Jael and Lessons Learned From Her
Hi guys! It’s been a while 😃
We didn't write in July because we were undergoing some changes and we needed to adjust.
We’re back now and we absolutely missed writing to you and reading your replies 😊
We look forward to growing with you through our blog posts 😊
Now, tell me, who would you say your favorite Bible character(s) is(are)? Who, in the Bible, stands out to you or inspires you to take huge steps of faith?
It’s amazing to see the extraordinary things ordinary people can do when they follow God.
Today, my focus is on Jael, an amazing character in the Bible who although wasn’t the most popular, did exploits.
The Children of Israel had once again turned away their hearts from God, so he gave them over to a king called Jabin who had an oppressor as his commander in the army. The commander’s name was Sisera, he was evil, to say the least. The Israelites cried to God for help and he heard them.
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. — Judges chp 4 vs 1–3 KJV
At the time, Deborah who was a judge and also a prophet was God’s mouthpiece to the people. Through her, God instructed them to fight, that He had given them victory over Sisera.
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. — Judges chapter 4 vs 4–9 KJV
Barak led the people to fight and while they were fighting, Sisera escaped. As he was looking for shelter, he came across Jael’s tent, and because Jael’s husband, Heber the Kenite, was on friendly terms with Jabin the King, on sighting him Jael rushed out to welcome him.
And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. — Judges chapter 4 vs 15–18 KJV
She covered him with a blanket, and when he asked for water, she gave him milk and covered him again. As soon as he slept, she quietly walked up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand and she drove the tent peg into his temple so that he would die.
Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. — Judges chapter 4 vs 21 KJV
When Barak came looking for Sisera, she showed him where he lay dead.
And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. — Judges chapter 4 vs 22 KJV
You can and should read the full story (Judges chapter 4).
Now, there are tons of lessons to learn from Jael’s life and I would also love to implement some of them in my life. Let me share a few with you.
1. Wisdom.
Jael had the wisdom of God. Honestly, human wisdom could certainly not have conceived the idea.
Under normal circumstances, her reaction should have been unwelcoming. After all, this was a man that had been oppressing God’s people. Yet, she welcomed him and made sure he was at peace. He asked her for water and she gave him milk. This has taught me that in every situation I am faced with, I must never rely on my wisdom. I must instead, be led by the spirit of God. The process may seem illogical but as long as God directs me, I should and would take the step.
2. Boldness.
As believers, we must always be bold because He that is for and with us is far greater than those against us. We must walk in the consciousness of who we are. We are more powerful than we know and we must understand our identity and walk in it.
We are the express image of God, and as He is so are we;
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. — Genesis 1:26 KJV
3. God’s Way.
God will do things his way. When God told Deborah and Barak that he would give them victory over Sisera, they probably thought that he would die on the battlefield. None of them would have fathomed that God had prepared Jael to be instrumental to their victory.
Maybe God has given you a word or an instruction, do not try to plan or orchestrate how it would come to pass. God who has proposed it will bring it to pass the way it pleases him.
Finally, God can use anyone to do anything. When God chooses to use someone, it is always beyond our imagination, above our capacity, and above our weaknesses.
When you’re done reading, please share your lessons with me. I would love to see what this story teaches you.
Till the next time that I write to you, remain salted, deeply rooted in Christ, and tell somebody about Jesus Christ.
You have all my love,
Esther Osei-Otiotio 💛
