Jael: God’s Serendipitous Savior

Hannah and my story.

· There is a word for our story.

· Serendipity: finding a good thing that you weren’t looking for. Unlikely according to conventional wisdom.

· What do we do when we are dealing with a story that repeats itself?

· We highlight the things that are different, which give us an indication of what God is revealing about Himself and us.

· Three judges have come forward so far: Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar.

o These judges have been conventionally good.

· This illustrates this stage of the Judges cycle: Generally good judges who deliver their people a rest.

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lordafter Ehud died. 2 And the Lordsold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lordfor help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

· There are several notable happenings here.

· We have the first female Judge in Deborah, and not only that, but she is also a prophetess.

o She doesn’t just act as a deliverer; she speaks God’s word to God’s people.

o Even so, we will see that the notable fact that God delights to raise up this woman Deborah to be a judge of Israel will result in her becoming the second most notable woman in this story.

· Her counterpart is Barak, who is already the leader of a great host.

o Israel is in a strong military position, yet there is a notable difference in the character of Barak when compared to his predecessors.

o He has everything he needs, and he has been promised victory by the Lord, yet he is unwilling to go.

§ One wonders if this is the same failure demonstrated in Judges 1 when Judah could not prevail over the people of the plains in their iron chariots.

· Even the sure promises of the Lord do not move him.

o The result is that Barak’s victory will be tempered by the glory going to a woman.

· Now let us move on to examine what I consider to be the most important issue arising from this passage.

· Israel’s oppressor is Canaan! What is a Canaanite king doing in Israel?

o Further, it is Jabin, of Hazor, who is king in Canaan.

o Why is that important? Because just three generations previous, Joshua had defeated a Jabin, who was a Canaanite king in Hazor.

· Joshua 11:1-4 (ESV)

Joshua 11:1–4 ESV

1 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.

o The result in that time had been a miraculous victory for God’s people.

· Joshua 11:9-11 (ESV)

Joshua 11:9–11 ESV

9 And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. 10 And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire.

· There is an even keener sense that the victories of the past are being undone because of the sin of Israel.

· While the Moabites had taken up residence at Jericho, here it is a defeated king from the past metaphorically coming back from the dead to take back what he had lost.

· This is a level of deterioration that comes from continued sinfulness.

· Proverbs 14:11-12 (ESV)

Proverbs 14:11–12 ESV

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

· Hosea 13:2-3 (ESV)

Hosea 13:2–3 ESV

2 And now they sin more and more, and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them, “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!” 3 Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window.

· Continued disobedience can undo even the good things we had been previously given.

· We can’t think that we will avoid the same fate as our first parents, Adam and Eve, upon whom God laid a curse for their disobedience.

· Sin destroys everything, and we cannot presume to continue to have good things in our lives when we demonstrate hateful rebellion against our creator.

· This is the desparate danger of sin.

o

· Romans 2:4–11 (ESV)

Romans 2:4–11 ESV

4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

· But as we have seen again and again in the judges cycle, where Israel’s disobedience abounds, the gracious intentions of God for Israel abound all the more.

· He will deliver them in an even more unexpected way than with Ehud.

Judges 4:10–17 ESV

10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him. 11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. 12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left. 17 But Sisera fled away on foot 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.

10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him. 11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. 12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left. 17 But Sisera fled away on foot 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.

· The culmination so many events that seem unrelated end up being a part of God’s wonderful work of salvation.

· All these events ended up leading to salvation in such a way that it could only be because of God.

This is shown to us again and again in Judges, as God delivers his people in unique and wonderful ways to show that He alone is the ultimate source of our salvation.

· As Deborah and Barak gather their forces to confront Sisera in battle, the narrative takes a sharp turn into a seemingly unrelated tangent.

· Judges 4:11

Judges 4:11 ESV

11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

· But this is not an unrelated issue, as we shall see, but a carefully orchestrated masterstroke of deliverance by God.

· You see, the fact of Heber the Kenite of being her is a strange thing.

· The Kenites are descendants of Moses’s father-in-law (Jethro/Reuel/Hobab)

o They accompanied Israel into the land but made their home in the southern regions of Judah’s territory (the Negev).

· Judges 1:16 (ESV)

Judges 1:16 ESV

16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.

o So, it is interesting that Heber has departed from the lands of his people and has travelled a hundred miles to come and dwell on the borders of Naphtali’s territory on the Sea of Galilee.

· The narrator wants to reinforce that the serendipitous events that lead to Israel’s deliverance are not random chance, but divine providence.

o Even when they aren’t immediately perceived by us, we can know that God is working it all out.

· Sisera, the cruel oppressor of Israel, is utterly defeated.

· His army and chariots are routed and flee many miles pursued to complete destruction by Barak.

· Yet providence works to bring God’s decree to pass.

o Though his army and chariots are destroyed, Sisera slips away in the opposite destruction.

