Page 20 - October 2025 - Truth & Tidings

the interruption becomes clear. Barak was and pitchers to the woman’s millstone, the
preparing for battle, but God had already book abounds with unconventional weap-
made His preparations for the ultimate onry. These weapons seem to crystallise
defeat of Sisera. An ungodly man had two of the book’s major themes. On the
become disenchanted with the company one hand, they remind us of the weak-
of his relatives and had struck out for new ness of God’s people in these days. On the
territory. We have no idea why he chose other, they remind us that God’s strength
the plain of Zaanaim as the place to pitch is made perfect in our weakness. God still
his tent. But the narrative makes it clear uses unconventional weapons, “not many
that his actions were overruled by divine wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
providence. not many noble” (1Co 1:26), but the fool-
We might imagine that Jael was an un- ish and the weak, awkward and unhandy
willing party to the move, that she was weapons, to achieve His purpose and to
reluctant to leave family and friends and magnify His grace.
head out into the desert. She could not One more thing, perhaps, remains to be
have known that God was moving her said. So far as we know, neither Deborah
into just the right position to accomplish or Jael had children. Their families were,
His purpose and fulfil His promise. Darby in a sense, incomplete. That is striking
said it well: “God's ways are behind the in a book that speaks a good deal about
scenes, but He moves all the scenes which children and that will later describe a
He is behind.” Family life often involves miraculous conception. It is also striking
the unexpected, and it is the rare home that the story ends with Sisera’s mother.
that has not experienced upheaval and (As imagined by Deborah, she is a rather
upset. Often it is difficult to discern any dreadful woman, gloating about her son
purpose or meaning in the circumstances having captured “a damsel or two” [5:30],
we encounter. May the example of Jael en- unaware of the irony that two women have
courage us to believe that God is working been responsible for his downfall.) In this
out His purpose, and that difficult days context, it is noteworthy that Deborah de-
and challenging circumstances may serve scribes herself as “a mother in Israel” (5:7)
to position us for service for Him. and that Jael acts – at least initially – in a
So, in God’s providence, Jael was in maternal way towards Sisera. Childless-
the right place at the right time. Her ness is a difficult and challenging subject,
opportunity was fleeting: she had just a and a topic where easy platitudes are even
single chance to encounter and execute less than usually welcome. But there is
Sisera. She ran real risks, and her courage surely something worthy of note in these
and resolution are in marked contrast to two childless women whose maternal in-
Barak’s dithering at the beginning of the stincts found valuable occupation in God’s
narrative. Jael seized the moment – and service and for the blessing of His people.
the tent peg – and did with all her might Certainly, we can admire and emulate two
what her hand found to do. Her choice of women who rose to the challenge of days
an improvised weapon aligns her with one of weakness, whose courage and deter-
of the major tropes of the Book of Judges. mination shine all the brighter against the
From Ehud’s specially fashioned dagger to cowardice and disobedience of men who
Samson’s jawbone, from Gideon’s torches should have known better.

308 TRUTH kTidings October 2025