a shining example to those around you?
• Who is your hero? Fact or fiction? Celebrity or world leader? Current or historical?

Say: Keep all of these answers in mind and refer back to them while we focus on today’s unsung hero: a little known unsung biblical ‘she-ro’. The civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou said, ‘It is important for us to recognise and celebrate our heroes and sheroes!’ The ‘she-ro’ for today is Deborah.

Story

10 minutes

Ask someone to read Judges 4:4- 16. (You might want to give them prior warning as there are some tricky pronunciations.)

Say: The book of Judges contains lots of betrayal, violence, death and assassinations, and the Israelites were desperately in need of a good person / good leader to rise up and save the day. They did not have a king on Earth. God was their king. We learn in the book of Judges about various leaders (known as judges), one of whom was Deborah. Her role was to listen to and settle people’s disputes in the role of an adjudicator or referee.

Deborah was also a prophet, and rather than writing a book like Isaiah or Daniel, she sang. The Israelites would have understood her singing to be the action of a prophet. If you turn to Judges 5, you can read the Song of Deborah that she and Barak sang on the day the battle was won. Deborah is important because, by following God’s wishes, her people were victorious.

Reread Judges 4:6-10 and then say: here we see Deborah encouraging Barak into battle and Barak asking her to go with him. Ask: how often have you been worried about doing something, but felt happier being supported by friends or family? For example going to the dentist, walking home in the dark or even going on a rollercoaster. With Deborah’s support, Barak is willing to go.

Gummy bear battle

15 minutes

Ask the young people to split into groups and provide gummy bears (to represent the people) and large marshmallows (to represent the enemy chariots). In groups your young people should recreate Judges 4 using the props and narrating it. Verses eight and nine must be included.

After a couple of minutes, advise them they should have one more run through. Once the rehearsals are over, one person from each group should film their interpretations on their phones. To conclude, watch the premiere / premieres of the gummy bear battles while eating all the sweets.

Leadership

5 minutes

Remind the young people again of verses eight and nine nine by reading them out to the whole group. Say: Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous artists in history. He was an inventor as well as being a great painter and sculptor. Da Vinci was once painting a huge canvas when he noticed a student observing him. He asked the student to complete the painting. As you can imagine, the student refused as he was afraid of completing such an incredible work of art to a similar standard as his master. Da Vinci responded, ‘Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?’ Da Vinci was instrumental in motivating his student, just as Deborah wanted to encourage Barak and the Israelites to go into battle.

Ask: How can you use God’s power to help encourage others the way Deborah encouraged Barak?

Encouragement

10 minutes

For this you will need pens and paper for everyone in the group and enough Bibles to share. Sit in a circle and hand each member of the group a sheet of A4 paper. Ask them to write their name in the bottom right corner. They should then pass this paper to the person on their left. Ask everyone to write words of encouragement, a prayer or a Bible verse for the person written in the corner. Once this is done, fold it over and pass the paper to the next person on the left. Repeat the writing and folding until the sheet is back in the hands of its rightful owner. They shouldn’t unfold this in the group setting.

Final thoughts

5 minutes

Tell the young people to find a space in the room and to open their piece of paper privately. This is a time that they should feel encouragement from the entire group. They are in a space where they can pray about what they have read.

Consider a final prayer / thought or refer back to the initial questions that were asked at the beginning of the session.

Ask: Who could you encourage this week at school that might need your help? Who has been your Deborah when you have needed encouragement or support? How can you thank them this week?

Lucy Rae is a youth worker at Holy Trinity Brompton