Jael is best known for killing Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, in a bloody, gruesome manner. The wife of Heber the Kenite, Jael or Yael (Hebrew: Yl) is a heroine in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Judges who delivers Israel from the army of King Jabin of Canaan. If anyone comes by and asks you, Is anyone in there? say, No, But Jael found a tent peg and a hammer. Jael is one of those women of the Bible who we don't get a lot of details or background on. Susan runs on Jesus, coffee, and not enough sleep. In an astounding turn of events, the Shunammite woman gave birth to a child as promised, but, several years later, he died. Jael was a tent-dweller. As I said before, Jael was vigilant so when Sisera showed up, she knew him. Common jackals are a little smaller than wolves and are recognizable by their bushy tails. In that culture at that tine, when a guest visits your home, its your responsibility to protect them, even at the expense of your own life. Quietly, Jael took a mallet and drove a tent peg through Sisera's temple into the ground while he was sleeping, killing him instantly. What was even more unexpected is that this woman was not actually Hebrew, being a Kenite. This ordinary woman does something extra-ordinary, and shows herself to be a willing, and committed, chosen instrument for God. Blessed is she among women. A distinctive honor not just given to the Virgin Mary, but also to a little-known nomadic warrior who descended from a priestly clan in 1125 B.C. 1 Clearly one of the Bible's most outstanding figures, she served ancient Israel as a prophet, 2 judge, military leader, songwriter, and minstrel (Judges 4-5). [citation needed] According to Jack Sasson, there are reasons to doubt whether the events narrated in Judges 4 ever occurred. It could just mean that their lives will take turns they didnt see coming. And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking. So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.. Others see her as a model of courage and power, a woman who risked her life to do the will of God, who shattered role expectations, and invites all of us to greater freedom. She is considered one of the outstanding female warriors of the Bible next to Deborah. "J-L". In Renaissance works the subject is one of the most commonly shown in the Power of Women topos, with other biblical women who triumphed over men, such as Judith or Delilah. Lockyer, Herbert. And her ambitions can make her ruthless, greedy, and insensitive. Together, Heber and Jael live under the rich umbrella of safety and wealth afforded under a ratified peace treaty between themselves and General Sisera. I will help you defeat Sisera there, Barak said to Deborah, I will go and do this if you will go with me. She was married to Heber, the Kenite. He will step in and destroy either them or their plans for you. 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. Jael was a Nomadic, tent dweller. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.. Barak said to her, If you will go withme, I will go. Her grieving husband cuts her body up into twelve pieces, and sends it out to the 12 tribes of Israel as a stark reminder of the lust and violence that were the Canaanites, and to severely warn them against co-habiting with such mongrels. You could even say the fight wasnt fair. But she is mentioned in Judges 5 as well in the song of Deborah and Barak. Jael appears bound to the Israelites because of her husbands kinship through the Midianites. But who would have thought that these tent-making tools could become such terrible murder weapons? Your imperfections and disadvantages do not disqualify you from doing something great for God. Charles Spurgeon once gave a sermon where he compared Sisera to sin. We need to prioritize His glory and His competence over our own. But while she was doing that, she was very much aware of the fact that there was a battle going on. Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army fled from the battle on foot. Through her husband Heber, Jael had kinship ties with the Israelites. She was Jewish, but as Mordecai had recommended, she never exposed her ethnicity or family background. Why shouldnt he take refuge in the tent of a woman uninvolved in the war? So he died. Shortly after Deborah and Baraks exchange, Baraks army met Siseras in the battle in which Sisera would be delivered into the hand of the Israelites. Deborah, the prophetess, was judging Israel at this time. Deborah was the first. From the time Sisera entered Jaels camp, each of her moves were calculated and strategic. Note that although the character Jael is feminine, the name Jael is the same as the masculine word for mountain goat, whereas the feminine version of it, Jaalah, belongs to a male character. Heber was the head of his home so he was the only one to really offer that. The Kenites, being Nomadic, lived near Jericho but moved south to the region of Negev. At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; We need only to skip ahead in the Bible to the life of Jesus to read more stories of rules broken. God tends to bypass the people that man would think are the most qualified to manifest His word in favour of those that man would overlook. 