One of the many reasons why I love God so much is because he orchestrated the necessary events for Judges 4-5 to end up in the Biblical canon. You might be surprised to know that the subjects in this painting are not from Greco-Roman myth or from a fairy tale; they are actually Biblical characters.
During a time in which Israel was led by a woman prophetess (GASP!), whose name was Deborah, Israel was being oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan. Jabin's army was commanded by Sisera, the dude in the painting. Deborah recruited Barak to kick Jabin's army's butt, along with 10,000 men. She told him that even though the Lord would give them the victory, the full honor wouldn't be his "for the Lord [would] deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman" (Judges 4:9). After Barak and the 10,000 men succeeded in their endeavor, Sisera escaped and sought refuge in the house of Heber and Jael, the woman in the painting. He did this because Heber's family had an alliance with King Jabin. Little did Sisera know that he was barking up the wrong tree...
During a time in which Israel was led by a woman prophetess (GASP!), whose name was Deborah, Israel was being oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan. Jabin's army was commanded by Sisera, the dude in the painting. Deborah recruited Barak to kick Jabin's army's butt, along with 10,000 men. She told him that even though the Lord would give them the victory, the full honor wouldn't be his "for the Lord [would] deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman" (Judges 4:9). After Barak and the 10,000 men succeeded in their endeavor, Sisera escaped and sought refuge in the house of Heber and Jael, the woman in the painting. He did this because Heber's family had an alliance with King Jabin. Little did Sisera know that he was barking up the wrong tree...
Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
“I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.
“Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”
But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.
Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead. (Judges 4-18-22 NIV)
Afterwards Deborah and Barak composed a victory song. Here are some of the lyrics:
Most blessed of women be Jael [...]
Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.
(Judges 5: 24a; 26-27 NIV)
How's that for a Bible story? I'm sure that one wasn't included in your "My First Bible." It sure wasn't in mine...
Many people are under the impression that the Bible describes a God who sees women as being inferior to men. I understand where this comes from. The Bible certainly has controversial passages about women that, at first glance, might seem to condone male superiority. However, by taking into account the context of these passages, the bigger picture of the Fall and Jesus's redemptive work on the cross and the fact that the Bible was not originally written in English, I personally came to a different conclusion. Also, by studying several of the women mentioned in the Bible by name, I could also see how God used women throughout history, such as Jael, as powerfully as he used men, and how He can and still wants to use women today for his purposes. I am not a theologian. I haven't been doing months of research. This blog post is not meant to be a comprehensive text explaining all of the tough passages of the Bible related to women. That would require a book, and one by a much better prepared writer than me. My goal here is simply to share some of the things I've been learning about women and the Bible, as the title suggests. So without any further ado, here's seven things that have been crossing my mind recently...