characteristics of jael
The Kenites, being Nomadic, lived near Jericho but moved south to the region of Negev. 1.4 Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was Obedient. Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. The Israelites finally destroyed him (Judges 4:23-24) which is why it was written that Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite. More of her work can be found at Woman of Noble Character. (Joshua 20:1-7) Sisera ultimately chooses this tent, this family, this land of protection to flee to for safety after the Canaanites disasterous defeat. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenantnot of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. The name Jael comes from the verb (ya'al), to profit or be useful: The verb (ya'al) means to profit, benefit or be of any (or much) practical use. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And while he was dying, Sisera said to Jael, "Behold pain has taken hold of me, Jael, and I die like a woman. Barak and his men defeated Siseras army, but Sisera left his chariot and ran away on foot (Judges 4:15) but Sisera got away ran away to the tent where a woman named Jael lived. would be Jael. Abigail showed great wisdom in acting quickly, swiftly, and speaking honorably to David. Deborah started the battle to defeat the enemy of Israel and Jael finished it. She crashed through and transfixed his temples. He was such a coward. Warrior, Dancer, Seductress, Queen: Women in Judges and Biblical Israel, Susan Ackerman, Anchor Bible A Character Study. These themes were echoed in contemporary plays and poems as well. So the Israelites became stronger and stronger until they defeated King Jabin of Canaan. and then I heard Judges 4. Today, this godly woman, along with the heroine Deborah the Judge, are part of the recorded history of the nation of Israel and hailed as women who courageously obeyed God, even at the risk of their own lives. In any case, it would still be disastrous for Jaels reputation for Sisera to be alone with her. In God's good design, men are rulers and fighters; they bear the responsibility of providing . Because men were never allowed to enter a womens tent, no one would think to look for him there. And not just any milk. Jael, Shawna R.T. Atteberry, http://www.shawnaatteberry.com/2008/12/11/436/. And her expression is placid - almost sweet - as she methodically sets about her task. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Trust in God's Word Deborah trusted in the word of God. Moses lived among the Kenites in Midian until he was called by God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. I could not believe that such violence was in the Bible. 5:2426) recounts: Extolled above women be Jael, She is materialistic and she loves power. I also want you to recognise that you are capable of bringing the word that God has given you to pass. They did not know what to do. If General Barak were to catch her, she could be accused of conspiracy, harboring a fugitive, and summarily executed. The name Jael means "mountain goat". With the finger of God directing judgment on the oppressors, hail, sleet and hurricane-force winds were driven into the faces of the Canaanite army, blinding their vision and mucking the grounds into which the chariots iron wheels get buried. Situations are ever-changing in this life and opportunities pass by quickly. Upset, Jael called XYZ Burgers to complain. 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. Feminine hospitality is a powerful thing to a man. The Bible records a number of cases of intermarriage; the father-in-law of Moses was apparently a Kenite, but it is not clear whether this was Jethro. 4:2). And in many ways we can see, from the story of Samson, just how weak Delilah was in her relation to Samson. Jael proved herself to be resourceful and courageous. It was divine intervention, then, that Jael was alone with General Sisera, and she seized upon it with the courage, wisdom, strength and vigilance as her predecessors. [citation needed]. 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 ). This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:Easton, Matthew George (1897). The Kenites may have been a part of the Midianite group. They therefore cried out to the Lord who sent His answer via Deborah, a judge and prophetess. Jael [N] [H] [S] mountain-goat, the wife of Heber the Kenite ( Judges 4:17-22 ). She put the tent peg to the side of Siseras head and hit it with a hammer. Jael had a front row seat to the vicious cycle of idolatry and judgment upon the nation of Israel namely the destruction of the lands and the assimilation of pagan practices. The irony of this battle was Baal, the main god of the Canaanites was considered god of storms and weather. There was a woman prophet named Deborah. Deborah, the prophetess, was judging Israel at this time. 