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"God Defeats the Enemy" by John M. Nielson
Judges 4:14 D’vorah said to Barak: “Get going! This is the day when Adonai will hand Sisra over to you! Adonai has gone out ahead of you!” So Barak went down from Mount Tavor with 10,000 men following him; 15 and Adonai threw Sisra, all his chariots and his entire army into a panic before Barak’s sword; so that Sisra got down from his chariot and fled on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army all the way to Haroshet-HaGoyim. Sisra’s entire army was put to the sword; not one man was left.
17 However, Sisra ran on foot to the tent of Ya‘el the wife of Hever the Keini, because there was peace between Yavin the king of Hatzor and the family of Hever the Keini. 18 Ya‘el went out to meet Sisra and said to him, “Come in, my lord; stay here with me; and don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink — I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin of milk, gave him some to drink, and covered him up again. 20 He said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent; and if anyone asks you if somebody is here, say, ‘No.’” 21 But when he was deeply asleep, Ya‘el the wife of Hever took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand, crept in to him quietly and drove the tent peg into his temple, right through to the ground; so that he died without waking up. 22 So here is Barak pursuing Sisra, and Ya‘el steps out to meet him and says, “Come, I will show you the man you are looking for.” He goes into her tent; and there is Sisra, lying dead with the tent peg through his temple.
23 Thus God on that day defeated Yavin the king of Kena‘an in the presence of the people of Isra’el. 24 The hand of the people of Isra’el came down more and more heavily against Yavin the king of Kena‘an, until they had completely destroyed Yavin the king of Kena‘an.
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Usually, Jael is viewed as a hero in the story of Israel’s defeat of the Canaanite forces in Judges 4. However, there is more at work. Sisera, general of the Canaanite army had a formidable array of 900 chariots fitted with iron. Deborah’s song tells us that God lured Sisera to the River Kishon and sent a flood that swept them away. The iron chariots became mired in the mud. Sisera, with his army in disarray, fled on foot, ending up in the hands of Jael. Once again, victory was in the hands of a woman. She had a role to play, but God is the One who routed Sisera and his chariots.
This thrilling story can also have an important spiritual application. Insidious things invade our homes, our thoughts, and our hearts. Seemingly common things like anger, jealousy, pride, envy and more are dangerous. They are deadly. They are at war with God’s purposes and our best interests. We must never allow them to make themselves at home. They must be confronted. They must be destroyed. May God search our hearts and put to death in us any of those things He sees as enemies of our souls.
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Hymn for Today: "Cleanse Me" by J. Edwin Orr
1. Search me, O God,
And know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior,
Know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be
Some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin
And set me free.
2. I praise Thee, Lord,
For cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word,
And make me pure within.
Fill me with fire
Where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire
To magnify Thy name.
3. Lord, take my life,
And make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart
With Thy great love divine.
Take all my will,
My passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord
In me abide.
4. O Holy Ghost,
Revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival,
Start the work in me.
Thy Word declares
Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now,
O Lord, I humbly plead.
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Thought of the Day: Psalm 60:14 (12) With God’s help we will fight valiantly,
for he will trample our enemies.
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Please Pray: For developing Christian leaders in Cuba.
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for he will trample our enemies.
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Please Pray: For developing Christian leaders in Cuba.
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