The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part Three: Jael

My Name is Jael

"Trust God and deal ruthlessly with enemies."

Note: The Story of Deborah and Jael, Part One introduced a story of faith, love and salvation, told through the lives of two remarkable women: Deborah and Jael. Actually, the story depends as well upon a third woman, unnamed, a mother in anguish.

Part Two imagined Deborah telling her story, as if she were speaking to us all now, face-to-face.

These women remind us that God desires that we fully rely upon what he says, God desires that we fully love what God loves, and hate and what God hates, and God desires that we fully live with him.

Now we will hear from Jael, a woman much different in many ways than Deborah.

I've been asked to explain why my story is in the Bible, and how it connects with you all.

That's going to be a bit difficult.

I was not blind, and I was not a fool. My name means "wild goat", and I risk much to gain much. I climb heights to reach happiness, mentally, physically and emotionally. I climb to see the big picture, the grand scheme, the way forward.

My husband and I were not Israelites. We were not "God's People". But we were connected, in a way. My people descended from Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses. We hooked up with the Jews and followed them to their "promised land", but we also kept close ties with the ruling culture. The Canannite king Jabin and my people had a deal. You leave us alone, we'll cut you a slice of the pie now and then. For Jabin's commander of the Canaanite army, Sisera, the slice of pie was literal. Sisera knew where we lived, he stopped by often and we spent time together as friends. Perhaps Sisera and I were a bit more than friends...I knew which rug was his favorite, and I knew what his favorite drink was.

But then Deborah raised an army. Out of nowhere! Out of a scattered, rag-tag has-been nation of timid, hypocritical, self-indulgent, comfort-loving idol worshippers she raised an army of 10,000 soldiers! And Sisera's elite army of 10,000 professional killers and 900 tanks were drowned in a flood of sword-wielding, song-singing farmers following Deborah.

And Deborah was following God. The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The God of Moses and Joshua.

Whom was I following?

Then Sisera came stumbling into my tent. Out of breath, bloody, limping, coughing, snot running from his nose and as pale as a death shroud from fear and desperation.

I was immediately faced with a dilemma. Two terrible choices confronted me. Take care of Sisera, remain friends with Jabin the Canaanite king, which would set me up as an enemy of the God of Deborah. Or, treat Sisera as my enemy and put myself at the mercy of a God who could destroy thousands and exalt to heights of glory even the humble.

I'm not blind. I'm not a fool. I'm a wild goat willing to brave the heights in order to truly live free. I risk much to gain much.

I chose humility.

I chose to deal ruthlessly with an enemy, and trust that God would take me as his friend.

As I said, connecting my story to you all is a bit difficult. I have to echo what Deborah says about who your enemies really are. Listen to what she said, then deal ruthlessly with whatever threatens your relationship with God.

I've had to challenge a close friend with a few of his enemies. There are times when he scrolls mindlessly down his internet feed of social posts, pictures, rants and raves. He needs to realize that his desire for worth and purpose, his appetite for pleasure and comfort is being subtly sabotaged by an enemy who loves to distract, tempt, distort and entangle his heart.

My final words to you are the same as I spoke to my friend: Wanna deal ruthlessly with an enemy? An enemy within your own heart?

Next week:

We'll conclude this mini-series with the story of a woman in anguish, a mother in grief.

Paulo Valdivieso / "sans titre" / https://flic.kr/p/L6ZnM3 / CC BY-SA 2.0 / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/