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For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.
Although the era of the judges was pivotal in the history of God’s people, this short passage is the only appearance of Judges in the Revised Common Lectionary—and it doesn’t even finish the story it starts! What it does, though, is recall a familiar, recurring pattern: the people mess up, they are punished, they cry out for help, and God provides relief. Introduced in Judges 2, this pattern repeats throughout the book. This story featuring Deborah and Barak is the third such iteration.