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. During the time of the Judges There was a woman prophet named Deborah. She will be blessed above all women (Judges 5:24) because of her heroic act. He gives us certain skills and gifts for a reason, and we should always be on the lookout for ways to use them. The armies met on the plain of Esdraelon, where Sisera's iron-bound chariots became hampered by the mud caused by a downpour during the night that caused the Wadi Kishon to overflow its banks. In short, Jael wasn't going to miss. Running to a womans tent and laying under a rug suggests he felt the need to hide either from Jabin because he lost the battle or from the Israelites, his enemy. Miriam ( Mir-ym) was born in 1576 B.C. I will make Sisera, the commander of King Jabins army, come to you. Deborah, the only female judge in the Bible, excelled in multiple areas. II Kings chapter 4, where we find her story, is also the haftarah portion which corresponds to parshat Vayera which tells of the miraculous birth of Abraham and Sarah's son Isaac as well as the binding of Isaac.There are at least three clear parallels: hospitality, a prophecy to a barren woman that she will bear a son, and the near-death experience of that son. Deborah agrees to go, but tells Barak that because of the way he responded to Gods call there would be no glory for him in Siseras defeat. The story of Jael in the Bible is short but it is power-packed with lessons about spiritual warfare. Thank-you for such detail on the story of Jael. On the day Sisera died, Deborah and Barak honor Jael with song: Jael is most blessed of women,the wife of Heber the Kenite,she is most blessed amongtent-dwelling women.Judges 5:24. Sisera was, however, unaware that Hebers wife, Jael, whose tent he ran to, sympathized with the Israelites because of the twenty years of oppression by Jabin, his commander Sisera, and his 900 iron chariots. It may not look the way we expect it to, and it can take a lot of trust to act when we dont feel well-equipped. Quite the opportunist, Heber travels north from Judah to Canaan, taking Jael with him. Jael was no warrior. This is perhaps why he felt safe and comfortable in her camp. She commanded Barak to fight against Jabin's army in the Valley of Jezreel along the Kishon River. We too can and must be instruments of deliverance for others. Her action appears to show her faithfulness to the Covenant people of Israel which, as mentioned, the Kenite clan had identification through Moses. If we are honest, many times our enemies want to see our destruction. [5] Heber lived approximately during the 12th century BC in the Hula Valley (anciently known as Zaanaim) of northern Israel during the time of the Israelite judges. 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. I can't get over how fearlessly Jael acts in this story. So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. Her hair is neatly braided and pinned back. For Moses, it was the staff in his hand. However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creators expressed permission. But she is mentioned in Judges 5 as well in the song of Deborah and Barak. A folktale is a fictional story that has been orally passed down over hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years. 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. Quietly, Jael took a mallet and drove a tent peg through Sisera's temple into the ground while he was sleeping, killing him instantly. There is another and her name is Jael. 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. Jael showed Sisera great hospitality. But while she was doing that, she was very much aware of the fact that there was a battle going on. Esther's narrative depicts a young girl maturing into her God-given duty and setting an example for all time. So it is that we should not play around with sin and iniquity in our lives. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Her family were priests, pathfinders, metalworkers, and wanderers, looking for work wherever they could find it. Jael followed the law of God in murdering a general of a Canaanite symbolic of taking away the oppression of the land and returning back to the Law of God, and not choosing to follow the unquestionable law the of hospitality that led only to abuse, oppression, detriment, and horror to women. 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. Jael was the wife of Heber - "Now, Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses' brother-in-law, Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh." (4:11) "Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber's family was on friendly terms . Cultivate gratitude to God first and foremost. The fact is, if God could use Jael to free the children of Israel and bring peace to their land, He can use you for whatever He has called you to do too. In spiritual warfare, you have to know who the enemy is. She was described as a prophetess, and, in fact, is one of the seven major female prophets in the Bible. Through her husband Heber, Jael had kinship ties with the Israelites. He was the enemy. These are tools she knew how to use well because she made tents. 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. In spiritual battles, the enemy often comes disguised. Here Artemisia shows Jael wearing a 17th-century version of the simple sort of dress that might be worn by a respectable tradesman's wife. When Sisera showed up, this should have been the case. But if you will not go withme, I will not go. I will go with you,she said, but you will receive nohonor on the road you are aboutto take, because the Lord willsell Sisera into a womans hand.Judges 4:8, 9. 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). Israelites became stronger and stronger until they defeated King Jabin of Canaan tent peg the! 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