Reading
At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.”’ Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’ 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 got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh. When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him. And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left. Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, ‘Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.’ So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. Then 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. He said to her, ‘Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, “Is anyone here?” say, “No.”’ But Jael wife of Heber took a tent-peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died. Then, as Barak came in pursuit of 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 was Sisera lying dead, with the tent-peg in his temple. So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.
Reflection
This story is not quite what we were expecting! Deborah, a prophet, is introduced, who summons Barak, a military man from Naphtali, into action against Sisera (the oppressor); but it is Jael, the wife of a mercenary blacksmith, who kills him and brings the oppression to an end.
None of these three are specifically raised up by God in response to the situation nor identified as a deliverer. Interestingly, Deborah is described as ‘judging’ Israel, although v.5 suggests this relates more to helping people sort out local disputes than exercising leadership, or rule, over them.
Deborah, in God’s name, proclaims a divine oracle to Barak, promising him victory in battle. However, Barak expresses reluctance, insisting that Deborah accompany him. Is he viewing her as some kind of divine talisman? She agrees but responds that, due to his hesitancy, God will ‘sell’ Sisera into a woman’s hands. In a patriarchal society that’s humiliating.
As the story unfolds, Deborah urges Barak into action, promising him divine favour again. In a very uneven battle since the enemy have chariots, God instils panic among them and Sisera flees on foot. Barak and his foot soldiers, strangely go in pursuit of the chariots – and apparently overcome them!
Sisera reaches Jael’s tent. He’s running scared; she’s an isolated woman. What choices does she have? Whose side is she on – her ancestral kin, the tribes of Israel, or the Canaanites among whom she and her husband live and work? She’s astute enough to realise that Sisera hasn’t won the battle, so she feigns offering generous hospitality, deceives him and murders him as he sleeps. When Barak eventually comes in pursuit she shows him Sisera’s body.
Is Jael the promised female victor? Has Deborah’s prophetic word been fulfilled? Has Barak succeeded in battle? The text says God (significantly the covenant name isn’t used here) subdued the Canaanites and that Israel oppressed them severely; but there is no mention of rest at this point. Has anyone received deliverance?
Prayer
God, we struggle to recognise your loving presence in stories like this; and confess that we often wonder where you are in the mayhem of our world today.
Help us avoid jumping to conclusions about the kind of people through whom you are at work. Help us avoid hasty judgements about the actions of others when we don’t know the complexities of a situation.
May your Spirit prompt us to glimpse your transforming activity and commit to joining in your mission of love. Amen.