Deborahs prophesy was fulfilled in that a woman did indeed defeat Israels enemy. The king, trusting Ehud, obliges. I also want you to recognise that you are capable of bringing the word that God has given you to pass. Naomi thought her family line had ended, but God . And when God steps in, His goal is to bring an end to the battle once and for all. He was a powerful and cruel man who oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. And Ehud smotes him in the heart, leaving the dagger in his body with a treacherous slight of hand. Her Joy: To be lauded by Deborah and Barak for her part in a decisive victory. He was a descendant of Jethro, the father of Zipporah and the father in law of Moses. Otherwise, it will continue to harass us until it destroys us. Not a man was left, except Sisera that is, who managed to dismount his horse and run away on foot to the tent of Jael (Judges 4:17). You will have that defining moment in your life, just like Jael did, where you will be used mightily to further His kingdom. As Barak was passing by the tent of Jael, in pursuit of Sisera, she shows him the corpse of the dead Canaanite general inside her tent. All we know for sure, besides the account of her story, is that she was a Bedouin and the wife of Heber the Kenite. Then, however, another XYZ Burgers franchise opened just down the street from Jael's restaurant. All rights reserved. Cultivate gratitude to God first and foremost. Trust in God's Word Deborah trusted in the word of God. Jael was a woman who understood this. If I asked most people to think of a warrior woman mentioned in Judges 4 and 5, I am pretty sure that most minds would go straight to Deborah. In God's good design, men are rulers and fighters; they bear the responsibility of providing . Just before the battle had begun a downpour caused the battleground to become deep mud and Deborah took advantage of the circumstances, thus the Israelite foot soldiers were able to overtake the Canaanite iron chariots. In the heat of the day, the king and Ehud sat together in the parlor, conversing, laughing, and sharing stories. Jezebel Who was Jezebel? Heber made weapons. 5. A deeper understanding of people in the Bible. No matter how difficult or threatening the situation, God's power within us is greater than we can ever fully see or comprehend. Step 1 Start. Lets get to know Jael a little better and see what lessons she can teach us. Esther's narrative depicts a young girl maturing into her God-given duty and setting an example for all time. However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creators expressed permission. Jael takes her wooden hammer used to erect her tent and a tent peg which held the tent ropes and with one expert blow drives the peg into the side of Siseras head pinning him to the ground as he dies. Want to know how? In spiritual warfare, you have to know who the enemy is. KNOWN OF ALL TENT DWELLING WOMENTO BE MOST BLESSEDJudges 4:17-22; 5:6, 24-27. Deborah agrees to go, but tells Barak that because of the way he responded to Gods call there would be no glory for him in Siseras defeat. Ehud wisely befriended the king by giving him presents and praise, and eventually made himself welcome in the kings court. The Israelites were clearly able to see their God, Yahweh, was superior to the Canaanite god, Baal. It may not look the way we expect it to, and it can take a lot of trust to act when we dont feel well-equipped. Jael was the wife of Heber - "Now, Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses' brother-in-law, Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh." (4:11) "Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber's family was on friendly terms . Despite their resemblance to goats, and their name, they are actually not closely related to goats. [20] Here she was used to show the risk for men in following women, in groupings including positive figures and scenes such as Judith beheading Holofernes, but mostly ones with females depicted as over-powerful, such as Phyllis riding Aristotle, Samson and Delilah, Salome and her mother Herodias and the Idolatry of Solomon. The name Jael comes from the verb (ya'al), to profit or be useful: The verb (ya'al) means to profit, benefit or be of any (or much) practical use. They were responsible for Israels great victory over the Canaanites but ultimately, it was because of God (Judges 4:14-16). He dealt with the wife rather than her husband. Jaels actions did not make sense in the moment. She was judge of Israel at that time. A woman who proved to be an early proponent of womens rights, eliminating the threat of sanctioned rape under the guise of hospitality. She Was a Reincarnation of Eve and Yael Through feeding her husband the forbidden fruit, Eve introduced death into the world. midrash praises Yael, wife of Heber the Kenite, and includes her among the devout women converts, together with Hagar, Asenath, Zipporah, Shiphrah, Puah, the daughter of Pharaoh, Rahab, and Ruth (Yalkut Shimoni on Joshua, para . She drove a tent peg through his temple. She realizes that her womanhood is actually a strength to be leveraged in her leadership, not a weakness to be discarded. She put the tent peg to the side of Siseras head and hit it with a hammer. It is unknown if Jael, like Rahab, acted out of loyalty to Israel and Israels God, or reacted to Siseras arrogant and domineering behavior. Just before he fell asleep, Sisera instructed Jael to stand at the door of the tent and lie to any man who appeared to be looking for him, to which she seemed to agree (Judges 4:20). Kedesh was a fenced city of Naphtali, a city of refuge. On hearing Gods word, she sent for a man named Barak and told him that the Lord wanted him to gather ten thousand men and go to war against Sisera, the commander of Jabins army. Thus, Jael is not guilty of failing to provide hospitality. In the Baroque period, Jael continued to be a sexual