It was the days of the judges. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, had died. All the elders who outlive him also died. After that whole generation who had all the great things the Lord had done for Israel died, another generation grew up who did not know the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. This generation forsook the Lord. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger. In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel. (Judges 2 – NIV)
At the point of our text – Judges 4, Israel had been living under this cycle of bondage followed by freedom for almost 100 years. They had experienced deliverances through the hands of the judges Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and now Deborah. Their current oppressor was Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera was the commander of his army. It was God’s will for Barak, son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, to lead an army of 10,000 men of Naphtali and Zebulun against Jabin’s army. God promised that He would deliver Jabin’s army into Barak’s hand.
However, Barak was afraid and declared that if the Prophetess Deborah, who was now the judge of Israel, accompanied him on this military campaign then he would obey God and go. If she did not accompany him, he would not go. Deborah’s response was “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Barak went to war.
Living within the vicinity of the site of the battle that ensued was a man named Heber and his family. Heber was a Kenite.
Who were the Kenites?
- The Kenites were the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses. Judges 4:11
- They had shown kindness to the children of Israel when they had came up out of Egypt. 1 Samuel 15:6
- They were a nomadic people who were familiar with life in the wilderness. As such, Moses appealed to them to be the eyes of the Israelites during their travels through the wilderness. Moses promised that in return the Israelites would share with the Kenites whatever good things the Lord gives to or does for the Israelites. Numbers 10:29 – 32
- When the children of Israel had conquered the Promised Land, the Kenites were with them. They were with the children of Judah and settled in the land of Judah, dwelling among the people there. Judges 1:16
Now the land of Judah, except for the land of Simeon, is the most southerly of the tribes of Israel in the Promised Land. On the contrary, the land of Naphtali (and Asher) are the most northerly. We are not told the reason, but we are told that Heber left the other Kenites in the land of Judah (the south of the Promised Land) and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh (situated in Naphtali, in the north of the Promised Land). Judges 4:11
We are told that Heber “had severed himself” from the Kenites. The Hebrew word from which we got the English translation severed is the word parad. This word was used 26 times in the Old Testament. It is the same word that speaks of
- Lot separating from Abraham – Genesis 13: 9, 11, 14;
- The separation of the two nations and the two manner of people in Rebekah’s womb – Genesis 25:23;
- Jacob and his separating of Laban’s flock – Genesis 30:40
- Other examples – Deuteronomy 32:8; Ruth 1:17; 2 Samuel 1:23; 2 Kings 2:11; Nehemiah 4:19; Proverbs 16:28; 17:9; 18:1; 19:4
To sever himself meant that he had broken off from or separated himself from the rest of his people. Not only did he sever himself from his people, but he had also severed himself from the source of their blessing in this land – the God of Israel. In the text we are informed that Heber and his family migrated to a land where the Israelites were being oppressed, but there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor (the oppressor of the Israelites) and the family of Heber the Kenite (Judges 4:17 – NIV).
Judges 4:17 – 21 Barak and his 10, 000 men are victorious in the battle against Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army. Sisera escapes on foot and seeks refuge in Heber’s home, specifically in the tent of Jael, Heber’s wife. Sisera was banking on the alliance to protect him. However, he did not take into account the fact that Jael knew who she was.
Jael’s name means mountain goat. This type of goat was undomesticated and its name was derived from a word meaning “to climb”. As her name sake, she was a fearless woman of resilience, knowing how to live through harsh climates and how to be flat-footed in treacherous terrain. She was not of a passive disposition. Just like mountainous goats, Jael equipped with a nature that was given to territorial defense.
In addition to knowing who she was an individual, Jael knew who she was as one of the family of Kenites. She was from a people who knew what it was to “see”, even in a wilderness. She was of a people who for generations proved the faithfulness of Israel’s God to His word.
She took the knowledge of who she was coupled with Sisera’s underestimation of who she was and became God’s battle ax. Jeremiah 51:20 states, “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war ….” God took everything that was Jael – a woman, a wife, a mother, a tent-dweller – all of the experiences and skills that she had accumulated over the years in these roles and used her as a deliverer.
TIME TO RESPOND:
- Revisit Judges 4: 17-21. How did Jael use her skill and experiences in each of the following roles to destroy the enemy, Sisera?
– A woman
– A wife
– A mother
– A tent-dweller
– A Kenite - What are some experiences and skills have you amassed over the years in your various roles that God can use as his weapon for the deliverance of a people?
- Read Jeremiah 51: 20 – 23. God gave Jeremiah this word for Cyrus, king of Persia.
– Who was Cyrus?
– How did God use him as a battle ax?
– How were his preparation, skills, and abilities instrumental in how God
chose to use him as a weapon of war? - How can God use you as a battle ax?
DIG DEEPER:
1. Devotional: God’s Battle Ax
2. Blog Post: A Weapon of Warfare – ME
3. Prayer Room: I Know Who I Am