characteristics of jael

In her free time youll probably find her writing, lifting, or doting on her handsome cat. Her family were tinsmiths who made farming utensils, domestic items, and weapons. Chapter 14--Jael Her Name Means "A Wild or Mountain Goat" Her Character: Decisive and courageous, she seized the opportunity to slay an enemy of God's people. 5:2426) recounts: Extolled above women be Jael, She brought him cream in a lordly dish. A woman who, akin to the Virgin Mary, courageously helped save the Israelite nation despite the oppressive cultural norms for women, and chose Gods people over her own reputation. All we know for sure, besides the account of her story, is that she was a Bedouin and the wife of Heber the Kenite. And she smote Sisera; she crushed his head, Therefore, Jael had some family ties to Israel. Mountain Goat. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. They were familiar to the Israelites through the connection of Jethro to Moses, and their skill as metalworkers was welcomed wherever they camped. So it is that we should not play around with sin and iniquity in our lives. [citation needed] According to Jack Sasson, there are reasons to doubt whether the events narrated in Judges 4 ever occurred. She recognized God's intentions to remove Saul from power and put David on the throne. God's . He is the one who gives life; he is the one who cancels our debts; he is the one who nails our sins to the cross once and for all. Jael and Judith were also used as propaganda figures by Protestants and Catholics alike to symbolize the violent overthrow of heresy. Because God has a million ways to solve one problem. There Barak found Sisera lying dead on the ground, with the tent peg through the side of his head, God defeated King Jabin of Canaan for the Israelites. Java applications are usually compiled to bytecode, which can execute on any Java virtual machine (JVM), regardless of the computer architecture. Jael would have been remarkably adept with a tent pin and hammer, knowing how to grind a stake into the desert ground. And if we really want to see victory, we have to really put away sin. But our God is sovereign, and we can trust Him to give us competence. He commanded Jael to watch over the tent and tell any inquirers that no one was there. There is no doubt that he was bigger and very much stronger than Jael. 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. The Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons, 3 Things You Didnt Know About Mary (Mother of Jesus), 5 Powerful Lessons from the Unusual Story of Jael. Jael's hands may have been bloodied in the process, but Israel . In the narrative about the military heroine Deborah, Yael kills Sisera, the Canaanite general of King Jabin, after he escapes from the battle with Deborah's general, Barak. He was such a coward. She was the wife of a man named Lappidoth. And just like the Virgin Mary, she became an unlikely heroine of a prophecy fulfilled. "J-L". Her experience shows how God can maneuver events to fulfill prophecy. The tent peg went through the side of his head and into the ground. A Character Study. His family was at peace with King Jabin of Hazor. Still, for a meaning of the name Jael, both BDB Theological Dictionary and NOBSE Study Bible Name List read Mountain Goat. She made him comfortable. Otherwise, it will continue to harass us until it destroys us. (The other Prophetess' are: Sarah, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, and Esther . In Hebrew, Jael means "mountain goat" so it certainly doesn't sound like a. But this is not realistic. Jael acted with initiative and courage. But while she was doing that, she was very much aware of the fact that there was a battle going on. But when trouble came knocking, she used what she had. A mighty warrior, judge, prophetess, and minstrel. 1.2 Mary was Humble. He always did it for the sake of challenging relationally abusive behavior and freeing the oppressed. Ch.1.4: CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. I read the story of Deborah the worshiper and judge and then read further into the story of Jael. Quietly, Jael took a mallet and drove a tent peg through Sisera's temple into the ground while he was sleeping, killing him instantly. Lessons from Deborah in the Bible (characteristics and leadership qualities), 20 Free Christian Coloring Pages printables for adults and children . Deborah prophesied that because of his weak faith, God would give victory through the hand of a woman. She used the resources given to her in this situation by God. 1 Characteristics of Mary, Mother of Jesus. The Jezebel Bible story comes to a close with the queen's gory death. They had the latest technology in the form of 900 iron chariots. Made of cells , at least one 2. He insisted that Deborah, the prophetess and God-appointment judge in Israel, go with him. Today our battle isnt against a person; it is against the powers of darkness. Shenk, http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/jael.html, Jael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, Tamar Kadari, http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/jael-wife-of-heber-kenite-midrash-and-aggadah. Be highly organized Slideshow. [17] Parallels between the details of Jael's actions and Ehud's assassination of Eglon have led van Wijk-Bos to propose Jael as killing Sisera in a manner similar to his conquering army's use of rape. If I asked most people to think of a warrior woman mentioned in Judges 4 and 5, I am pretty sure that most minds would go straight to Deborah. Despite their resemblance to goats, and their name, they are actually not closely related to goats. 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. You have the right to your own mind, no matter what your husband says and does, or where he takes you. Hospitality laws in the middle east, at that time, were very strict. Heber, Jaels husband, had a good relationship with the Caananites and thats why Sisera felt comfortable to find refuge in their camp. A deeper understanding of people in the Bible. He sees our potential in Him, which is why it is important that we dont disqualify ourselves from going towards the things that we know that He has called us be, do or have. Jaels primary job, though, was to pitch tents, and she had become an expert in all phases of making, pitching, and striking such dwellings. There is no way that she could win a physical fight with him. Required fields are marked *. