Jael and her family were a bit like Abraham and Sarah. The Jezebel Bible story comes to a close with the queen's gory death. This enabled the Israelite army to defeat the Canaanites one person at a time. His family was at peace with King Jabin of Hazor. Esther rectified this when she called for a three-day fast. Jael did not kill Sisera out of personal anger or revenge. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9279-kenites, Jael: Bible, Jewish Womens Archive, Tikva Frymer-Kensky. All rights reserved. But Jael also knows that her faithful God will break the bonds of slavery as long as the Israelites humble themselves, and turn back to the One True God of their nation. Jael Articles. Rather, it makes you a perfect candidate for Him to show His glory through. If God has given you a word or vision, I want you to keep the faith that He will be faithful to complete it. Proud member This is perhaps why he felt safe and comfortable in her camp. Israels Judges actually had the responsibility to act as a military leader and thus when war came Deborah led the out-numbered, badly equipped Israelite troops to a miraculous victory. After this victory, Israel enjoyed peace for forty years. He gives us certain skills and gifts for a reason, and we should always be on the lookout for ways to use them. [18] Jael, along with Ehud, is an example in Judges of the contrast between marginal heroes and well-armed enemies conquered by wit and stealth. 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. Those were just about enough to bring her enemy down. When Sisera showed up, this should have been the case. Susan runs on Jesus, coffee, and not enough sleep. These themes were echoed in contemporary plays and poems as well. 5. Jael is perceptive enough to understand why this is happening: she equates the suffocating oppression her people are enduring due to Israels lack of faith and worship. The text in Judges 5 is very explicit about Jael's efficiency in killing Sisera. Jael knew who the real enemy was in the fight and she also knew that battles can be very unpredictable. Yes, trouble might come from these people but if that is the case, they are only instruments in the hands of the enemy. Jezebel Who was Jezebel? Situations are ever-changing in this life and opportunities pass by quickly. Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. From the time Sisera entered Jaels camp, each of her moves were calculated and strategic. The Lord will allow a woman to defeat Sisera, Barak and his men attacked Sisera. We too can and must be instruments of deliverance for others. Forty stations within a 20 km2 Maltese maerl bed were sampled by grab to gather data on sediment granulometry and the percentage mass, sphericity, and morphotype of rhodoliths. She lives in rural North Central Missouri with her handsome and hilarious husband and a myriad of dogs, cats and chickens. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to act, we usually dont have long to think. In Hebrew, Jael means mountain goat so it certainly doesnt sound like a complimentary name but in that culture, that was a symbol of strength and sureness so we cant read into any meaning from our modern culture. The story of how she met the king is a fascinating study on an interesting lady. Jael has often been understood to be the wife of Heber the Kenite. A Character Study. Lets follow His (and Jaels) example and not get so caught up in following religious and cultural rules that we miss the calling of God to challenge the evil and oppression in the world. 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. They knew very little back ", "forgot to address your question, "How do you people dress and feed yourselves?" 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. Ezra Glenn's song "Sisera Sleeps" from 2020's "Two-Heel Sandwich" refers to Jael's actions. We do not know if Jael was concerned for her safety once Sisera awoke from his sleep, or if she was just doing the will of God with the action she took. Abagail was kind and intelligent. So it is that we should not play around with sin and iniquity in our lives. The king, trusting Ehud, obliges. Martin Luther was particularly fond of Judith and held her up as an example of virtue and godly living. She obeyed Mordecai when he told her to hide her faith and her people (Esther 2:10). It went against everything she knew about hospitality, something hugely important to her culture at the time. Ironically her life in a tent, and the skills this entailed, would serve as apt training for General Siseras betrayal and execution. While there, the leering inhabitants of the city noticed her beauty in the marketplace, banged on the door of the old man, and demanded he hand her over to them. 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. Step 2 declare three integers x, y & z. Lead them to Mount Tabor. There is no need to wait for someone else to fight your battles- Jael didnt. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon. So when God said that Barak and Israel would defeat the Canaanite army, Deborah believed God. During Jaels adult life, the Israelites were being horrifically oppressed for over twenty years by the Canaanites King Jabin. Charles Spurgeon once gave a sermon where he compared Sisera to sin. Abigail showed great wisdom in acting quickly, swiftly, and speaking honorably to David. All we know for sure, besides the account of her story, is that she was a Bedouin and the wife of Heber the Kenite. If you are a Bible study teacher, you are free to allow this content to influence the lessons you teach or the sermons you present. According to tradition, both her and husband would have had separate tents, doubling her work, efforts and skill. Sisera was in flight and Barak in pursuit. Jal was an ally by blood of the Israelitish nation; [Sisera, the general of] their chief oppressor, who had mightily oppressed them for the space of twenty years, now lay defenseless before her; and he was, moreover, one of those whom Israel was bound by the command of Jehovah to extirpate. Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite. All we know for sure, besides the account of her story, is that she was a Bedouin and the wife of Heber the Kenite. Dont be afraid. So Sisera went into Jaels tent, and she covered him with a blanket (Judges 4:18) and Sisera thought he would be safe there after his Canaanite forces had been defeated since Not one of Siseras men was left alive (Judges 4:16b). Moreover, she has a masculine name and Sisera addresses her using . Heber, Jaels husband, had a good relationship with the Caananites and thats why Sisera felt comfortable to find refuge in their camp. 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God gave the Israelites a seemingly impossible defeat against the superior Canaanite army thus giving them access to the fertile plains of Jezreel and Esdraelon. She was not about to play around with this evil man. Only an act of God would make this plan work. Jael is one of those women of the Bible who we don't get a lot of details or background on. I will make Sisera, his chariots, and his army come to the Kishon River. Heber is noticeably absent, probably killed on the battlefield. Ephesians 6:12 puts it like this: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Jael is a Hebrew name, from Yal meaning "ibex" or "chimois" (which are species of wild mountain goats), from the root yal meaning "to profit, to ascend" (perhaps in reference to the goat's nimble ability to ascend mountains with ease). 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.. Remember too, the horrific account as noted by Jewish historian, Josephus. Further to this, at this point in time women did not usually go to war; therefore, Baraks insistence that Deborah came to battle with him was hugely unorthodox. Jael's hands may have been bloodied in the process, but Israel . But he went to Jaels tent instead. There Barak found Sisera lying dead on the ground, with the tent peg through the side of his head, God defeated King Jabin of Canaan for the Israelites. She will be blessed above all women, On the day that the Israelites defeated Sisera, Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song, Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A guest, once ritually invited into the home, had to be protected and cared for, even at the expense of everyone else in the house even at the expense of giving the woman of the house to the guest of honor for his lascivious pleasure. Learn how your comment data is processed. (The other Prophetess' are: Sarah, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, and Esther . 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. (Judges 4:21-22). As the predicted battle between Canaan and Israel ensues, it is clearly evident that another David vs. Goliath scenario was playing out. And if she did not act, Israel would not have been saved. 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. In short, Jael wasn't going to miss. The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). 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. (Gen. 25:1, 2). I can laugh now, but at that time in my life I had only been burned by men. He will step in and destroy either them or their plans for you. Judges 5:7 distinctly describes her leadership as of a maternal variety: she nourishes Israel; she does not try to adopt a man's hardness or masculinity. Heber was a descendant of Jethro, the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. Women of the Bible, Jean E. Syswerda, Zondervan Publishers, 1999. ; s gory death the fight and she also knew that battles can very... To be the wife of heber the Kenite also knew that battles be... 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