figure in art. First, Sisera should have gone to Hebers tent. Siseras army was quickly losing, so in one last ditch effort to save his life Sisera got out of his chariot and fled on foot, Jael saw Sisera and came out to meet him. Her action appears to show her faithfulness to the Covenant people of Israel which, as mentioned, the Kenite clan had identification through Moses. It is believed they served customers wherever they traveled in the way of metalworkers. The name itself signifies a wild mountain goat apropos for a Bedouins wife whose feet and character stay sturdy amongst the harsh crevices, rocks and unforgiving surroundings of her society. But if you will not go with me, I will not go (Judges 4:8) and Deborah the Judge agreed to go but told Barak But because of your attitude, you will not be honored when Sisera is defeated. She, very quickly, formed a plan and used what was available, what she had at hand. One day Deborah was sitting under the Palm Tree of Deborah, and the Israelites came up to her to ask what to do about Sisera. Respond to their environment 4. She was married to Heber, the Kenite. The verb (ya'al) means to profit, benefit or be of any (or much) practical use.Curiously, nouns (ya'al) and (ya'ala) describe the male and female mountain goat respectively.Some scholars insist that these nouns derive from a whole other but unused verb, namely one meaning to ascend. He remained in her tent though his presence there endangered everyone in the encampment. Her family were tinsmiths who made farming utensils, domestic items, and weapons. Instead she used things like the fact that he would trust a woman easily. She didnt waste a moment thinking, If only I had a sword. She simply took up the tools at hand and did what was being asked of her. Jael proved herself to be resourceful and courageous. 4:2). The CEO brushed off Jael's concerns, stating that there was enough business for everyone. Pseudo-Philo refers to Jael in the book, Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum: Now Jael took a stake in her left hand and approached him, saying, "If God will work this sign with me, I know that Sisera will fall into my hands. This ordinary woman does something extra-ordinary, and shows herself to be a willing, and committed, chosen instrument for God. Evil could challenge but never conquer God. Java applications are usually compiled to bytecode, which can execute on any Java virtual machine (JVM), regardless of the computer architecture. and then I heard Judges 4. Then Sisera said to Jael, Go stand at the entrance to the tent. And her expression is placid - almost sweet - as she methodically sets about her task. (The Palm Tree of Deborah is between the cities of Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ep, to Barak, The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Go and gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. [1], As of 2016, Yael was one of the most common female first names in contemporary Israel.[2]. She set them back up at the end of the days journey. During . Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0012_0_11033.html Others propose that physical ascension requires finding literal footing, whereas figurative ascension (in prosperity and cultural diversity) is fundamentally based on the mastery of practical and useful skills. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. Exactly who was Jael? Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. She stretched forth her hand to the nail, Deborah therefore agreed to go along with him but prophesied that there would be no glory for [Barak] in the journey [that he was] taking, for the Lord [would] sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. If General Barak were to catch her, she could be accused of conspiracy, harboring a fugitive, and summarily executed. He sees our potential in Him, which is why it is important that we dont disqualify ourselves from going towards the things that we know that He has called us be, do or have. You could even say the fight wasnt fair. Medieval images of Jael, mostly in illuminated manuscripts, depicted her as both a defender of Israel and a prefiguration of the Virgin Mary. Siseras murder was a major act of treachery on Jaels part. If you are in a spiritual battle, what do you already have that you can use? Copyright 2022 Nina Dafe. She spun the goat hair, wove it, and made the tents. He literally chooses: In other words, God chooses imperfect people to be conduits of His will so that He can extend His grace to them and display His glory through them (2nd Corinthians 12:9-10). Despite this, once Jael saw that he was in a deep sleep, she took a tent peg and hammer, crept over to Sisera and drove the peg into his temple- so far that it went down into the ground. There is no way that she could win a physical fight with him. Those were just about enough to bring her enemy down. They were well-educated, wealthy, wives, mothers, and judging from the number of solo female portraits single women or widows. The irony of this battle was Baal, the main god of the Canaanites was considered god of storms and weather. She made him comfortable. They did not know what to do. So the Israelites became stronger and stronger until they defeated King Jabin of Canaan. According to Jewish tradition, Deborah, Barak, Jael, and Heber are buried near the spring beneath the town of Kedesh. Siseras character is seriously lacking as he willfully broke every rule that governed hospitality. Be our patron for as little as one dollar a month: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Jael.html, The Passion of the Christ and the Theory of Everything, Stars and fractals: the many hearts of wisdom, How the Bible relates to Homer like Ape to Dog, How circumcision created the modern world, The many Hebrew roots of the Greek language. In the narrative about the military heroine Deborah, Yael kills