· This is where Heber comes in.

o Verse 17 tells us that Heber had peace with Jabin.

§ Heber’s Kenites were friendly with the Canaanites and so it is likely that Sisera was seeking sanctuary with people friendly to his king.

· And they just so happen to lie on the path back home.

· So, we have a surprising providence…Barak is unable to claim the victory of killing Sisera.

o And instead of Deborah getting the glory, as would likely have been expected by her prophecy, we see that it is the until-now-unimportant figure of Heber’s wife, Jael.

We need to understand that our lives are accounted for in God’s good providence.

Isaiah 46:9–13 ESV

9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. 12 “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.”

Our trials, tribulations, indeed, every part of our life and salvation have been carefully and graciously orchestrated by our Lord to bring you to himself in Jesus Christ.

We are often made to feel guilty for the sins of our past and our relative success or failure in walking with Christ.

The answer God gives is that He’s got it all under control.

Judges 4:18–24 ESV

18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died. 22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple. 23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. 24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So, he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So, she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So, he died. 22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple. 23So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. 24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

· Jael is the next in a line of unlikely heroes.

· 1 Corinthians 1:25–29 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 1:25–29 ESV

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

· She is a non-Israelite woman who is married to an enemy sympathizer living far from home in a time of sectarian war.

· But Jael’s actions end up being the linchpin in God’s beautiful tapestry.

o To show what Israel’s strong deliverer can do.

· What are we to think of the kind and manner of the way this work was done?

o This is a story of deceit, murder, and even worse, inhospitable behavior.

§ Is God setting an example before us in Jael?

· When we go about interpreting the Old Testament narrative, we must understand that it is not a prescription of how we are to live.

o Otherwise, we should be like David or Solomon, having multiple wives.

· Rather, the Old Testament narrative is a description of how a good God faithfully delivers a sinful people in many different ways.

o Abraham declares that God’s ways are not for us to judge, but to solemnly contemplate.

· Gen 18:25b

Genesis 18:25 ESV

Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”

o This is so that they will come to see him as the only God, the only savior.

We’re not being asked to judge Jael’s character, but how God brings about His gracious salvation even through imperfect people…through their ordinary acts of faithfulness.

· We know little about Jael, her motives, loyalty, or personality.

o But we can conclude from the way that she acts that she is no friend of her husband’s allies.

· Her opposition is demonstrated in her subtle refusal to give Sisera what he is asking for.

o Sisera asks for water, but she gives him milk.

§ Seemingly a gesture of goodwill, but lulling him into a false sense of security, and possibly into a sound sleep.

o Sisera asks her to lie about his whereabouts to any inquiring about him.

§ She will expose his location to Sisera’s archenemy…not that it will matter to him when it happens.

· Her final act of opposition shows that she is obedient to the Lord’s will and typologically fulfills the promise given to the serpent in the garden.

· Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

· Like Shamgar before her, Jael lays hold of an improvised weapon and kills Sisera as he sleeps.

o The enemies of the Lord find no rest anywhere.

· Because of Jael’s faithfulness in a moment, she made possible the deliverance of the whole nation from King Jabin.

o Her actions didn’t destroy armies, but it led to deliverance and 40 years of rest for Israel.

While Jael’s slaying of Sisera is a type of what was promised in the garden, the ultimate victory will come when Jesus Christ destroys Satan and his works forever. This is declared through his death, burial, and resurrection. He destroyed our enemy forever and delivered us from his power. And he ushers us into eternal rest in His presence.

· So God takes victory from an unworthy man (Barak) and gives it to a bold and faithful woman.

· This final scene of the first act of the Judges cycle foreshadows some of the difficulties that Israel will soon face.

o Barak’s questionable behavior will become a growing obstinacy in future judges.

§ They will attempt to negotiate obedience (Gideon and Jephthah)

o Israel’s suffering under foreign kings demonstrates the opposition God has for such an institution.

§ Yet Israel will continue to desire kings for themselves in spite of what God is showing them about the result (Oppression, violence, distress, etc.)

Israel’s heart may be hardening, but God’s love continues to burn brightly.

· The importance of faithful obedience and trusting in God.

· You never know what God will bring about through your simple, everyday faithfulness.

The course of our lives and the choices we make may take us far from a place where we feel like we could make an impact for the kingdom.

Jael’s life encourages us to remember that we are never outside of God’s wonderful decree. He is always at work in the world to bring about His good will and we are, all of us, able to be used greatly just through our simple, everyday faithfulness to him.

When we obey in the small things, He makes much of us. So stay faithful.

· 1 Peter 1:13–19 (ESV)

1 Peter 1:13–19 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

· Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Jael: God’s Serendipitous Savior

Context

Disobedience Leads Deterioration (Judges 4:1-9)

God’s Serendipitous Salvation (The God of Serendipity) (Judges 4:10-17)

Simple, Obedient Faithfulness (Judges 4:18-24)

Conclusion