Judges 4 Deborah and Jael

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
Judges 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,(b) and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

16 Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

19 “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

20 “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

22 Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.

23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.​

b. Judges 4:11 Or father-in-law

Sisera led a well equipped army. They had the latest technology. That technology was no match for God. Deborah and Barak routed Sisera [which sounds like Sissie to me]. To his credit.... Sisera and his army took off running. Sisera, on foot, no doubt battle terrorized found Jael's tent. Sisera had some kind of alliance with Jael's husband. Jael was supposed to hide Sisera and instead she put a tent stake through his cowardly head. Jael finished him off. I guess Sisera's alliance should have been with Jael instead.

There's a lot more to the story here.... and details are coming up.... in chapter 5.

These comments are from Bible.org.

The battle plan God had given Barak made little sense, militarily speaking. Chariots were very effective on the plains, but they were of little or no value in the mountains. God ordered Barak to muster his troops on Mount Tabor, and then to lead them down from the mountain and onto the plains. This is precisely where the chariots had the advantage and could do the most damage. Humanly speaking, the plan didn’t make sense. But in retrospect we can see how shrewd God’s plan was. Because the Israelite army was on the plain, Sisera felt that his chariots were the perfect weapon. He ordered all of his chariots to engage the Israelites in battle. It looked like a slaughter, which is exactly the way God wanted it to appear. The Canaanites depended upon their nine hundred chariots. The Israelites chose to trust in God’s promise. What are you depending upon to give you spiritual victory? Throughout the Book of Judges, God uses weak and foolish people and methods. He continues to do so today. Will you offer yourself to the Lord? God intervenes when we act with courageous faith.

This lady is a bad mama-jama. She is a courageous warrior! This is the origin of the expression, “Step softly but carry a big hammer.” By the standards of ancient warfare, she is a hero. She decisively and courageously helped God’s people at a critical moment in history.​

The defeat of Sisera and his army was a turning point in history because it put the Israelites on the offensive and the Canaanites on the defensive. This victory not only eliminated some of Jabin’s top warriors, but it deprived him of his greatest weapons—his nine hundred iron-rimmed chariots. The spoils of this victory would also have provided armor and weapons for many Israelite soldiers—men who previously would have had to fight unarmed. This placed a great handicap on the Canaanites, and leveled the playing field for future battles. God brought all this to pass through the obedience of two women.

According to the easy English commentary, Jael wasn't an obedient woman.

Sisera ran away. And he accepted Jael’s invitation to hide in her tent. He thought that he was safe. However, after he had drunk some milk, he fell asleep. Then Jael murdered him. She used a hammer and a tent peg. When Barak arrived, his enemy was dead. Deborah was an honest person, but Jael was not faithful. She was a very cruel person. She did things by herself and she did not ask other people about those things first. Like Ehud, Jael killed somebody in private. And she did it with great force. Sisera did not think that she would act like this.

Here's a thought.... only a thought because it's not biblical at all.... but isn't it at least possible that God knew Jael would have no problem using that hammer and tent stake and so God put Sisera in that specific area knowing he would flee to the "safety" of his ally's tent. God knew exactly what Jael would do.

Remember.... God controls time. He knows the future as if it has already happened. He knows what each and every human will do in a given situation before the situation occurs. IMHO>....... God led Jael's husband to enter an alliance with Sisera knowing Jael would be in the tent alone. God knew Jael would murder Sisera at that very moment with her little hammer and tent stake.

God controls time so He knows what we will do.... He can look ahead in time.... He knows what decision we will make before we make it.

:coffee:
 
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