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Terms of Use: The contents of this blog post are restricted to your personal use only. And in many ways we can see, from the story of Samson, just how weak Delilah was in her relation to Samson. Lets follow His (and Jaels) example and not get so caught up in following religious and cultural rules that we miss the calling of God to challenge the evil and oppression in the world. It could just mean that their lives will take turns they didnt see coming. A guest, once ritually invited into the home, had to be protected and cared for, even at the expense of everyone else in the house even at the expense of giving the woman of the house to the guest of honor for his lascivious pleasure. God used the evil fight between Rachel and Leah to further the promise he had made to Abraham. Jael was married to a Kenanite named Heber, a man descended from Jethro (Moses' father-in-law of the Midianites). And when God steps in, His goal is to bring an end to the battle once and for all. Bible Character Study on Abigail. 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. Heber and his household were at peace with Jabin, the king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. There is another and her name is Jael. Schenk notes that Sisera was Jael's guest, "was in the sanctuary of her home, and protected by the laws of hospitality. In the heat of the day, the king and Ehud sat together in the parlor, conversing, laughing, and sharing stories. Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army fled from the battle on foot. The name Jael is pronounced the same as the word for mountain goat, but distinctions in pronunciation were added many centuries after this text was written. And this might not mean that they die. Her grieving husband cuts her body up into twelve pieces, and sends it out to the 12 tribes of Israel as a stark reminder of the lust and violence that were the Canaanites, and to severely warn them against co-habiting with such mongrels. [4], Christian moral theorists during the Renaissance extensively referred to Jael as an example of tyrannicide. Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and reviseded.). If anyone comes by and asks you, Is anyone in there? say, No, But Jael found a tent peg and a hammer. L'inscription et faire des offres sont gratuits. The task set before her took a large amount of courage. Who was Melchizedek and Why was He so Important?The Bible Story of Queen EstherThe Life of Ruth - 5 Essential Faith Lessons3 Things You Didnt Know About Mary (Mother of Jesus). As I said before, Jael was vigilant so when Sisera showed up, she knew him. She is passionate about helping Christian women to grow in Christ, improve their marriages and creatively worship. 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. Quite the opportunist, Heber travels north from Judah to Canaan, taking Jael with him. Second, Sisera went to the tent of a woman. Lead them to Mount Tabor. Jael did not kill Sisera out of personal anger or revenge. These themes were echoed in contemporary plays and poems as well. After Ahab died, Jezebel lived for ten to twenty more years while their sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, ruled consecutively. If General Barak were to catch her, she could be accused of conspiracy, harboring a fugitive, and summarily executed. However, Heber, along with his wife Jael, stayed in Canaan living north near Kedesh in the tribal territory of Naphtali. She was a non-Israelite and did not worship Jehovah. They knew very little back ", "forgot to address your question, "How do you people dress and feed yourselves?" Brave: we often think that bravery is the absence of fear. We need to prioritize His heavenly rules over our earthly religious rules, His voice over what we think is right. Jewish Women's Archive, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jael&oldid=1141698215, Bertie also mentions "Jael, wife of Heber" in. [9] Noting the maternal and erotic undertones of the text and some commentators' qualms about Jael's seductive and violent act, Bachmann points out that the Bible itself has nothing but praise for Jael, called most blessed of women in the Song of Deborah. Satan (the Devil). She had to ignore all the fear, all the what-ifs.. First, Sisera should have gone to Hebers tent. For Elijah on Mount Carmel it was the power of prayer. Siseras army was quickly losing, so in one last ditch effort to save his life Sisera got out of his chariot and fled on foot, Jael saw Sisera and came out to meet him. So the Israelites became stronger and stronger until they defeated King Jabin of Canaan. It can be easy to think that we must possess great skills in order to be used by the Lord to do great things for His kingdom. [citation needed]. That would make the mountain goat literally a "benefiter of practical skill.". This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. The example of Jael, however, show When the Canaanites were defeated by Barak, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, fled and sought refuge with the friendly tribe of Heber, beneath the oaks of Zaanaim. If she did not act, women would continue to be raped and tortured by their guests. If she did not act, she would miss the only chance of aligning herself with the Israelite conquerors. In any case, it would still be disastrous for Jaels reputation for Sisera to be alone with her. They traveled whenever they could find work. Sisera died (Judges 4:21). He denounced religious rulers for heaping impossible burdens on the people listening to them. Reminiscent of the Egyptians plight in the parting of the Red Sea, the Canaanites are slaughtered, with Sisera being the lone survivor. Not a man was left, except Sisera that is, who managed to dismount his horse and run away on foot to the tent of Jael (Judges 4:17). (Notice the similarity to Lot offering up his daughter in the annals of Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 19:4-8). 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. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon. Jael is perceptive enough to understand why this is happening: she equates the suffocating oppression her people are enduring due to Israel's lack of faith and worship. [16] Biblical commentaries have viewed Jael as either a heroine or someone much less so. She quietly went to Sisera. We can learn much from this Old Testament lady of faith. She disarmed him with her words of reassurance. Sisera was very tired, so he was sleeping. 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." 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