Those pesky children of Israel are at it again. In Joshua 24:24, The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.” Yet, with the death of Moses and Joshua, that same nation of Israel reverted to their old ways of disobedience and idol worship of their enemies’ gods. Deborah, a prophet and judge in Israel, was God’s spokesman to this willful nation of twelve tribes. She announced to Barak, of the tribe of Naphtali. a plan to take out one of their strongest enemies, King Jabin of Hazor. Barak knew that the ruthless Sisera, King Jabin’s commander, would be leading the enemy’s army of 900 iron chariots. Rather than trust Deborah, he replied that he would only go if she went with him to the battle.”Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” Judges 4:9 (NLT) The battle raged and ten thousand Israelites were led by the LORD to rout the enemy warriors, but Sisera sneaked off, escaping death. Enter, Jael, the wife of a descendant of Moses. She lures Sisera into her tent with the offer to hide him, providing him with something to drink and a blanket for cover. It is interesting that Sisera asks for water but she gives him milk, which soothes his exhausted body and puts him to sleep. While asleep, Jael takes a tent stake and hammer and pounds it through his temple, destroying the last of the enemy warriors. Two women followed God’s rules and secured victory. Sometimes we think that as women our role is not as necessary as a man’s, particularly in time of war. With the current situation in Iraq, the subject of women in combat is a regular topic on talk shows. But the part I liked about this story is that the two women werenecessary to secure the victory – but not on the battlefield. As women, we have other means at our disposal to use other than brute force. Remember strength and courage? Strength can be of both body and mind and this battle required the strength of mind and creativity that God gave these two women. It is encouraging to know that we each have a role to play in God’s plan and it is not dependant on age, gender, strength, or intellect. It just requires that we be faithful and obedient using the gifts that God has given us.
Be sure to give to the Lord the best portions of the gifts given to you. Numbers 18:29 (NLT)