James Alex Gardiner
When I heard that the Lord has taken our sister, this scripture came before me - about Deborah dwelling under her palm tree. Our sister moved here in victory, an overcomer. In 1 Corinthians 15 we have "thanks be to God who gives us the victory". Christians normally move in a victorious way. Deborah was reigning in life. She has been consciously saved in the power of His life. We are to move here victoriously. How much humility and lowliness is needed in this day of brokenness but every believer is to have his own palm tree and dwell there. How blessed that is, to be saved in the power of His life. We can say these things about our sister. Who knows when they will be called to go? It is the Lord's prerogative. Then "death is ours". Death becomes a servant of the Christian. Let us be related to His victory, to His triumph, which the palm trees represent.
In chapter 5, Deborah has the spirit of judgment. What a matter that is, to be able to assess things rightly with the Lord as moving in the consciousness of His risen life. Her judgment of matters is in accordance with Christ's. At the judgment seat, the Lord will give clarification as to what was in His mind in the various matters we have had to meet in the testimony. This is the judgment of a mother in Israel. The sister was in the gain of the Tree of Life. "I, Deborah arose a mother in Israel". We can say that our sister was a mother in Israel. She was quite free to express her judgment of things in a mature way. Think of the influence she was in the meeting here! "My heart is towards the governors of Israel". The spirit of doxology runs through the lives of such persons. We need to be related to heaven. "Let them that love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might".
MACDUFF
15 March 1997
At the burial of Mrs Meta Mair