JAEL: Warrior Woman
Priscilla Van Sutphin
Judges 4:6-10 NKJV
6 Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam
from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the
Lord God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at
Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons
of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7 and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?" 8 And Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!"
Now understand, GOD TOLD Barak to go, and told him through Deborah that God would deliver Sisera into his hands, but he was not willing to go without Deborah! This is a bit strange, faithless,…so Deborah through the Spirit of God says:
9 So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men under his command, and Deborah went up with him.
OT:6943 Qedesh (keh'-desh); from OT:6942; a sanctum; Kedesh, the name of four places in Palestine: KJV - Kedesh.
OT:6942 qadash (kaw-dash'); a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): KJV - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied oneself,), wholly.
Judges 4:14-18 NKJV Then Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
OT:2800 Charosheth (khar-o'-sheth); the same as OT:2799; Charosheth, a place in Palestine: KJV - Harosheth.
OT:2799 charosheth (khar-o'-sheth); from OT:2790; mechanical work:KJV - carving, cutting. And Hagoyim means GENTILES.
Kishon – means winding and root means to set a snare.
17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, "Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear." And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket.
OT:3278 Ya`el (yaw-ale'); the same as OT:3277; Jael, a Canaanite:
KJV - Jael.
OT:3277 ya`el (yaw-ale'); from OT:3276; an ibex (as climbing):
KJV - wild goat. OT:3276 ya`al (yaw-al'); a primitive root; properly, to ascend; figuratively, to be valuable (objectively: useful, subjectively: benefited): KJV - X at all, set forward, can do good, (be, have) profit, (able).
19 Then he said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, "Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, 'Is there any man here?' you shall say, 'No.'"
He asks for water, but she gives him milk which has more sustenance, but which also makes sleepy. Then she covers him, and he asks of her to guard him and deny he’s there. Jael is a descendent of Moses’ father in law, a Kenite.
21 Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, I will show you the man whom you seek." And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.
23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Judges 5:6-8 NKJV "In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways. 7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. 8 They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
Thus Deborah’s prophecy was fulfilled that God would give Sisera into the hands of a woman because Barak was not willing to go without her. Remember how when Moses was not willing to go alone, and God told him his brother Aaron would go with him ?
Remember how it angered God, and God came down to kill Moses, but then Zipporah
Performed a circumcision on her son and threw the skin at the feet of her husband and God relented of killing Moses ? It does not please God when we shrink from FAITH; when we are consumed with doubt, hesitation or suspicion in his FAITHFULNESS to fulfill His word to us.
And in the song of Deborah it says that in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, and village life had ceased till DEBORAH arose a mother in Israel. The people had chosen NEW GODS thus there was WAR in the gates: and they were weaponless…not a shield or spear was seen…among 40,000 it says. Do you see any parallels to what is happening now in our nation. How they want to take away the guns so we cannot defend ourselves, and how we have given ourselves over to other gods?
Judges 5:24-27 NKJV "Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents. 25 He asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. 26 She stretched her hand to the tent peg, Her right hand to the workmen's hammer; She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head,
She split and struck through his temple.
27 At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, there he fell dead. 28 "The mother of Sisera looked through the window, And cried out through the lattice 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?' 29 Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself, 30 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoil: To every man a girl or two; For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments, Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?'
The song later boasts in Jael again, how she slew Sisera, and the greedy loot he thought to have would not be there. All his soldiers were killed despite the lack of weapons in Israel, and despite the lack of male confidence in God’s directives, that GOD wrought VICTORY even in that hour, through the hands of a woman.
31 "Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength." So the land had rest for forty years.
I love this commentary, let those who LOVE HIM…who obey HIM, be like the SUN when it comes out in full strength, in other words, BRIGHT & GLORIOUS.
It will again be so in this hour, like Isaiah says, Arise and shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you !!!
