Bible Women: Jael - Judges 4

Jael - Judges Chapter 4

Judges Chapter 4 is a very  unusual chapter in the Bible, in that God used women to bring victory to Israel. It is violent, but it is important in that it shows that the LORD's commands must be obeyed or consequences will follow.  In this chapter it is a woman, Deborah who has the position of authority in that she judged Israel,  V4 "and Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.  And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment." which is truly in opposition to God's natural order in Genesis 3:16 where ".......thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee".  Chapter 4 is the chapter in which Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite appears briefly, but importantly.

Chapter 4 begins "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD...".  So we know that at this time, Israel was not walking with the LORD God.  We are told in V2-3 that "the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera.......and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel".  This is very important, because the oppression by Sisera caused Israel to cry unto the LORD.

And isn't this the way with us?  When we grow cold of heart and try to do things by our own strength, instead of following the Lord and desiring to be led by His will in our lives, do  not trials and temptations come upon us which are designed to bring us back to Him?  James 4:6-10 "But he giveth more grace.  Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.  Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  Be afflicted, and mourn and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

In Verse 6 Deborah calls upon Barak, the son of Abinoam to follow the LORD's commands in going to battle against Sisera,"and she sent and called Barak...and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor.".. and in V7 Deborah says "I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand."  But in V8 Barak dishonours himself by refusing to go alone, "And Barak said unto her, if thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go", this even knowing that the LORD had commanded him to go and promised him the victory.  And so in V9 Deborah tells him "I will surely go with thee, notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman....". This then is the reason for what is to come, a man of Israel has disobeyed the command of the LORD, but the LORD will have His victory,  and this by the hand of a woman.

And so Barak leads 10,000 men to fight against Sisera's army, and Deborah went up with him (V10). V13 "Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even 900 chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him..." V14 "Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? so Barak went down from mount Tabor and 10,000 men after him" V15 "and the LORD "discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.", and so Barak has victory over the army, but not over Sisera, even as Deborah has prophesied.

And now Jael appears.  She is the wife of Heber, whose house was at peace with the king of Hazor (V17).  And it is to her tent that Sisera flees.  Certainly he would have expected hospitality, protection and respect from Jael, because her husband was at peace with the king, and Jael, out of duty to her husband, would have offered Sisera hospitality.

And in fact, V18 Jael goes out to meet Sisera, and tells him to "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not." She shows him respect by referring to him as "my lord" and offers him the hospitality of her tent, and protection, "fear not".   Sisera had no idea what was to come.  Jael even covers him with a blanket, and fulfills his desire to "...Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty..." (V19)

But Jael does not offer water, she gives him milk. Was it because Jael knew that milk contained that substance which brings about sound sleep? and is this why she offered it to him instead of the water he asked for?  Later verses will confirm this fact.

V20 Sisera tells Jael to "stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shall say, No."  He puts himself entirely into the hands of Jael, trusting her with his life.

Then Jael does what Sisera would least expect.V21 "Then Jael, Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died."  Again, Jael is the wife of someone who was at peace with the king, and so therefore with his captain, namely Sisera, this is a deliberate act on her part.  She took up implements that were deadly in their own right.  In Chp. 5:26 we are told that this was the workmen's hammer, surely a powerful instrument, and this was in her right hand.  As scripture so often uses the right hand, this is the hand of power.  She went softly unto him, she did not go in such a manner as to wake him so he could defend himself, she went softly to carry out her deed.  What would it take to put a nail to someones temple and hammer it in?  A very grisly deed, to say the least, and this was no little blow she dealt, it was powerful enough to fasten the nail to the ground.  Jael had no hesitation in what she did. 

And then, V22 Jael goes to meet Barak, to tell him what she has done to Sisera.  Just as Deborah had prophesied, Sisera was given into the hand of a woman, and Barak knew it was because he refused to go into battle by the strength and will of the LORD, but desired the company of a woman to go with him. V23-24 "So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.  And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan."

In Chapter 5:24- 28 Deborah sings the praises of Jael "Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.  He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.  She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.  At  her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariot?"

Jael's deed is contrasted with Sisera's mother, who longingly awaited the return of her son who would never return.

V31 is a praise and a prayer "So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.  And the land had rest forty years."

Vcg/July 2015