Sisera, the Canaanite general of King Jabin, after he escapes from the battle with Deborah's general, Barak. She is materialistic and she loves power. Being killed by a woman would shame both the dead Canaanite general and the live Israelite general, who should have been the one to slay the enemy. Thus Deborahs prophesy, that Sisera would die at the hand of a woman, was fulfilled. After this victory, Israel enjoyed peace for forty years. Judges 4 tells us that God sold Israel into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan because the Israelites were doing what was evil in His sight. What can we learn from Jael? Grow, develop and die 5. The example of Jael, however, show It can be easy to think that we must possess great skills in order to be used by the Lord to do great things for His kingdom. Sisera was very tired, so he was sleeping. There Barak found Sisera lying dead on the ground, with the tent peg through the side of his head (Judges 4:22). "J-L". Deborah was the first. Jael has often been understood to be the wife of Heber the Kenite. Mountain goats are large hoofed mammals that live in North America. It was divine intervention, then, that Jael was alone with General Sisera, and she seized upon it with the courage, wisdom, strength and vigilance as her predecessors. If we are honest, many times our enemies want to see our destruction. God's . The Lord will allow a woman to defeat Sisera, Barak and his men attacked Sisera. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It could just mean that their lives will take turns they didnt see coming. Jael showed Sisera great hospitality. Dont be afraid. So Sisera went into Jaels tent, and she covered him with a blanket, Sisera said to Jael, Go stand at the entrance to the tent. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Once Sisera was asleep, from shear exhaustion, Jael puts her tent building expertise to work. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. So when Sisera approached her tent, she knew exactly who he was and what she needed to do. They reconciled, and warily journeyed home through the land of Canaan staying the night with an old man of the friendly Ephraim tribe. No one would expect it, and no one would find him there. Jael is one of those women of the Bible who we don't get a lot of details or background on. What character qualities, positive or negative, do we see demonstrated in Jael's life? When Sisera asked for water, she gave him milk. Jael went out to meet Barak and said, Come in here, and I will show you the man you are looking for. So Barak entered the tent with Jael. [16] Biblical commentaries have viewed Jael as either a heroine or someone much less so. This was a great day for Israel as God defeated King Jabin of Canaan for the Israelites. The Bible records a number of cases of intermarriage; the father-in-law of Moses was apparently a Kenite, but it is not clear whether this was Jethro. Jewish Women's Archive, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jael&oldid=1141698215, Bertie also mentions "Jael, wife of Heber" in. This is perhaps why he felt safe and comfortable in her camp. With no one else around, Ehud tells the king of a private dream he wanted to share, and whispered for the king to come close. Thank-you for such detail on the story of Jael. The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at an ancient synagogue in Israel, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced last week. His family was at peace with King Jabin of Hazor. The Deceptions Of Jael. He asserted that we should not be content to see our sins simply fleeing from us; we should be ready to pursue them and then to drive them into the grounddeadwith a nail, the way Jael did. If Jaels husband were to catch her alone with Sisera, he could accuse her of adultery and have her stoned to death. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to act, we usually dont have long to think. So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. Esther rectified this when she called for a three-day fast. Your email address will not be published. Deborah had great reason to applaud Jaels actions in her poem. God used the evil fight between Rachel and Leah to further the promise he had made to Abraham. -2 Corinthians 3:5-6. Jael is perceptive enough to understand why this is happening: she equates the suffocating oppression her people are enduring due to Israel's lack of faith and worship. A woman whose physical strength, faithfulness, patience, and discernment were praised in the very first poem of the Hebrew Bible: The Song of Deborah.. In fact, the Bible tells us that Jaels people, the Kenites, were at peace with the Canaanites. Jabin was trying to conquer Israel, which was at that time under the leadership of Deborah, a prophetess and the only female to judge the nation of Israel. That required skillful use of a mallet and tent peg. 2. He ordered her to lie to protect his life. It can be easy to think that we must possess great skills in order to be used by the Lord to do great things for His kingdom. Everything we do should be for the sake of honoring and bringing glory to God. They lived in tents and moved about in order to find work. 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. Made of cells , at least one 2. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 10:00. Here are five strong women with a summary of their story.. Jael - Judges 4. Jael acted with initiative and courage. She is the only female judge, the only one to be called a prophet, and the only one described as performing a judicial function. A powerful and cruel man who oppressed the Israelites were clearly able to see their God, Yahweh was! 4 Ways the Parable of the Canaanites was considered God of the friendly Ephraim.! Will allow a woman did indeed defeat Israels enemy the Canaanites was God! 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