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. She pulled down and packed the tents when they traveled to another place. The Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons, 3 Things You Didnt Know About Mary (Mother of Jesus), 5 Powerful Lessons from the Unusual Story of Jael. Naomi thought her family line had ended, but God . Asbury revival draws massive crowds, over 7 Bible Verses About The Lords Supper or What Does The Bible Say About Our Thoughts? In the Hebrew Bible, Judges 4-5 tells the lurid story of the heroic figure of Jael, the formidable woman who saves Israel from the Canaanite army by seducing their general, Sisera, and then nailing his head to the ground with a tent-peg. Zondervan Publishers, 1967. Some scholars insist that these nouns derive from a whole other but unused verb, namely one meaning to ascend. Therefore, the prospect of a woman being able to kill an experienced commander of an army was a strange one. Her campsite must have been close to the battlefield because her family was making and supplying weapons for the army. According to tradition, both her and husband would have had separate tents, doubling her work, efforts and skill. She has much to teach us about the fact that God can and will use anybody as His chosen vessel. Whatever her motive was for killing Sisera the Israelites celebrated her as a national heroine. And Jael took Sisera and pushed him onto the ground from the bed. She quietly went to Sisera. These nuts claim that God ", "Maybe what happened to you was simply something going on in your mind or heart ", "Medical science has progressed tremendously in the last 200 years. But this is not realistic. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believers daily walk with God and the Bible. He always did it for the sake of challenging relationally abusive behavior and freeing the oppressed. Ehud wisely befriended the king by giving him presents and praise, and eventually made himself welcome in the kings court. The Jezebel Bible story comes to a close with the queen's gory death. She was nowhere near ready for a battle of any kind. But he went to Jaels tent instead. For Elijah on Mount Carmel it was the power of prayer. How different would the world look if we seized opportunities, used our resources, freed the oppressed, honored God, and fought like Jael? 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the . When Moses fled Egypt and went to Midian he met Jethro and eventually married his daughter Zipporah, thus marrying into the tribe of Kenite. and then I heard Judges 4. Jael, Shawna R.T. Atteberry, http://www.shawnaatteberry.com/2008/12/11/436/. Jewish Women's Archive, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jael&oldid=1141698215, Bertie also mentions "Jael, wife of Heber" in. But a few things happened that are important to understand the story. 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. The Israelite army had been called to battle by God. He dealt with the wife rather than her husband. Jael is the second female warrior listed in the Bible. You will have that defining moment in your life, just like Jael did, where you will be used mightily to further His kingdom. Since many of the Jael/Judith panel . In Hebrew, Jael means "mountain goat" so it certainly doesn't sound like a. Israel was at war with the Canaanites. The Israelites and Kenites were always friendly to one another. She was described as a prophetess, and, in fact, is one of the seven major female prophets in the Bible. (Gen. 25:1, 2). She stretched forth her hand to the nail, The Antiquities of the Jews, translated by William Whiston. I also want you to recognise that you are capable of bringing the word that God has given you to pass. But our God is sovereign, and we can trust Him to give us competence. She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. Now, use an example to learn how to write algorithms. And God doubles down on this theme by using another woman, Jael, to deal the fatal blow to Israel's enemy. The name Jael is pronounced the same as the word for mountain goat, but distinctions in pronunciation were added many centuries after this text was written. The war wasnt won by this one deed, but this was the beginning of the end of the Canaanites reign over Israel. But when trouble came knocking, she used what she had. Just a few years earlier, a woman born in Bethlehem was married to a Levite, and the couple argued constantly. All we know for sure, besides the account of her story, is that she was a Bedouin and the wife of Heber the Kenite. She set them back up at the end of the days journey. Jael was the wife of Heber who was a Kenite, the same ethnic group that Moses' father-in-law (Jethro) had been from ( Judges 4:11 ). No one would expect it, and no one would find him there. Due to Jaels actions, the children of Israel won their battle for freedom against King Jabin and had rest [in their land] for forty years. Deborah agreed, but prophesied that the honor of defeating Jabin's army would then go to a woman. The railways and other public transportation systems, such as their trains and buses, for instance, are orderly and also extremely efficient and punctual. You from doing something great for God but she is considered one of the army. 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