In addition to writing and editing for Ministry Matters, I’m also editing a new series of Bible studies for Abingdon Press called Converge. Converge titles are four week topical studies for groups and individuals with Scripture passages and questions included in the print and electronic editions. Companion resources are available on Ministry Matters, and as each title releases we’re going to spend a few weeks on Ministry Matters and Google+ dealing with that particular book’s Bible passages and topic(s).

Our first release is Women of the Bible by James Harnish, senior pastor of Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa. Jim is the author of a number of popular books, including the best selling membership and discipleship program for churches, A Disciple’s Path.

Converge is a topical series, so when Jim and I were discussing ideas for a four week Bible study, I initially wondered if Women of the Bible would be a good fit for Converge since it seemed to be more of a character study. But it turned out to be a great choice, and I’m quite proud of it being our first release. Women of the Bible deals with four remarkable women from Scripture, and the first week jumps right into the action with Deborah.

I don’t know how familiar you are with Deborah, but even if you’ve read her story before, you should check it out again. While I was editing Women of the Bible, I read it a number of times, and each time I went through the text, I picked up something new. It’s pretty impressive to me that right in the middle of a patriarchal society, a female leader emerges and the Bible doesn’t even seem to make a big deal about it.

Remember, it’s the 12th century B.C. we’re talking about. Deborah was a national leader and prophet, and Judges tells us she sat under Deborah’s palm tree and settled disputes for the Israelites. (I’m betting they didn’t name trees after everyone, so this was big.)

I’d really like to know the back story. How did Deborah rise to her position of authority? And what did her husband Lappidoth think about all this? Jim Harnish writes that we don’t know much about Lappidoth except that he married above himself. How supportive was he of his wife? Did he endure teasing from his buddies for being married to such a powerful woman? Remember, several thousand years before Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi broke through the glass ceiling, Deborah led a nation into battle.

I’m blown away by all this, but the author of Judges seems almost indifferent, writing as if this sort of thing occurred regularly. It didn’t. The Bible tends to do that. The things we think should be a big deal don’t always come across as a big deal in Scripture. (The converse of that is true as well.) The Bible was ahead of its time in so many ways, and it still has an astounding number of things to say to contemporary culture.

We’re doing a podcast next week on Ministry Matters and Google+ about Deborah. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, leave them here or send them my way. In the meantime, follow our MM page on Google+, and join the Bible community while you’re there.